Trying To Loud Chinatown Analysis

“Trying to FInd Chinatown” written in 1996 by David Henry Hwang, deals with racial identity. According to the dictionary, one’s identity consist of the qualities and beliefs that distinguish one person or group from another. In his play, Hwang created two characters who have different ideas of what those qualities and beliefs are.

In the story Benjamin identifies himself as Asian, even though he is descent of Asian genetics. He has lived with an Asian family all his life and understands the culture very well. Benjamin show to believe that he is Asian-American when he claims “You see, I was adopted by Chinese-American parents at birth. So, clearly, I’m Asian-American.” Even after being told repeatedly that he isn’t Asian, Benjamin defends his culture and is firm on the belief that he is Asian-American. Benjamin even goes to

After talking with Benjamin, Ronnie shows that he doesn’t value the importance of his race when he says “You think if I deny the importance of my race, I’m nobody?” Ronnie continues to talk more about how the violin was a fiddle long about, but it changed after the birth of jazz. He talks about the struggles that Asians have endured due to the white man, and the change when jazz was introduced. It’s shown that Ronnie’s identity is different from his genetic heritage when he asks “What can I say if the banging of a gong or the clinking of a pickaxe on the Transcontinental fails to move me even as much as one note, played through a violin MIDI controller by Michael Urbaniak?” Ronnie even asks “ Does it have to sound like a Chinese opera before people like you decide I know who I am?” This shows that Ronnie’s race/genetic origin doesn’t have as much influence on his identity. Ronnie’s identity is based on what he feels that has a large impact on his life in the moment. Ronnie is different from Benjamin, and doesn’t based his identity his family’s