In American Born Chinese, Gene Luen Yang uses
Chin-kee to exhibit the stereotypes Asian-American youth are subjected to in
current American society. While Chin-kee’s behavior may seem laughably outrageous,
Yang intends for Chin-kee to personify what Americans perceive as typical
Chinese conduct. In the novel, Chin-kee lacks social decorum, exhibiting
unrestrained words and actions. For example, when Chin-kee meets Melanie at
Danny’s house, he asserts, “Such pletty Amellican girl wiff bountiful Amellican
bosom! Must bind feet and bear Chin-kee’s children!” (50). In this instance,
Chin-kee molds to the “seeker of white women” stereotype because he claims
Melanie as a potential marriage match before they are even introduced. Yang
showcases this instance of Chin-kee’s behavior to explain how a Chinese man’s
intentions towards women mimic that of an American man: they both hope to find
life partners that suit their personalities. In another instance, Chin-kee fits
the “smart Asian” stereotype by answering all of the teachers’ questions
correctly (111-113) to the point where one teacher suggests, “You know, people
– it would behoove you all to be a little more like Chin-kee” (111). As if
Chin-kee were not already annoying enough as a teacher’s pet, the teacher also
acknowledges Chin-kee as an academic role model. Here, Yang exemplifies
Chin-kee’s scholastic excellence to note how not all Asian students are
brainiacs. In fact, Asian-American students who struggle in school may feel
mounting societal pressure to succeed, even though they do not possess an
innately greater capacity for intelligence in comparison to their American
peers.
Ultimately,
Chin-kee’s seemingly outlandish behavior stems from baseless American
portrayals of Chinese culture. We may laugh when Chin-kee pees in Steve’s Coke
(116-117) or when he beats up Danny with his kung-foo moves (208-211), but the
reality is that certain minority groups feel pressure from unsupported
stereotypes daily. Yang’s point in including Chin-kee as a character stems from
unresolved cultural fixations that create groundless assumptions about an
entire people group. Yang uses Chin-kee to help the reader recognize their own
unsubstantiated thoughts about minority groups in the hope to replace these
misgivings with factual observations.
I would agree. Chin-kee's inclusion in the novel not only acts as comic relief, but demonstrates just how ridiculous stereotypes of Asian American cultures can be. Early in the book, Timmy says, "My momma says Chinese people eat dogs" (31). Chin-kee emphasizes the obvious stereotype behind the statement later in the novel when he eats, "Clispy flied cat gizzards wiff noodle" (114). The art further stresses how absurd this is with the food being depicted as a cat head with lumps of grey and noodles in a Chinese carryout container.
ReplyDeleteChin-kee also represents a stereotype through his over-exaggerated accent and things he says. Chin-kee says things that are very stereotypically Asian such as, “Wha--? Confucius say ‘Hubba-hubba!’” (50), “Mooshu fist”(208), and “General Tsao rooster punch” (210), which most asian americans would not say. Chin-kee’s accent is also overstated such as when Chin-kee says, “ Sirry cousin Da-nee. Chin-kee ruv Amellica, Chin-kee live for Amellica. Chin-kee come visit evely year. Forever” (211). This overstatement emphasizes the stereotype that Asian Americans speak English with incorrect grammar and heavy accents. This idea is ridiculous in its’ self as many Asian- Americans speak English with no accent and grammar better than that of their American counter parts. Chin-kee serves to emphasize the stereotypes to demonstrate to the audience how absurd they really are.
I think you bring up some good points about Chin-kee’s presence in the graphic novel through both the obvious stereotypes, as well as some subtle ones. One stereotype that I did not notice until taking a closer look at the novel can be seen on page 48. In the background of the picture, the reader can see Danny’s dad struggling to hold Chin-kee’s luggage. However, this is not ordinary luggage. Chin-kee’s luggage appears to be large Chinese take-out boxes. The ridiculousness of this statement only continues when Chin-kee bows and states, “Rong time no see! Chin-kee happy as ginger root pranted in nutritious manure of well-bred ok!” (49). In these two pages, Yang has incorporated a large number of ridiculous Chinese stereotypes. Not only has Chin-kee used Chinese takeout boxes as luggage, but he has then used a ridiculous statement to express his happiness. As you stated in your post, Yang posts this to draw attention to the ridiculousness of American stereotypes about Chinese people. This graphic novel is full of hyperboles that exaggerate stereotypes, ones that we may or may not realize we have. By exaggerating these stereotypes in the graphic novel, as can be seen with the character of Chin-kee, Yang forces us to look at our own biases and stereotypes, and work on correcting those and not upholding people of different cultures to these sterotypes.
ReplyDeleteI would definitely agree that all the stereotypes are exaggerated and dramatic in order to prove a very strong point: that all these stereotypes are ridiculous and not true. Chin-kee is shown eating a cat, and even his luggage is large chinese takeout cartons (114, 48). The purpose of these examples is to allow readers to be aware of the ridiculous stereotypes some have towards Asians and how inaccurate they are. In class we even discussed how many Asian-American bookstore owners wouldn’t sell this graphic novel because of Chin-kee’s character. I can understand how the way Chin-kee is portrayed is offensive and disturbing yet the message behind his character is extremely important. Towards the end of the graphic novel, Chin-kee’s secret is revealed to the readers when he says, “Now that I’ve revealed my true form, perhaps it is time to reveal yours” (213). I think this also shows how stereotypes can actually shape the actions of those they are imposed upon. When Danny is revealed as Jin, his true form, it shows how all the Asian stereotypes and discrimination is what made Jin want to change in the first place. On the other hand, when Chin-kee is revealed as the monkey king, an important Chinese figure, he has pride in his heritage and ethnicity and helps to guide Jin back to his “true form”. The stereotypes in this book are extremely clever at serving multiple purposes and for acting as lessons for readers in discreet ways.
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