Bidirectional mimicry and identity dilemma in The Sympathizer
Homi Bhabha proposed the concept of"mimicry"in studying the structure of colonial power,emphasizing that when colonizers encourage colonized people to"mimick"their culture,the result is often not a simple replication,but a"blurred copy",which in turn becomes a resistance strategy for colonized people.In the novel The Sympathizer by Vietnamese American writer Thanh Nguyen,the mimicry strategy is bidirectional.The Vietnamese,represented by the anonymous double-sided spy"I",on the one hand,are subject to the control strategy of the colonizers of the United States and France,and on the other hand,they discover the logical problems within their colonial discourse while actively mimicking the culture and values of the colonial country,forming resistance to colonial discourse.Bidirectional mimicry traps"I"in the dilemma of identity recognition.The ethical turn at the end of the novel provides a way out of this dilemma,that is,to sympathize with the suffering and find the value and significance of one's own existence in the process of speaking for others.
The SympathizerViet Thanh NguyenHomi Bhabhabidirectional mimicry
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