Yang’s use
of humor is evident throughout all three stories in American Born Chinese. One of the first instances of this that I
noticed was when the monkey king pees on the pillar of gold (73). From this
point on, I understood that the novel was meant to be funny. The use of humor
keeps the reader engaged, especially since it is supposed to be a novel for
younger children. The crude image of the monkey king peeing on a gold pillar,
and then finding out the pillar was actually a god’s finger is the type of immature humor that keeps readers,
especially younger ones, engaged with the material of the novel, which is at
times very serious, dealing with racism, bullying and discrimination.
The
second obvious use of humor by Yang is the character of Chin-Kee. Chin-Kee is a
punchline for almost every joke in his part of the story. When Chin-Kee is
first introduced, he says “HARRO
AMELLICA” (48). Every single thing
that Chin-Kee does is stereotypically Chinese, and his name is even a play off
a Chinese racial slur. Chin-Kee’s
role is to not only be a punchline for all the jokes, but to make the reader
examine the stereotypes given to Chinese Americans. Another crudely inappropriate
piece of humor was when Chin-Kee says, “Me
Chinese, me play joke, me go pee pee in his coke”
(118), and literally pees in someones coke. I remember saying these kinds of
things as a child, so hearing it repeated not only made me laugh, but also
helped me to better understand the negative stereotypes that I was helping
perpetuate. Yang presents this in a humorous way in order to make the story
less heavy and add levity to the situation. Chin-Kee also helps Danny aka Jin
realize that he cannot escape who he really is. These are extremely serious
topics, but they are comically presented through Chin-Kee. Many people might
find this type of racial humor to not be funny at all, which could deter some
readers. However, I think that the majority of the people who read it will
understand that the book is not written to laugh at Chinese Americans because
of Chin-Kee, but to better understand the types of racial stereotyping they
have to go through, and adding this layer of humor helps non-Chinese readers to
understand this.
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ReplyDeleteAs much as this novel is about racism and stereotypes concerning Asian Americans, Yang purposely set this story about a boy going through poverty in middle school and high school to demonstrate a time of anxiety and uncertainty. While Erika makes the point that Yang’s humor is one of the positives of the novel, such exaggeration and crudeness could be the reason why some Asian Americans unfavorably reviewed the book.
ReplyDeleteAs a young adult fiction, American Born Chinese, targets kids who may not fully understand the seriousness of the issue of stereotypes. When young readers encounter the jokes, such as “my momma says Chinese people eat dogs” and “would cousin Da-nee rike to tly Chin-Kees clispy flied cat gizzards wiff noodle?, they may find this very funny to the point that they react the same way to their Asian Amercan classmates (31, 114). Exposure to these jokes may create ‘Greg’s in reality, creating bullies who call Asians as “geeks” and make “squinty-eyed impressions” (121, 184). Such kids may do this light heartedly, but these jokes may create traumatic scars. Although Yang highlights these jokes with a deeper underlying message about the problem present in today’s society, young adults may not be mature enough to fully understand the purpose. As someone who has seen these bullying happen, these “humorous jokes” can certainly cause distress among young Asian Americans who may already be anxious already due to poverty. The novel presents an important problem in the United States among minorities, but may also come with unforeseen consequences.
I agree with both of you, and I want to expand of the point both of you made about a lighthearted touch making the novel's heavier topics easier to get through. I do not think the novel would have been nearly as successful or award-winning if Yang had not incorporated some level of humor. This is especially true considering the medium, given that comics are often either funny, like in newspapers, or action-packed, as in DC or Marvel. A serious graphic novel would not likely succeed, and then Yang would not have been able to reach such a wide audience to get the message out about the actually very serious content of the novel. One way he ascertains his audience will be engaged is by using typical comic devices, like the font and "clap clap clap" bottom line when Chin-Kee's story line is introduced (Yang 43). This page and others like it in Chin-Kee's storyline reminded me of other comics had seen, like older superhero comics. There is something youthful and almost innocent about it, which is useful for an author writing content that is anything but - it adds some level of comfort for the readers.
ReplyDeleteWhile I agree that the novel effectively uses humor to keep the reader engaged, I do believe the point mentioned before by Brian is especially relevant. Graphic novels often attract a younger audience, and these children may not fully understand the level of satire and social commentary Yang has incorporated in the novel. As Erika mentioned, I remember being a kid and hearing jokes like those presented in the novel by my classmates but not recognizing how scaring those comments could be for minority students. If younger students pick up the book, there could be a risk of perpetuating the sense of comedy in situations such as the teacher's willful mispronunciation of Wei-Chen's name as "Chei-Chin Chun" (Yang 38) or Chin-Kee's broken English.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I do believe that the comedy is more effective for older, more aware readers. Teens and young adults may be more likely to pick up on Yang's satirical purpose in including these comments. They can recognize that Yang is including these "jokes" to point out the mistreatment of Chinese Americans in American society rather than solely for comedic effect.
I agree that humor plays a large role in the story, especially considering the sensitive material the story presents. It brings a question up, that arises around other comments, at what age is this story appropriate? As college students, we can think more about the connections between the text and the outside world while reading the story easier than elementary school students. Some younger students will not realize the sensitive nature, especially in regards to Chin-Kee, and could potentially think it is alright to say certain hurtful statements from the story; however, the novel does a good job at showing how words affect people through the artwork of the comics. Some people may not pay as much attention to the pictures of the story, not realizing the hurt that some phrases can bring. The story is definitely one that should be brought up in middle school, in my opinion. Many students are struggling with their own identity crisis in middle school, and American Born Chinese could be helpful for some students who are also having internal conflict of their own.
ReplyDeleteI agree that humor does play a major role in the story, and I think it's Yang's way of expressing effective social commentary in a non-conventional manner. The novel is ultimately about the racism and stereotyping that young Asian-Americans experience growing up, which is a heavy subject for many, especially nowadays. However, the humorous parts of the story lines, such as Jin using movie theater bathroom soap as deodorant (168) lighten the commentary and make it an easier read. Readers don't enjoy being lectured - at least I know I don't - and Yang does a great job of making the reader laugh, while also getting his point across. The Chin-Kee character himself makes readers laugh, but also makes them think about why they laugh, and how they may have helped to build this stereotype in their own experiences with Asian-Americans. Yang's story isn't all humor-there are definitely themes of loneliness, exclusion, and embarassment-but they don't dominate the story the way I thought they would when I began reading.
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