الفهرس 
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Abstract
This study analyzes some selected plays by David Henry Hwang. Within a theatrical context, Hwang deals with the various cultural, economic and social conditions experienced by the Chinese within the American community. After the discovery of gold in California in the mid-nineteenth century, huge numbers of Chinese and other nationalities immigrated to the USA. The Chinese, in particular, met with a lot of violence, torture and racial discriminatory immigration laws, culminating with the famous Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. This act prevented the Chinese from emigrating to the USA. With the passage of time, the Chinese overcame their difficult conditions and achieved a distinguished position for themselves within the American community.
This thesis consists of five chapters and is followed by a bibliography of the works consulted. Chapter 1, ”The Background”, deals with the life of Hwang. It also throws light on ”The Historical, Social, and Cultural Scene”, which has influenced the various stages of the development Chinese American literature.
Chapter II, ”Assimilation and Preservation of Ethnic and Cultural Identity”, examines the two plays, FOB and The Dance and the Railroad, showing how some assimilated Chinese Americans suffer a split personality, while others refuse assimilation. This split results from the failure of these characters to create a balance between their ethnic roots and their American birth. The examination also shows how the Chinese laborers come out victorious after their strike during the construction of the transcontinental railroads when the official authorities respond to their demands.
Chapter III, ”Smashing Stereotypes of Asians”, explores how, through his play, M.Butterfly, Hwang, smashes the stereotypes attached to the Chinese woman as submissive to the desires of the white man. In M.Butterfly, a brilliant deconstruction of Puccini’s Madame Butterfly, Hwang inverts Puccini’s situation by making the victim, not the Oriental woman, but the white hero.
Chapter IV, ”The Myth of Family History”, is concerned with the changes that take place within the Chinese family through its interaction with the Western world. These changes take the form of giving up many traditional Chinese values such as ancestor worship and conversion to Christianity. This is clearly revealed in his play, Golden Child. It also discusses how some assimilated Chinese Americans are fond of going back in life to their ethnic roots, attempting to create a balance between their assimilation and their ethnicity, while others are not. This is examined in the two plays, Family Devotions and Trying to Find Chinatown.
Each of these chapters explores the different technical devices Hwang has used in presenting his visualization of the Chinese American experience. Such devices are flashback, tragedy, comedy, contrast, the racial shadow/double, Chinese opera, mythology and suspense,
Chapter V, the Conclusion, considers Hwang’s achievement in his analysis of the Chinese American experience. It also examines how he has contributed greatly in the field of drama by his dramatic skill, which is still in progress.