Gene Luen Yang’s novel, American
Born Chinese, depicts the struggle of living in the United States as Asian
American as the characters, Jin Wang and Wei-Chen Sun, face stereotypes and prejudice
against them for being Asian. Through humor and exaggeration, Yang captures the
harsh reality of what many Asian Americans living in the United States face.
Although anxiety present in teenage years and the discrimination as an Asian
American can be traumatic, Wei-Chen shows that confidence and inner peace can
overcome racial discrimination.
As a Korean who has lived in the United States for the past
13 years, I sympathize very much with some of the hardship described in the
novel. In the beginning of the novel, Yang presents the scene where Wei-Chen
Sun goes to his first day of class. Even the teacher pronounces his name wrong
as “Chei-Chen Chun” and incorrectly tells the class that Wei-Chen is from “China”
rather than “Taiwan” (36). When I first moved to the U.S. as a 4th
grader, I, too, had a similar experience in that the teacher could not
pronounce my name correctly [I was still using my Korean name at the time] and many
students assumed that I came from China. In addition, I, too, was asked if “[my
people] eat dogs” and experienced the practical lectures from my parents about “concentrating
on your studies now so that you can have any girl you want later” (31, 163). As
a nine year old, this gave me a lot of stress. However, I responded to these
hardships in the same way that Wei-Chen does in the novel.
Despite the difference in the environment and the hardship he
faces from his surroundings, Wei-Chen makes a girlfriend, Suzy Nakamura, before
Jin and actually helps Jin secure a date with Amelia (89). Wei-Chen admits that
“when he move here to America, I was afraid nobody wants to be my friend”, but
he is the one who shows Amelia what a good guy Jin is by saying, “Jin teach me
hip English phrase like “Don’t have a cow, man” (102). I was also able to accept
the differences and acclimate well to the different environment. I knew that I
had an accent and could not speak English well, I was not ashamed. Rather, I
was proactive in seeking friends and found a lot of people who accepted and
even supported me for my uniqueness.
Ultimately, growing through childhood in the United States
as an Asian may contain some hardship with stereotypes and discrimination along
the way. However, the underlying problem is not the race itself. Self-confidence,
acceptance of different cultures, and appreciation one’s uniqueness allow
anyone to exceed in any unfavorable environment.
It's interesting to hear about your experiences! As I was reading the novel, I found myself wondering if growing up as an Asian or Asian-American was as difficult for everyone as it is for Jin. While I recognize that everyone’s experiences are different, it is comforting to know that not everyone felt as excluded and alienated as Jin does. Not everyone feels the need to be ashamed for their race.
ReplyDeleteI think you really say it best when you assert that race isn’t the true problem causing the feelings of exclusion in American Born Chinese. While there are several instances of cultural insensitivity towards Asians in the novel, such as classmates mocking Jin, Wei-Chen, and Suzy Nakamura’s accents (96), there are also many occasions that the characters show discomfort with their own race. For example, at one point Jin insults Wei-Chen by telling him to “stop acting like such an F.O.B.”, or “fresh off the boat” (89). The author does not include a scene in which this has been said to Jin, yet Jin still feels it can be used as an insult. This likely stems from his own insecurity with his accent and racial identity. Another instance showcasing a character’s insecurity with his race occurs when Steve consoles Danny for feeling embarrassed about Chin-Kee by offering to buy Danny a Coke, Danny takes it the wrong way. Instead of accepting the offer with a smile, he retorts, “What, so I can pee in it?” (128).
It's interesting to hear about your experiences! As I was reading the novel, I found myself wondering if growing up as an Asian or Asian-American was as difficult for everyone as it is for Jin. While I recognize that everyone’s experiences are different, it is comforting to know that not everyone felt as excluded and alienated as Jin does. Not everyone feels the need to be ashamed for their race.
ReplyDeleteI think you really say it best when you assert that race isn’t the true problem causing the feelings of exclusion in American Born Chinese. While there are several instances of cultural insensitivity towards Asians in the novel, such as classmates mocking Jin, Wei-Chen, and Suzy Nakamura’s accents (96), there are also many occasions that the characters show discomfort with their own race. For example, at one point Jin insults Wei-Chen by telling him to “stop acting like such an F.O.B.”, or “fresh off the boat” (89). The author does not include a scene in which this has been said to Jin, yet Jin still feels it can be used as an insult. This likely stems from his own insecurity with his accent and racial identity. Another instance showcasing a character’s insecurity with his race occurs when Steve consoles Danny for feeling embarrassed about Chin-Kee by offering to buy Danny a Coke, Danny takes it the wrong way. Instead of accepting the offer with a smile, he retorts, “What, so I can pee in it?” (128).
I'm very glad to hear your story of triumph over adversity. I was bullied, somewhat, when I was younger, but like you I found comfort in friends that understood and related to me; it sounds like an after-school special, but perhaps those have a more important message than we believe.
ReplyDeleteMany would look at the story of Jin and think of it, as you said, as an exaggeration, and in many ways perhaps it is, but as you have revealed there is often a kernel of truth, and here we find the truth to be the whole of the story. All it takes to make a big change is to start with a few small ones.
Just to expand upon this further, the reason why many fables and fictional stories have persisted in our public consciousness as they have is that there are great lessons that can be learned, even from fiction, and that we can empathize and hope to emulate our fictional heroes, as it sounds you may have when you were younger had you the chance to read this story.
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ReplyDeleteI can also relate to your story. Growing up, I was sometimes called a "chink" and told to go back to my country, even though I was born in the same town as they were. People asked me if they ate dogs in China, and even though they were probably kidding, it still affected me. These comments often made me confused, and I spent a lot of time thinking about why I had to be different than anyone else. However, as time went on, I have come to embrace my Chinese culture. This is an aspect in my life that I cherish, and Therefore, I believe the portrayal of Jin Wang's experiences in school (30) was a pretty accurate portrayal of some comments an American Born Chinese student might hear growing up. Just as Jin did at the end of the novel however, many Asian american children are able to embrace their culture and find others who have shared the same experiences.
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