The literary reflection of Eileen Chang’s works under the influence of the war —Taking From the Ashes and Little Reunions for examples

College of Liberal Arts, Taiyuan Normal University, Jinzhong, Shanxi, 030619, China

^* Corresponding author: cuiluhan@tynu.edu.cn

Abstract

As a witness to the war in Hong Kong, Eileen Chang’s works were inseparable from the special context of the war, which profoundly influenced the characterization, narrative style and thematic expression of her works. Eileen Chang, with her keen insight into the lives and emotions of the normal citizens in the grand background of the period, focuses on the human emotions behind the stories, explores the basic survival of the ordinary groups, and reveals the impact of the war on the destiny of individuals and the path of the times. Taking From the Ashes and Little Reunions for examples, this essay explores the literary reflection of Eileen Chang’s works under the influence of the war by analyzing the writing of war trauma, human alienation and the memory of history in two works. Through the study, this essay finally concludes that the experience of the Hong Kong War was not only an unfortunate encounter for Eileen Chang, but also a fortunate material for her literary creation. The war pushed Eileen Chang to understand that era from a unique prospective, which deepened her sense of emptiness, made her realize the darkness in human nature.