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rice
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by Mary Loh Chieu Kwuan
Realization of identity from conflict, we are born with identities.
When we were just small kids, we were shaped by our parents and given
the identity they created for us. It is only until we grow up and come
into contact with modern or foreign culture and value that our identity
is challenged and then we start to search for our true identity. The
identity we look for may not necessarily be totally different from the
identity we used to have. But the searching process allows us to re-
think about our identity in the modern world. In a country with history
similar to Singapore鈥檚, its people have a deeper understanding of this
search of identity. This is because Singapore was a British trading
colony until 1963 when it joined Malaysia. After two years, Singapore
withdrew from Malaysia and became independent. Under the influence of
the complex history and its multi-ethnicality, the younger generation of
Singapore is confronted with the conflict between the traditional value
of their parents and the modern value of the West. At home, they are
required to follow the traditional value in front of their parents. At
school or at work, they are faced with the Western value, behavior, etc.
However, it is only under the conflict between tradition and
Westernization that one can finally realizes his or her true identity.
In the short story, written by a Singaporean Mary Loh Chieu Kwuan, the
protagonist faces a similar problem. The following will discuss the