부 트란의 『드레곤피쉬』에 나타난 주류사회의 인식론적 폭력과 공존의 불가능성

Epistemic Violence of Mainstream Society and Impossibility of Emotional Sharing in Vu Tran's Dragonfish

Dragonfish, written by Vu Tran, a Vietnamese American author, distinguishes itself from earlier Vietnamese American works in that it critiques mainstream American society from the lens of a white man. This paper discusses the author’s intention in shifting away from the conventional theme of war and instead foregrounding a white male protagonist, rather than a Vietnamese immigrant. The author places Robert Ruen in situations where he must repeatedly confront Suzy’s past that he has never known before. This paper aims to critique the limitations of mainstream perceptions and the impossibility of emotional sharing toward immigrant communities by analyzing Robert’s quest to find Suzy and his epistemic violence toward the racial other that stems from his internalized sense of cultural and racial superiority.