Struggles in Identity

Written for CompLit 335: American Comics (Instructor: Prof. N. Couch)

When immigrating to a new country, people often struggle to balance new and original cultures, as they try to fit in. They frequently face cultural expectations, societal stereotypes, and internal identity struggles. Navigating these new experiences while still trying to hold on to one’s heritage and build new relationships is deeply personal and resonates with many first-generation American immigrants. American Born Chinese, by Gene Luen Yang is a graphic novel consisting of three intertwining narratives. The first story features Jin Wang, an eight-year-old boy who moves to the suburbs after living in San Francisco’s Chinatown with his parents. As he grows older, he develops a crush and believes he must change his appearance for his feelings to be reciprocated. The second story is of the Monkey King of Flower-Fruit Mountain, who after being denied entry to a heaven banquet, is set to prove his worth. He masters four additional principles of kung fu to battle the other deities, yet one lowly monk shows him the correct way to find himself. Finally comes the story of Danny, a schoolboy who gets a visit from his cousin Chin-Kee, whose character represents a harmful stereotype of Chinese people. These three seemingly distant stories come together in the end to explore identity, racism, and stereotypes, and self-acceptance through Gene Luen Yang’s use of colorful art, mythological symbolism, and cultural cues.

To begin, Yang presents struggles in identity and self-acceptance through the character of Jin Wang, a first-generation immigrant who struggles with his identity due to teasing from peers and teachers. The following year another boy, named Wei-Chen, enters Jin’s grade. Despite Jin’s defiance, the two of them become the best of friends, leaning on each other for support. In the seventh grade, Jin develops a crush on a girl named Amelia and in doing so he convinces himself to become more “white” to win her over. When Jin betrays Wei-Chen by kissing his girlfriend, Wei-Chen and Jin engage in a large fight, ultimately ruining their relationship. That night, Jin had a dream of an old herbalist granting his wish of becoming white. When he wakes up, he sees in the mirror a boy with white curly hair, and he names himself Danny.

“The Monkey King” is more fantastical. It begins with the announcement of a large banquet at the heavens where the Monkey King assumes he is invited because of his title as a deity. When he shows up, he is denied entrance for not wearing shoes, a key part of his identity being a monkey. In response, he attacks the other deities to prove that he is strong and capable despite being a shoeless monkey. When he returns to Flower-Fruit Mountain, he is determined to change himself to prove to the other deities that he is worthy. He learns the remaining four principles of kung fu, along with altering his body to be large and demanding using the final principle. The Monkey King is sentenced to execution after his uproar at the heavenly banquet. Using his new kung fu, he is able to defeat the other deities with ease. Through his path of destruction, he encounters the god Tze-Yo-Tzuh. The Monkey King refuses to accept that Tze-Yo-Tzuh is more powerful than him, even breaking the fourth wall of the comic book, escaping the boundaries of reality. As punishment, Tze-Yo-Tzuh banishes him beneath a mountain of rock with a talisman preventing him from performing any of the principles of kung fu. Eventually, a monk approaches him and demands that he get up from the rock as the Monkey King must be the emissary for this monk. The Monkey King refuses at first, saying he couldn’t possibly just get up, as he has been buried underneath this mountain for 500 years. Through the words of the Monk, the Monkey King realizes all he had to do was to return to his original size to be able to free himself from the rock.

Finally, the last story is of “Everyone Ruvs Chin-Kee,” a satirical sitcom following Danny and his cousin Chin-Kee. In the story, Chin-Kee has been visiting Danny almost every year and embarrassing him when he returns to school, answering every question in class and pulling jokes on Danny’s classmates. Chin-Kee is depicted as an exaggerated caricature with bright yellow skin, buck teeth, and antiqued Chinese clothing along with a thick accented speech. Danny also has a crush; however, when she rejects him, he doubles down and believes that she doesn’t want to date him because of Chin-Kee. Even though she denies him, he is heavily rooted in his belief that Chin-Kee is the one ruining their relationship. Danny confides in a friend that previously every year when Chin-Kee visits, he must transfer schools due to embarrassment and bullying brought on by his cousin. Danny then conjures the courage to confront Chin-Kee, where they then engage in a physical fight.

The stories converge and end when Chin-Kee is revealed to be the Monkey King. He had been visiting Jin every year since his son, Wei-chen, realized the true nature of humans after the fight he had had with Jin and left to use the mortal world for his pleasure. When Jin finally realizes how poorly he had treated Wei-Chen, he decides to try and reconcile with him. They meet at a Chinese restaurant and talk over bubble tea. They forgive each other as the panel zooms out on their laughter.

Fitting in is easier said than done. Usually, it leads to a person’s sacrifice of one thing to achieve another. In the story, Jin rejects his own identity by refusing to speak Mandarin and changing his own characteristics. The Monkey King also struggles to accept his own identity, in denial of being labeled a monkey.

In the seventh grade, Jin realizes his crush for Amelia. He spends every waking hour thinking of her and realizes she is quite close to their classmate,

Greg, a white boy with blonde curly hair. Jin gets in his head that she must like him, soon becoming more fixated on Greg than Amelia. In Image 1, his infatuation with Amelia shifts into jealousy when he imagines Amelia and Greg spending time together. Jin evaluates the differences between Greg and himself and confirms that their hair is the determining factor. As a result, Jin assumes Amelia must only like Greg since he has curly hair. In order to emulate Greg, Jin decides to get a perm and soon discovers a newfound confidence from his new hair. His change in physical appearance is a direct reflection of the conformity’s psychological toll. In the comics, this confidence is physically depicted as lightning bolts exuding from his hair; The closest thing about him that is considered “white”, is the source of his happiness and the center for decisions. When confronted with Greg’s lightning bolts, as seen in Image 2, he pales in comparison. Through this depiction, the artist illustrates that Greg’s natural confidence greatly overpowers Jin’s temporary, fake confidence which exudes from his perm. This artificial confidence only leads him to make irrational and spontaneous choices which end up leading to the fallout between him and Wei-Chen. These choices strike readers as out of character, because the perm isn’t a part of who he truly is. This perm is a physical manifestation of Jin rejecting his race and emulating his white classmates around him. By emulating his white classmate Greg, he suppresses his own identity in order to satisfy others and what he believes, satisfying himself.

Later on in the story, Jin’s wish of becoming white comes true. Jin wakes up in his bed after having a dream of the herbalist he met when he was young. In the past, Jin told the herbalist he wishes to be a transformer; instead of striking down his ideas, she replies with, “It’s easy to become anything you wish so long as you’re willing to forfeit your soul.” (29) This shows how Jin’s assimilation could be simple, as long as he is willing to lose his identity as well. Identity is who you are, how you govern decisions, how you build relationships. It is a part of yourself you cannot change, so attempting to change your identity is analogous to forfeiting your soul. When he enters the bathroom, he sees in the mirror a reflection not of his usual self, but of a white boy. This is a reflection Jin has been yearning for and something he genuinely believes is correct. Instead of feeling fear and rejection, he is delighted to see this white version of himself and immediately creates a new identity, naming him Danny. By accepting this sudden change in seconds, Jin demonstrates his desperation to reject his own race.  The readers now realize this is the same Danny in “Everyone Ruvs Chin-Kee.” This shows that Jin Wang was eager for a different identity because he felt it was the only way for him to ever assimilate into his school and his life. What he sees in the reflection represents his view of himself, or what he truly wished to see in the mirror every morning. Reflections are a way for us to see how others perceive us. Although Jin has already felt assimilated into American culture, from other people’s point of view, he is still a Chinese boy. When he sees Danny in the reflection, Jin is assured that this person is how other people will perceive him. It appeases the desires Jin has of wanting to present white for other people, by finally being able to have an appearance that matches the internal identity he claims to have.

Throughout the stories, Jin refuses to speak Mandarin—another important part of his culture and a huge connection to his parents. Both Wei-Chen and Jin’s parents consistently speak to him in Mandarin, shown by the use of angled quotation marks (‹…›). By refusing to speak the language, he is severing a connection with his friends and parents. Living in America affects Jin’s connection to being Chinese, and his parents become his sole connection to his heritage. Even though Wei-Chen is seen as an equal, Jin is constantly undermining him because he is speaking to him in Mandarin. As seen in the first time when they spoke together, Jin tells Wei-Chen, “you’re in America, speak English” (37). This is a phrase most commonly said to immigrants by white Americans. Because Jin is berating Wei-Chen for his identity that he shares with Jin, it feels like a self-attack. It seems as though the negative words said to Jin have been internalized by him and redirected onto other people. When they had their large fight, Wei-Chen confided in him, saying “‹We’re brothers, Jin. We’re blood.›” (190) Wei-Chen tries to show Jin that their connection is more than just friends. As people with similar origins, it is clear to Wei-Chen that they have had to stick together and support each other no matter what. By speaking in Mandarin, Wei-Chen displays he has never let go of his culture. He embraces it and constantly incorporates it into his daily life. In response, Jin calls Wei-Chen an F.O.B. (fresh off the boat), a derogatory name for Chinese immigrants, prompting Wei-Chen to strike Jin across the face. Calling Wei-Chen an FOB makes fun of him for maintaining a connection to Taiwan, something Wei-Chen is proud of. Although he is a Chinese immigrant himself, it is as if he views himself above Wei-Chen for being more “assimilated.” By refusing to speak Mandarin, he’s denying his connection and rejecting the opportunity to learn about his culture. He has become embarrassed by his own identity and shuns others for accepting theirs.

“The Monkey King” parallels Jin’s story by initially rejecting his identity in the heavenly banquet. When he tries to enter, they acknowledge that he is a deity and he is a king, but his label as a monkey–an animal that doesn’t wear shoes–denies him the privilege of the banquet. This is comparable to how Jin is viewed as a human and a classmate, but his label as a Chinese immigrant stands in the way of him making friends and building connections with people.

The Monkey King used to be proud to be a monkey, never changing who he was. Ever since his rejection, he finds being called a monkey an insult. He lashes out at the banquet as a way to cope and prove to them that being a monkey doesn’t make him any less powerful. Subsequently, the Monkey King decides to change himself, suppressing his monkey identity. By learning four additional principles of kung fu, he realizes he can change his body and physically become larger and less monkey-like. This is akin to when Jin perms his hair, a physical manifestation to appease their peers and prove to them they are alike.

These ideas of self-hatred aren’t constructed from thin air. They manifest themselves from what we see in the media and how other people react. Similar to how the Monkey King associated his own identity with a negative connotation ever since he was denied entry at the banquet, what is seen in the media leads to internal shame and affects someone’s image of themself. Other people’s opinions get in the way of finding oneself and accepting differences between one another. When examining how racism plays a role in self-approval, we must look at the bigger picture in everyday media.

Chin-Kee is a satirical embodiment of harmful stereotypes of Chinese people in the media. While the other two stories have been displayed as usual comics, Everyone Ruvs Chin-Kee is designed as a sitcom, outlined by a title screen and a laugh track around the bottom of each panel. This exhibits the use of Asians in American media as racial stereotypes used for comedy. By poking fun, the author can critique these stereotypes which have been upheld in the media for years. Throughout history, Chinese people have been depicted in many different lights. As seen in Image 4, Chin-Kee is depicted as having yellow skin, wearing racially stereotyped Chinese clothes, having a heavily accented speech as well as even having buck teeth and using Chinese take-away containers as luggage. Mentioned in Reading Images in American Born Chinese through Critical Visual Literacy, the appearance of Chin-Kee is similar to that from The Wasp, a San Francisco magazine from 1881. Depicted is a Chinese laborer with a monopoly over the factories in the US, and reflecting the image of a “rat,” a common metaphor used for non-union workers. The laborer is dressed similarly to Chin-Kee, as well as having the same hairstyle, showing the heavy inspiration Gene Luen Yang had. This depiction immediately provokes the reader’s discomfort, so that we relate to Danny in these scenes.

The comedic satire also makes the readers complicit in society’s racism. It also aims to show how Jin feels about his Chinese Identity. When in America, he was surrounded by these sorts of representations. Through bullying and stereotyping, Jin views himself like the media’s depictions of Chinese people. When Melanie rejects Danny, he assumes the reason is because of Chin-Kee. This shows that Jin assumes the source of his problems is his race and the stereotypes surrounding him. Although Melanie reassures him that it has nothing to do with Chin-Kee, the damage has already been done. Through constant bullying, Jin has reasoned that he cannot build relationships solely on his race. Despite the fact that he has the capabilities to form meaningful relationships, his ideologies of what other people think of him are holding him back. The provocation compels readers to confront the absurdity of these stereotypes, making us think twice about the implicit bias we may have in everyday society.

Jin’s introduction to the class commenced with him standing at the front beside his teacher. In the classroom, the teacher is the person everyone is meant to lean on: the guardian of the students, a person meant to support and uplift them as well as educating them in and outside of class. Meanwhile, the teacher is mistakenly calling Jin by a different name, “Jin Jang” (30), a racist attempt at pronouncing his name. Someone’s name is how you refer to them and is a personal attribute for strangers. To have a hard name to pronounce, it is common for people to pronounce it wrong. Usually, people want to do what is most comfortable to them at the expense of mispronouncing their name. These small instances of passive aggression feel like attacks, especially when these names are with a background from a different language. When a classmate of Jin raises his hand and says, “my momma says Chinese people eat dogs” (31), the teacher immediately rebuts with “Jin’s family probably stopped that sort of thing as soon as they came to the United States” (31). She essentially promotes harmful misinformation about China by not properly educating the students about these racist stereotypes. Since Jin is a young boy and new to the school, it is difficult for him to assert dominance in these social situations. In turn, he must let these comments not get the best of him and try to avoid conflict, which puts him in a tricky place. It is the teacher’s responsibility to make sure every one of her students is treated equally in her classroom. Yet Jin, bearing a relaxed face and glancing to the side when correcting the teacher, shows he is relaxed in this situation as if he is used to these microaggressions. His compliance with these remarks only further allows others to keep making them. They assume it must be okay because of Jin’s reluctance to stand up for himself. Although these comments may seem not to get to him, it only makes him dislike his identity more. When others around him are poking fun at his race, eventually he can only agree with what they say to fit in. He eventually ‘befriends’ Peter Garbinsky, a bully who uses him but is the only person who recognizes his existence. By making himself the butt of the joke, he will join in with them, instead of being laughed at and singled out. When he allows for these instances to happen, he accepts that nothing will change, settling for comfort.

Self-acceptance in this story isn’t depicted as black and white. It is quite the contrary when Jin’s story is finally shown with bright colours. Leading up, it showed the conflict and obstacles someone would have to overcome to be able to love themselves. Self-acceptance is shown by forgiving others, and helping friends who you know will lift you along the way. It also encompasses accepting who you are and not being ashamed of doing things differently.

When the Monkey King was banished from the banquet, he passed a law that all monkeys of Flower Fruit Mountain must wear shoes because it was the reason why the Monkey King wasn’t allowed to enter the banquet. Even though shoes are seen as a sign of modesty and aid, for monkeys, shoes only hinder their movement. This form of assimilation caused all monkeys to be deeply uncomfortable while trying to conform, putting aside their culture to adhere to the norm. We also see the Monkey King adorn these shoes in his changed body, while banished under the mountain. After 500 years, the Monkey King was freed from the mountain by the words of the monk. By finally returning to his original size, his authentic self, the Monkey King was able to break free from the enormous weight. Together, they are destined to continue the monk’s journey. However, before they start, the monk tells the Monkey King, “on this journey we have no need for shoes” (159). Shown in Image 6, the bare footsteps walking into the distance emphasize him leaving behind his previous, insecure self. The silent recognition evokes emotion for the reader, needing no words to present this new beginning. The Monkey King relinquishing his shoes

shows this new progress he is taking by stripping away his conformity. He can start being true to himself. Shoes have been utilized in literature as symbolism for being a person’s representation on how they walk through life. Leaving his shoes behind indicates him being natural with who he is and accepting this new journey where he embraces being a monkey. They are walking towards a journey to find themselves unapologetically, as he has finally given up the one piece holding them back from accepting themselves. By finally relinquishing these shoes, he understands that to be his true self, he needs to be himself rather than focus on what other people want him to be.

It is all revealed that beneath Chin-Kee was the Monkey King, and these three stories have been interlinked all along. A conversation between the Monkey King and Jin occurs, where the Monkey King reveals that his son was Wei-Chen, sent down to the mortal world on a mission to become an emissary, where he met Jin the first week. After Jin and Wei-Chen’s large fight, Wei-Chen vowed to live in the mortal world for his pleasure as humans are “petty, soulless creatures. The thought of serving them sickens me.” (219) Chin-Kee was merely a signpost of Jin’s soul, aimed to help guide him. The Monkey King encourages Jin and Wei-Chen to finally reconcile after years of separation. Jin waits for Wei-Chen in a Chinese restaurant, where Jin then apologizes for his behavior.

Throughout the comics, the style has been muted colors and grays to show Jin’s monotonous life, attempting to conform with his surroundings. Meanwhile, these panels of reconciliation contain brighter and warm tones. Warmer tones are usually associated with comfort and fire, showing the rekindling of their relationship and the unexpected enjoyment between their conversation about vulnerability. As we zoom out, we see the two of them laughing through the window while the outdoors is dark and starry as seen in Image 7. Representing that outside, they still will have many tribulations and have not quite fully explored their opportunities or fully understood who they are, yet at this moment, being together brings contentment.

Gene Luen Yang explores the Chinese American immigrant experience through his use of colorful art, mythological symbolism, and cultural cues. The story being a graphic novel itself showcases identity conflict, the combination of art and narration. With unique storytelling techniques, Yang explores a complex experience that many go through daily. While forcing the readers to confront their perceptions of identity and belonging through the use of humor and social commentary. American Born Chinese allows readers to accept their multifaceted identities and understand the way our culture shapes who we are every day. The graphic novel explores the constant struggle of finding yourself in the large, diverse world and prioritizing self-acceptance over all.

Works Cited

Schieble, Melissa. “Reading Images in “American Born Chinese” through Critical Visual Literacy.” The English Journal, vol. Vol. 103, no. No. 5 (May 2014), May 2014, pp. 47-52. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/24484245.

“The Coming Man: Allee sammee Melican Man Monopoleeee.” The Wasp, May 20, 1881. Chinese in California Virtual Collection: Selections from the Bancroft Library, University of California Berkeley, https://calisphere.org/item/ark:/13030/hb2q2n98n7/

Yang, Gene Luen. American Born Chinese. Square Fish, 2009.

Clara Tuch is a sophomore studying Biology on the Pre-Med track. Having grown up in multiple countries, she made the most recent move to Boston in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. During her free time, she spends it writing, baking cakes, and spending time with her family.