Magical Realism In Amy Tan's The Hundred Secret Senses

The use of fantastic elements in an acceptable and believable setting is reminiscent of other texts that have been categorized as magical realism. Investigating the use of magical realism within ethnic writings of non-Latin American origin, Roland Walter notes that "magic is an integral part of reality in that the natural and supernatural categories of reality are harmoniously intertwined" (2). This mingling of the natural world with the supernatural is a key component in The Hundred Secret Senses. Tan incorporates contemporary culture with history and magical realism to enhance and draw attention to multiple levels of existence and reality while describing the journey of a single individual learning to "explore the deeper dimensions" (Zhang 15) of both herself and of her surroundings. Tan starts The Hundred Secret Senses novel with the narration of Olivia Bishop, daughter of an immigrant Chinese man and a woman who loves to be called as "American mixed grill, a bit of everything white, fatty, and fried" (HSS, 3). Olivia begins recalling her childhood days with Kwan Li who was Olivia's father Jack’s another daughter living in China. He pleads his current wife to find Kwan and bring her to America. Olivia meets Kwan and they have rocky relationship. Kwan has "Yin eyes," which is the ability to see and communicate with people who are dead. But Olivia never believes in Kwan’s ‘yin eyes’, still, Kwan tells all her ghost stories to Olivia, until Olivia begins to realize that Kwan was not just remembering dreams but was, in fact, recalling a life she firmly believes herself to have lived in the year 1864. Olivia falls in love with Simon who loved Elza, but she died in an accident. Olivia seeks help from …show more content…
We just call secret because everyone has, only forgotten. Same kind of sense like ant feet, elephant trunk, dog nose, cat whisker, whale ear, bat wing, clam shell, snake tongue, little hair on flower. Many things, but mix up together.