I found myself very interested in the idea of exploring Yang's use of stereotypes and what he is trying to portray through them. Why did he have to create and assign such powerful stereotype motifs to the characters?
For that fact did he have to create them or has he only pulled them out of the collective consciousness?
This is especially apparent when we are looking at Chin-kee, why would/could we consider him the embodiment of the stereotypical chinese-american?
And from this how/why does Chin-kee and the stereotypes he represents put Danny's story on a similar level as Jin Wang's?
Are Danny's struggles with fitting in as powerful and genuine as Jin Wang's?
Or does Danny just need to buck up and grow a slightly tougher skin?
From here, why/how can we as readers reconcile the Monkey King's story as being equally painful and powerful to both Jin and Danny's despite there not (necessarily) being preset stereotypes for Yang to be playing off of?
Sorry for the post being so late folks, i have had some interesting days here with my daughter and didn't quite realize my day to lead discussion was at hand.
Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI thought about that too, especially since it was targeted toward younger folks—both with the content, the coloring, the age of Jin Wang, and the action/adventure morning cartoon feel of the Monkey King frame narrative.
I’m actually pretty ignorant on the subject. I was aware of these stereotypes, but Chin-Kee’s character felt like a grossly offensive and outdated (?) one, but it’s presence reminds us that Jin Wang is trying to operate under the shadow of such longstanding stereotypes. And on second thought, we can easily see examples that would be known to children growing up now of these Asian stereotypes—things like cartoon characters and party merchandise and Halloween costumes. Television is a big part, as tons of American children
Jin Wang is aware of all of this, and this is what contributes to his feeling of being uncool and not wanting to befriend Wei Chen Sun. He has internalized the shame of being this “other” even when we as readers can plainly see that Chin-Kee is a caricature hardly relatable to Jin Wang. Instead, we relate his struggle more to Danny’s—the “typical American boy” trying to fit in. This points to why these things are problematic and force new ways of looking at race, media and stereotypes for young people.
So we can see those two narrative working together already. I think from where I’m at in the book right now, the Monkey King narrative kind of works as a parable. Though we are working with different species, it’s telling the story about what one is born as is something that they shouldn’t reject or be ashamed of, but something they should embrace as they can never run away from it (this is quite definitive in the tale as well, with Wong Lai-Tsao’s godly will) . Resistance to who one really is is actually detrimental leading to failure, humiliation and divine punishment.
His species is seen as disgusting or unwelcome by others, but he is not at once these things—he in fact works and outshines all of them with progression to become immortal and master all of the stages. This struggle that the Monkey king faces can be seen as parallel to people of all minorities operating alongside the majority.
Chin-kee is almost uncomfortable to look at, the depiction is so racist. His skin is an unnatural yellow, his eyes were this like pale red in one frame, he dressed like he is from another time period (a costume probably based on Jet li movies or something), and the teeth, and head shape. Everything about it is just completely not okay and part of the absurdity is that the book presents this sit-com so well and it reminds me of 90s sitcoms so well that I feel like this could have been something that could have been attempted. It is sort of sad that all the things that make up Chin-kee are recognizably racist stereotypes that have been created, like it isn't a completely unbelievable thing because we have grown up in America and have gradually amassed an understanding of racist stereotypes, and to see them compiled in Chin-kee is eye opening.
ReplyDeleteI didn't see the parallel in Danny's story with the others, but you pointed it out. Danny is struggling sort of in the same way Jin struggled when Wei-Chen first approached him. Jin seemed not to want to get lumped together with Wei-Chen, he was embarrassed, and he wanted to be friends with other people. He got over this quickly but, as demonstrated in the scene where the bully character made fun of Jin, Wei-Chen, and Suzy, it was at the cost of him not getting his wish of actually fitting in and being lumped to the other Asian kids. Danny on the other hand can totally fit in with the other American kids, but he apparently has this Chinese cousin that he can't get rid of, so now I see the parallel, but I don't see him picking Chin-Kee over his potential white friends.
And yeah, the monkey king is totally feeling racism too, when he was thrown out of the party just for being a monkey and "not wearing shoes." He is struggling with the fine line between assimilation, wearing shoes to conform, and internalized-racism, saying he isn't a monkey and fighting with anyone who won't agree, including the God of that world. Very sad.
Chin-kee is definitely noteworthy. What do you think Yang’s intentions were with Chin-kee? My own personal response was amusement, where Yang’s over-the-top presentation of the character took him out of the realm of offense made it okay to point out the absurdity of stereotypes. After all, Chin-kee is essentially a manifestation of Jin’s self-loathing for his Asian American identity. I think problematic generalizations such as the ones embodied in Chin-kee are worth reflecting on, and I am glad that Yang has made it easier to do so with American Born Chinese.
DeleteI feel the strong characters he used to represent these stereotypes are to show the extreme of the situations he went through as a child. Yes, those kind of people didn’t actually exist in his life, but show how close they can come to something so extreme. These stories obviously have stuck with him for many years and would go through his mind while he was growing up. Therefore, it shows a correlation between his consciousness and reality.
ReplyDeleteAmerican Born Chinese explores stereotypes really well. He creates a character that is the complete pinnacle of stereotypes in Chin-Kee. Then we have a character who is a normal American boy going through life and coming in contact with the occasional stereotypical struggle in Jin Wang. Lastly we have someone in-between. The Monkey King explores a character that look to better himself and be equal or better than the people who oppress him. Stereotypes are placed upon him but he sort of transcends them. These characters were created with such stereotypes because Luen Yang wanted to show the full range of these issues in our society and to show how they can affect people. He also might want a younger audience to see these things from another angle to inform them of these motifs.
ReplyDeleteIn some part, Luen Yang simply took what he knows of common stereotypes from the “collective consciousness.” I myself hear of these sorts of stereotypes everywhere from books, television and film. Most of these became ingrained into our daily lives, not on purpose, but because of how forms of media portray racial blending. Playing with stereotypes can be a difficult subject, but sometimes they can lighten a mood and create a common acceptance. Out of this entire novel, I feel like the situation with Chin-Kee is the best example of acceptance. Danny has let his cousin’s visits constantly take control of his life. The way that Chin Kee acts might just be an extension of the embarrassment that Danny has for his cousin and himself. Danny lacks a form of personal acceptance for the way he and his family is and this forces him to focus on his own social status over everything else.
I don’t really see Jin Wang’s struggles as powerful as Danny’s. Yes, Jin Wang has some issues, but they don’t seem to bother him as much as Danny’s. Danny puts too much focus on his struggle for acceptance that stereotypes seem to be all that he can see.
The monkey had many issues with race. He first wasn’t accepted so he went on sort of a journey to make himself the epitome of power and purity. He changes his look, he learns as much as he can, and he moves as far away from a monkey as he possibly could before realizing that his actions to god were how a monkey would react. He deserves a chance to be accepted by all, but the Monkey King simply doesn’t accept his own self. His desire for acceptance creates a parallel between Jin Wang’s desire to be accepted by the girl he is interested in and Danny’s acceptance of family and social image. Not accepting you keeps leading to more and more danger for these characters and this is pushing them all along a similar storyline.
The strength of his stereotypes is helpful in many ways. I'm sure has something to do with the intended audiences age. When you can create the embodiment of a cultural stereotype vibrantly and put it in the context of being abnormal or unfortunate to those involve you can build sympathy. The way it is drawn, that the main characters are not the very most stereotypical in likeness but are so in culture and roots plays to the authors advantage of driving home an anti-racism message. Chin-kee is probably one of the best uses of a bridge building character. He is outlandish on his style, words, actions, and visibly bizarre. His goal is to be "beyond" stereotypical as to give what I would coin as a background to not just the racist connotations associated with being Chinese but to how Chinese people feel they can be perceived due to their cultural ties.
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ReplyDeleteI think it was important for him to create powerful stereotype motifs for the characters for it to be all the more important to break these stereotypes and show how they affect people who are mistreated and discriminated against.
I would have to say a little bit of both, using the monkey and the spin of different creatures would have been something that was created, but the typical stereotypes and generalizations about different races would have been pulled out from the collective consciousness.
It is sad to say, that is how when some people hear or see someone Chinese(or Asian) before they even speak, an exact image of Chin-kee is what they imagine the person will be like. To bring an example closer to home, in the movie Rush Hour, when Chris Tucker first meets Jackie Chan, he speaks to him loudly and slowly assuming Chan doesn’t know any English.(DO-YOU-UNDERSTAND-THE-WORDS-THAT-ARE-COMING-OUT-OF-MY-MOUTH?!?!)
Because Danny is ashamed of being associated with Chin-kee, insisting to his classmates that he is nothing like him because he doesn’t look or speak like him so he shouldn’t be treated or looked at differently just because Chin-kee is his “cousin.” Jin Wang was ashamed of being associated with Suzy Nakamura so they completely avoided each other in fear their classmates would think they had an arranged marriage. Both Danny and Jin Wang were very paranoid about what others thought of them because they were different.
Yes, they both are very powerful because it genuinely shows, no matter how small the struggle is, it is still a struggle and it affects people drastically, regardless of how insignificant it may be to others.
The extreme stereotype characters abound in the fantastic stories of Danny and the Monkey King as well as throughout Jin's story. All of the characters are stereotypes. The fantastic stereotypical characters are comedic relief and an opportunity to expand on the ideas of feeling alienated.
ReplyDeleteThe Monkey King seems to mature as he literal grows up. This story, being fondly remembered as being told by Jin's parents, is an allegory for appreciating one's self while finding a new way to belong.
The Chin-kee character seems to be a characterized embodiment of all of Jin's fears about what people assume he is. Having that story shows how off-putting or awkward Jin feels he makes things for his fellow peers. It is Jin's reserved and shy nature that makes him sensitive to how he seems to his peers when they are the ones who bully him and make fun of his uniqueness.
The comedy blend along with the stereotypes makes the reader enticed throughout. Though there is an a beautiful connection between all of the characters because they all have a form of the same insecurities. The Monkey King gave me hope with his transformation because he was so reckless and violent when we first met him. When he saved the Monk on his travels that showed the growth, and the transformation from ignorant to enlightenment.
ReplyDeleteWith regards to Chin-Kee I do feel somewhat guilty for laughing at these jokes, but his intelligence is unmatched. This is what Jin wants to avoid and he doesn't want to be viewed like this. Chin-Kee is the literal most extreme stereotype that I would think Chinese-American people fear the most. Being so quiet for anyone doesn't always mean that someone is sensitive, but at that age one could only imagine the insecurity.
It seemed like Yang pulled all of the classic anti-Asian stereotypes for the purpose of highlighting the way that Jin attempted to hide from who he was. Chin-kee was probably the most ridiculous amalgamation of racial stereotypes that person could ask for. He perfectly represents what Jin (as Danny) was trying to hide from. I think its interesting that multiple stories tied together so well in the end, despite having very different storytelling styles. Its also interesting to me that the Monkey King and Jin managed to have such similar problems, despite being centuries away and completely different species. That being said, I found the ending extremely surprising in that I didn't expect the stories to blend together.
ReplyDeleteIn today’s socio-political environment, stereotypes are nothing if not a touchy subject. But one of American Born Chinese’s strengths is its deft handling of the topic, captured in the antics of Chin-Kee. What Gene Yang does is take all of the stereotypes, both negative and positive, of the Chinese, rolls them into a single entity, and puts it front and center in the work, displaying it in all its absurd glory. While the views and perceptions that Chin-Kee represents are quite reprehensible, it must be said that Yang’s presentation of him is quite comical. By exaggerating Asian stereotypes, stereotypes being exaggerations themselves, I think that Yang takes the topic of racism and makes it much more approachable, something that people of any age can reflect on. Yang’s use of the character Chin-Kee can’t be seen as an earnest evaluation of Chinese Americans; Chin-Kee is, in all senses of the word, ridiculous! Instead, Chin-Kee’s purpose in the story seems to be twofold. First, he is a
ReplyDeleteBiting satire on the kind of thinking that leads to stereotypes. Second, and more central to the work’s theme, is that he helps represent Jin’s anxiety about his Chinese background. The struggle between Danny and Chin-kee represent Jin’s own internal struggle to find his identity, both with his peers and within himself.