Having read the first three chapters f the graphic novel “American Born Chinese,” I would like to discuss the common theme of assimilation and the need to belong that is perhaps most evident in the first two chapters. In the brief stories about the monkey king and the Chinese transfer student in a new school, it is very noticeable the contrast that is meant to be seen between how the protagonists are and what they should be. The monkey king, although a deity himself, is shunned from the other deities based solely on the fact that he is a monkey. Apart from this, he is similar to them in all other regards. His being a monkey that is only made apparent to him after being denied a seat with the other deities is not something that he would have considered to make him any different from anybody else. It also causes him to question it himself when he notices “the thick smell of monkey fur…” which, “…he had never noticed before.” He then goes on to stay awake all night thinking of a way to get rid of the smell or in other words how to change the very essence of his being in order to fit in or assimilate. I believe that this story is meant to be an example of the difficulties that assimilation into a society can present. Assimilation simply does not happen over night but rather takes generations and effort. The monkey king will never be able to truly assimilate himself due to the fact that he will always be a monkey. A similar example arises in the second chapter regarding the transfer student Jin Wang who does not initially understand what makes himself different just like the monkey king. However, throughout the story he becomes accustomed with some of the aspects of being American and this is evident when he tells another Chinese transfer student that he is “in America. Speak English.” This is Jin Wang’s attempt to assimilate himself into the new culture by showing the same sort of disdain the American boys showed for what he himself was in order to show that he is now just like everyone else. Furthermore, Jin Wang’s story also shows the huge sociological struggle that arises from the desire to be accepted and assimilated while something that should be insignificant like race blocks the entry way. I believe this speaks to the historical struggle of the Chinese to integrate themselves and be accepted into American culture and identity.

This graphic novel, “American Born Chinese” by Gene Luen Yang discusses many different topics that we have talked about ourselves in class and during our discussions. There are several specific concepts that we’ve discussed in class, and these topics that I’ve seen in the first 6 chapters are those of discrimination and assimilation. These themes are present in the three different stories that we have seen throughout this novel in several different ways. When reading all three different stories, we have seen some form of discrimination against the main character, and sometimes supporting characters, which has also forced many of them to assimilate.

In the first story that we’re introduced to, we see The Monkey King trying to become a deity, but, when he arrives to the party with the Gods he is denied entry simply due to the fact that he is a monkey. On page 21 and 22, the guard states, “Yes, yes. I apologize profusely sir, but I cannot let you in— you haven’t any shoes,” (21-22). Later in this chapter, the guard also says, “Look. You may be a king— you may even be a deity— but you are still a monkey,” (23). After facing this discrimination, the Monkey King feels, for the first time, self-conscious and selft-hate. He realizes his differences and the things that are a basis for discrimination, such as “the thick smell of monkey fur,” (29). After the Monkey King faces this discrimination and becomes aware of the things that make him different, he becomes hateful towards those things that cause others to discriminate against him and he wants to do all he can to fit in. When the Monkey King returns, he is very clear with all his followers and tell them that “All monkeys must wear shoes,” (60). 

In the next story that we see, we also see a lot of discrimination present. In this story, about Jin Wang, we see discrimination when his teacher introduces him to the class. She discriminates against him when she mispronounces his name as “Jing Jang” and also says, “He and his family recently moved to our neighborhood all the way from China,” (37), while Jin Wang and his family moved from San Francisco. Jin Wang is quick to assimilate to typical American culture when he is discriminated against and mistreated by all his classmates. One example of this is on page 39, when we see him eating dumplings and his classmates are rude and discriminatory towards him. We see how he assimilates because, on page 44, he is eating a sandwich and that could be his way of assimilating so he isn’t teased and picked on because of his culture by his classmates.

Finally, the last story that we see, is the story about Chin-Kee. The discrimination that we see here is more in the way that the character is written. Gene Luen Yang wrote this particular character as a way to illustrate the stereotypes than many people often see representing Chinese people in many different media types. One way that we can see this discrimination that is so often seen in portrayals of Chinese is on page 117 when Chin-Kee offers his “clispy flied cat gizzards wiff noodle,” for lunch. Chinese people are constantly asked about if they eat cats and dogs and are seen in a specific way, and that discrimination is present in this story. The assimilation that we see isn’t present in the character of Chin-Kee, but more the character of Danny. Danny is so embarrassed of his cousin that he feels the need to move to a new school at the end of every year in order to escape the judgement of his classmates about his cousin.

The impact that discrimination can have is so great on so many different groups of people. We’ve talked about this impact in class a little bit, especially how great the pressure to assimilate can be when people are discriminated against, and these ideas that we’ve discussed are certainly present in this novel, even in just the first 6 chapters that we’ve read. It’s very interesting to read this graphic novel while considering all the different topics that we have already talked to up until this point, and it has definitely helped to understand this novel on a deeper level by thinking about all the topics we’ve already discussed in class.

            One theme that was repeated throughout the beginning chapters of American Born Chinese is assimilation. Each of the three stories being told have some aspect of assimilation. Jin Wang saw Americanization as the way through which he could fit into his new school, the Monkey King tries to become more and more like the deities, and, finally, Danny has a desire to fit in and simultaneously a desire for his cousin to assimilate.

            For me, our past readings really allowed me to understand more fully what assimilation entails and the impacts it has on an individual, particularly in respect to cultural and personal identity. I think that the idea of assimilation is most prevalent in the story of the Monkey King. After the Monkey King is told, “you may be a king – you may even be a deity – but you are still a monkey” he is described as being ashamed of himself (Yang 15). After this derogatory comment, the monkey does all in his power to become as similar to the deities as possible. In the second part of The Monkey King’s story the Tze-Yo-Tzuh tells him that, “I made you with awe and wonder” and that “I do not make mistakes, little monkey, a monkey I intended you to be and a monkey you are. Please accept this” (Yang 81). Despite the reassurance and acceptance that the highest deity gives the monkey he still tries to change and is not happy being a monkey. I think this part of the graphic novel really shows the overwhelming affect that feeling different and inferior has on a person. Once a person, or in this case a monkey, feels the pressure to assimilate, it can be almost impossible to overcome the feeling and again feel pride in who you are. Before being described as “just a monkey” the Monkey King was proud of who he was and his people. Despite everything his creator said to him, the Monkey King was still unable to accept himself. Although previous readings talked about what exactly assimilation is and its cultural impact, they showed less of the personal side of it.

            I think that there is a connection between the feeling of embarrassment and the want or desire to assimilate. Before reading American Born Chinese I had never made this connection; however, unlike previous readings, the graphic novel is able to put the idea of assimilation into real lives and give concrete examples of its effects. Immediately after being denied the Monkey King is described as being embarrassed, I think that this is essentially what fuels his desire to change. Although Jin Wang never specifically uses the word embarrassed, I think it is implied when he does not want to be friends with the new student from Taiwan. Finally, in Danny’s story he says that his cousin “embarrasses the crap out of him” (Yang 127). Ultimately, I think that assimilation and the want to assimilate results from being made to feel ashamed of yourself and the embarrassment people feel when they are wrongfully ridiculed for their culture.

In American Born Chinese, Gene Yang references many different themes throughout the novel and the fact that this is a graphic novel makes the themes that much more obvious to the reader. One of the more prominent things that I noticed in the novel is the stereotype that is put upon Asians about the way that they speak. There is a stereotype that Asians don’t speak proper English. “Dis pletty Amellican girl wiff bountiful Amellican bosom must berong to cousin Da-Nee.” (pg. 51) is one of many quotes that identifies this speaking deficiency stereotype that is usually places on Chinese people. I thing Yang does this to really emphasize this stereotype that Americans put on the Chinese people and to also hope that by doing so, it will help eliminate the negative association of being around the Chinese people. I think stereotypes in general are something that has been a very common theme among many of our readings so far in this class.

One other theme that I noticed in American Born Chinese is the idea of outsiders living in America. This idea is brought to life in this story through the Monkey King character. The Monkey King represents not only Chinese people living in America but also any person who isn’t originally from the United States that immigrates into the country and is subject to constant ridicule and questioning. “You may be a king- you may even be a deity- but you are still a monkey.” (pg. 15) is the quote that I feel truly represents this theme and idea that is presented in this graphic novel. The Monkey King tried to enter a party but was denied because he wasn’t like the rest of the guests. He didn’t look the same as everyone else. After he gets denied entry into the party, the Monkey King throws a fit and breaks up the party. After he breaks up the party, he goes back to his home and when he gets home he notices, for the first time, the crude smell of monkey fur. He then spends the whole night thinking of ways to get rid of the smell. This whole sequence of events really epitomizes the theme of “outsiders” living in the United States and feeling like they don’t belong and just wanting to fit in. I think Yang decides to have this be such an integral part of the novel because it is something that is very prominent in America today and really is a big issue. America has always prided itself on being accepting of all people and cultures but in reality that hasn’t really been the case. This has also been a very common theme among many of our reading this year. Almost all of our readings have come from people who are not originally from this country and have used their stories they wrote to describe the many challenges and difficulties they have faced being an “outsider” living in America.

Both of these themes have been very prominent in many of our readings this semester and is something that I think Gene Yang does a very good job of outlining in her graphic novel, American Born Chinese.

In “American Born Chinese” by Gene Luen Yang, he tells the story of a monkey who has mastered all the pillars of Kung Fu. Upon becoming very powerful through all his studies the Monkey King proceeded throughout the universe to show his power to the other leades of the various sects of society. He was indeed a very strong and powerful monkey as he demonstrated to those who doubted his abilities.

In his quest to display his ultimate power, the Monkey King became complacent. He did so as he forgot where he came from and that he was not, after all, the most powerful among the rulers of the universe. He came upon Tze-Yo-Tzuh, who warned the Monkey King that he was not the greatest and he must stop his recklessness. He told Tze-Yo-Tzuh with the utmost confidence, “I don’t care who you say you are, old man. I can still take you” (pg. 81). He refused to listen to Tze-Yo-Tzuh as he felt that he had a rightful place in heaven with the other rulers. He was punished for his actions and was placed under a bed of rocks for 500 years. This demonstrates that trying to fit in where you don’t belong will never work. As discussed previously, those immigrants to America who refused to learn/speak English faced great hardship. Immigrants were seen in the same light as the Monkey King, as a higher power had determined their fate.

After some time trapped under the rocks that held the Monkey King in place, he was approached by Wong Lai-Tsao, sent on a mission by Tze-Yo-Tzuh. Wong Lai-Tsai expressed his intentions to the Monkey King who was reluctant to listen yet again. While Wong Lai-Tsai was being attacked by demons he pleas to the Monkey King one last time, “to find your true identity…within the will of Tze-Yo-Tzuh…that is the greatest of all freedoms” (pg. 149). His proclamation reasserts the idea that one must find who they really are to fit in, and not try to be someone they aren’t. The monkey was oppressed as many immigrants are when they are trying to fit in, but when they find who they are and find their place they are able to settle into their new environments.

Though this example of how the Monkey king was not accepted is a little silly it portrays and all too real story in America. Many immigrants try very hard to fit in when they arrive as they only know the lives they come from and know very little to nothing about the American way of life. A common occurrence is for immigrants to come from very wealthy and prestigious families and jobs, yet when they come here, they are forced to start new lives. The Monkey King demonstrates this struggle with one’s self that many will have when trying to redefine themselves. In the end it is important to keep pieces of you that define who you are, but it’s nearly impossible to overcome the higher power that has already determined your future. America is the power ,and history has determined the way that immigrants must behave in order to be accepted members of society.

In American Born Chinese, Gene Luen Yang discusses many aspects of the various challenges American minorities are forced to confront, such as the omnipresent attitudes of white superiority and the idolization of American cultural practices. In normalizing the mistreatment and rejection of other ways of life and cultural identities, American culture propagates an immense pressure which weighs on immigrants and other marginalized groups to conform to the anglocentric standard, a feeling which inspires great shame in their cultural and ethnic heritage. This shame is often expressed in the form of anger, directed towards others who are of the same or similar minority group, and therefore representative of the aspects of their identity that they are ashamed of. This phenomenon is excellently portrayed by the transformation of Jin Wang during his time at Oliphant High School, and in particular, his initial reaction upon meeting Wen-Chen: “Two months later, Wei-Chen arrived. Something made me want to beat him up”(Yang, 36). Watching the teacher introduce Wei-Chen at the front of the class reminded Jin of his own identical experience. Yet, after suffering months of otracization due to his Chinese identity, the knee-jerk response of Jin is to immediately reject Wei-Chen, who embodies Jin’s own self two months prior, and to project all of his anger and pain towards Wei-Chen, who embodies all of the cultural aspects he has been conditioned to hate about himself. While Jin quickly decides to befriend Wei-Chen after having lunch with him, his initial resistance to the idea based on his race is indicative of the underlying issues that result from the cultural intolerance and rampant persecution of minority groups in America. Furthermore, Jin displays a clear desire to fit in with his peers and to abandon his Chinese attributes, as is made apparent through his behaviors such as getting a perm, beginning to eat sandwiches instead of traditional Chinese cuisine, and his adamant adherence to speaking English. However, he still feels haunted by the shadow of his former self, as is evident in the narrative decision to chronicle the two separate manifestations of his respective Chinese and American identities: Chin-Kee and Danny. These two characters, or perhaps more accurately, caricatures represent the extreme stereotypes of their respective cultures. Chin-Kee is unable to articulate “l’s” and “r’s” differently, has extremely slanted eyes, buckteeth, and consumes dead cats with every meal. On the other hand, Danny is a blond, athletic, blue-eyed teen who is popular and personable. The overwhelmingly negative portrayal of Chin-Kee, down to his name being based on a racial slur, contrasted with the normal, positively characterized Danny is symbolic of the inner conflict present within Jin. Throughout the novel, Danny often is hindered or embarrassed by Chin-Kee, and wishes that he would leave forever. But, he knows this is an impossibility, as Jin is aware that like the Monkey King, no matter how hard he works to change his identity, in the end he will never be able to fully escape the racial profiling by which he will be judged. The only way he will be able to resolve the conflict inside him is to follow the example of the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, and accept his heritage without letting it define him.

In American Born Chinese, Gene Luen Yang discusses many aspects of American culture involving immigrants and people who aren’t quote on quote American. Yang conveys this message in many different ways including a monkey king, and a boy named Jin, and another character named Chin-Kee. There are many themes that go along with all three of these character’s stories, including assimilation and self hate. Yang offers a powerful message about the way American culture views Chinese Americans, and he portrays this through a metaphor with the monkey king. The monkey king crashes a party in Heaven and is told that he can’t enter because he does not have shoes and on top of that the bouncer says “You may be a king- you may even be a deity- but you are still a monkey” (Yang 15). Because of who and what the monkey king is, the bouncer denies him access which really upsets the monkey king. This is a metaphor for the way Americans see people who are “Others”. With this comparison Yang depicts the struggle of the identity of Chinese Americans, where no matter how they see themselves, their identity is still defined by how other people see them and it is near to impossible to change it. Later the monkey king goes home and “when he entered his royal chamber, the thick smell of monkey fur greeted him. He’d never noticed it before. He spent the rest of the night trying to get rid of it” (Yang 28). The message Yang alludes to here is one of self hatred once people turn against you for something you can not change about yourself. This is what the monkey king does once he is kicked out of the party. He has, and will always smell like a monkey, something that’s never crossed his mind before, until people dislike him for just being himself. This in turn leads to him noticing everything wrong with himself. In the second story, Yang tells the story of Jin, a Chinese American student. Jin also experiences blatant racism, like at school when one student tells him “’You’re in America. Speak English,” (Yang 37). This comment expresses the theme of assimilation and how if you appear different from the majority, people want to change you to be more like them. Another example of this is when Jin used to bring his dumplings to school for lunch until other students didn’t like that and he started to eat sandwiches instead. These stories remind me a lot of what we discussed while reading Gloria Anzaldúa’s writing, Borderlands/ La Frontera. This is because she too discusses the idea of being different in America, and how her culture wasn’t accepted and neither was her language- by neither Americans nor her own people. The impact this has on a child’s identity is evident since they begin to lose a sense of belonging which is depicted through Gloria’s retelling of her childhood and through Yang’s stories. Both of these writings convey messages of growing up different and how stereotypes are both damaging and yet still prevalent to this day.

Gene Luen Yang’s book, American Born Chinese, is a graphic novel that features three different storylines which he develops in parallel over the course of the book. Although the story lines seem very disconnected in the beginning, they share various themes. The theme that I would like to focus on is exclusion. I think it is central to the book’s message, because there is at least one instance of exclusion in every single chapter. In the first story, the Monkey King is shunned from heaven and isn’t allow to join their dinner party. Despite the fact that the Monkey King is a deity and a master of the Four Major Heavenly Principles, he is still excluded from the party and kicked out of heaven because he was a monkey. The doorman who stops him entering is condescending and adamant not to let the Monkey King, regardless of anything he had to say.

Jin Wang is a third grader who just moved from San Francisco. He used to live in a close-knit Chinese community up until his family moved to this new place. In his first encounter in school his teacher introduces him as their “new friend and classmate Jing Jang” and whose family and “recently moved all the way from Chine!” (page 30). Jin needs to correct his teacher about both his name and where he came from, but she doesn’t seem very concerned. Further on throughout the chapter we see snippets of how the children treated him, and all these interactions are aimed to exclude and alienate Jin. The only friend he ends up making is his own bully. At the end of the chapter, a new Asian kid joins the class and his name is Wei-Chen. In the beginning, there is a potential for the cycle of exclusion, as Jin initially shuns Wei-Chen. However, by the end of the chapter they are best friends.

The finally story is about Danny and his visiting cousin Chin-Kee. In this story line, there are two instances of exclusion. First that Danny isn’t very excited over is cousin’s visit and is embarrassed of his antics. In fact, Danny tells Chin-Kee various times to leave him alone and shuts him down. On the other hand, Danny is also shunned and bullied at school because of his association with Chin-Kee. This creates a cycle of resentment and exclusion. Danny tells his friend about this “He comes for a week or two and follows me to school, talking his stupid talk and eating his stupid food. Embarrassing the crap out of me. By the time he leaves, no one thinks of me as Danny anymore. I’m Chin-Kee’s cousin. It gets so bad by the end of the school year that I have to switch schools” (page 127).

The book carries theme of excluding all that is different and deeming it inferior. Which as we have discussed in several of our readings has been the American way of dealing with immigrants. Slowly this exclusion builds a sense of loneliness and despair to the point that one turns onto themselves and their unique identities that have lead them to be alienated. I guess then assimilation seems to be the direct result of the exclusion that is depicted throughout the book. The Monkey King tries everything he can possibly do to no longer be considered a monkey. Jin Wang rejects Wei-Chen when he first comes and tell him to speak English. Danny despises Chin-Kee and dreads his arrival. It’s very interesting how the stories meet in the end. However, for now, the book is only telling the story of being different in America.

In American Born Chinese, by Gene Luen Yang, we are able to notice many of the themes that we have discussed in class early on this semester. In my opinion, talking about the first chapters, the main three ones are: discrimination, stereotypes, and identity. 

Discrimination occurs in many chapters, but we can certainly see it in the story of the monkey king, and in the story of Jin Wang, the American Chinese boy who just transferred to a new school. Regarding the story of the monkey king, we see discrimination when the Monkey gets kicked out of the event because he is not human. Despite all his skills and abilities he is not accepted because of his racial nature. That being said, it is a fantasy story which talks about a monkey, but we can still compare this kind of behavior with that racist and ignorant part of the population who’s not able to see beyond the physical aspect of someone, and who’s not able to distinguish the value of a person besides their race and ethnicity. Discrimination is also brought up in the story of the true American born Chinese, Jin Wang. Indeed, after the kid gets introduced to the class, his classmates start to marginalize him, creating separation and division between him and all the other children. He finds himself alone because of his diversity and even though he would like to change and fit it, he can’t. 

The second recurring theme that I found in the first chapters is “stereotypes.” This theme definitely occurs a lot in this book, and the author brings it up to show us how bad it can be. In this book they all go against Chinese people, but the worst thing of the story is that the person who is being stereotyped shouldn’t even be considered Chinese, since he was born and raised in America. For example, in the first chapters, the classmates of Jin Wang think he is in a relationship with the other Asian girl and that they are suppose to marry each other once they get older for a sort of cultural reason. Also they make fun of Jin because they say he eats dogs “like all Chinese”. 

The third and perhaps most important one is the concept of identity. We very much discussed this concept in class, and I personally think it is the biggest topic when it comes to mixing cultures and differences. In American Born Chinese, we have a strong example of how identity can be manipulated by people’s judgement. For example when Jin meets the kid from Taiwan and he tells him to speak in English because he is in America. Also, when Jin wants to cut his hair like Greg, because he feels more appreciated by doing it. It is very important to remember that we all own a particular and unique identity, and that diversity is what makes us special. Sometimes, as the author pictures in the book, this thoughts are forgotten and we sadly try to replace our own identity with the most similar one to the people we desire to fit in with. 

One common theme that has repeatedly come up in several, if not all of our readings, is that of double-consciousness. W. E. B. Du Bois’ term “double consciousness” has been referred to in several of our in class readings and videos we have watched, whether it was referred to as double consciousness or phrased a different way. Du Bois himself referenced his double consciousness in his work “Of our spiritual strivings,” describing in beautiful detail his experience identifying as both an African man, and an American man. Gloria Anzaldua gives us an honest glimpse of the internal conflict she faces living in America as a Chicana woman. After reading all of these accounts, I feel like I was quickly able to recognize the theme of double consciousness in Gene Luen Yang’s American Born Chinese.  So far in the story, issues of double consciousness can be seen in both the life of Jin Wang and the Monkey King.

Jin Wang seems to struggle with his double consciousness as a Chinese American from his youth. Like many minority individuals living in America, Jin Wang seemingly discovers his position as a minority at a very young age. His teacher mispronounces his name when introducing him, as well as assumes that he had just arrived in America from China. People assume things about Jin even though he was born in San Francisco, and in his story, you can see how he internalizes this. In the first chapter of Jin’s story, an international student from Taiwan comes and begins speaking to Jin in his native language, to which Jin fires back, “’You’re in America. Speak English,” (Yang 37), a term that is often used by Americans in interactions with people speaking other languages. In a way, it makes sense for Jin to respond this way, as he is an American. But as someone who had almost the exact same experience as Wei-Chen, you would think that Jin would be more understanding and welcoming. Jin even calls Wei-Chen a “Fresh off the Boat” (Yang 89) in the second chapter of his story, even though he and Wei-Chen are good friends. Jin Wang’s interactions with Wei-Chen reveal his struggles being both a Chinese boy and an American boy. He seems to have internalized the stereotypes that have been placed on him at his all white school, and projects them onto Wei-Chen even though they are close friends. I think that although Jin is friends with Wei-Chen, he hates to be grouped with him, as Wei-Chen actually came to America from his native country, and Jin was born in America.

Similarly, the Monkey King struggles with accepting that he is not only a deity, but also a monkey. After dealing with rejection by the other kings and queens in the first chapter of his story, the Monkey King “’transcend[s] his former title’” and demands to “’now be called The Great Sage, Equal of Heaven,’” (Yang 60) revealing that he no longer wants to be recognized for his identity as a monkey, but as an “equal.” However, the Monkey King still leads and is looked up to by all of his fellow monkeys, and his loyalty, so far, remains with them. The Monkey King does not feel that he can be respected as an equal King, and still identify as a Monkey, revealing his double-consciousness and the mental toll it takes on him.