Different Voices: The Singaporean/Malaysian Novel

3. RICE BOWL (1984)

77 RICE BOWL (1984) In Rice Bowl (1984), Suchen Christine Lim’s first novel, the writer dramatizes the tension between the Mandarineducated Chinese and the English-educated Chinese. This tension is linked to the underlying theme in the novel — national identity. Unlike Lee Kok Liang and Maniam, the writer moves away from the strategy of vernacular transcriptions to the strategies of code-switching and code-mixing to represent the tension among the Chinese in Singapore. The English-educated Marie, who enters the religious order of the convent and turns into an activist after she becomes an undergraduate, is the protagonist. Though the narrative is about Marie, the writer uses Mak, a sociology lecturer, to act as her foil because he represents the Mandarin-educated. Through an interior monologue, the reader hears Mak’s vision of himself: Mak ignored the remark and smiled to himself — the smile of the unrecognized General. Wait, ah wait. When CHAPTER III 03 SMNovel.indd 77 10/5/09 2:10:29 PM 78 Different Voices he should give the signal for arms one day, she would remember that this was how she had encountered him, Mak Sean Loong, First Dragon. And was not one of the Chinese Dragon Emperors, Chien Lung, also one of those who moved incognito among his people like this? Satisfaction wreathed his face as he noted his own continuity with history, unaware of the contradiction in his comparison between a self-professed follower of Marxist — Leninist — Mao Tse-tung. (p. 202) In the above passage, the direct authorial voice does not end where the character’s language begins. In fact, considerable sections of the novel are presented in either Marie’s voice or Mak’s. These voices are not set off from the authorial speech in any formally compositional or syntactical way. That is, there is no demarcation between the character’s language and the direct authorial voice. The writer uses the technique of free indirect style, where the narrator’s voice merges with the voice of Mak to portray the egoistical core of Mak’s thoughts which parodies Marie’s egoistical nature. It is through Marie’s thoughts as she walks with Yean, one of the pupils from her select group, that this trait surfaces. If only Yean had been able to pour out her thoughts and feelings then, Marie too, would have been able to confess: I, too, have learnt something. I dream a dream but my dream is many-faceted. Different parts of my dream attract different people. I know I attract them but I do not make them like me. How can you, Yean, in your silence blame me? Can you blame the Flame of the Forest if passers-by admire its blooms and stop in its shade. (p. 259) This interior monologue reveals Marie’s egoistical tendencies . Here she is very similar to Mak, as both of them believe in their power to attract and influence people 03 SMNovel.indd 78 10/5/09 2:10:29 PM Rice Bowl (1984) 79 around them. As Mak’s behaviour becomes ironical in the light of his egoistical tendencies, Marie’s egoistical nature is also foregrounded. Mak’s degeneration into a mad man parodies Marie’s idealism, even though the reader is aware that Marie’s views on individual rights are based on humanistic values, while Mak’s views are motivated by the teachings of Mao Tse-tung. The writer uses code-switching and code-mixing to dramatize Mak’s degeneration into a mad man. When he intentionally uses a phrase from Mandarin, it is codeswitching , whereas shifting from one language to another under emotional pressure is code-mixing. A good example of intentional change of code is Mak’s reaction to Hans, an American human rights worker: Mak veered round and grabbed Hans by the shoulders just as Hans came in, not knowing what was happening. “Here is the chief jackass of them all. You lied!” “Hey, what’s going on?” Hans tried to pry loose Mak’s iron claws from his shoulders. “Mak de! Ta gan wen wo ah! You Fascist pig!, CIA agents! Running dogs of capitalism.” And Mak punched Hans in the stomach. (p. 244) Through this overt use of a low variety of Mandarin, the writer effectively dramatizes the rage within Mak where he refuses to accommodate the addressee. According to Platt, “code selection would naturally depend on the extent...