In battle, one normally fights for a particular goal that drives them to succeed. While this driving force is what is most important to individuals, other aspects of life can interfere. In the graphic novel Boxers and Saints, Gene Luen Yang illustrates lots of conflict and indecision for the two main characters Bao and Vibana, while fighting for their separate causes. Both Bao and Vibiana are young adults who grow up in traditional Chinese villages, during the 19th century. Although their upbringings are fairly similar, the two characters are driven by their very different mindsets; while Bao is driven by his national identity, Vibiana is driven by her personal choice . Throughout the two novels, Boxers and Saints, Yang is able to answer …show more content…
Suppressed by her family’s traditional ways, Vibiana decides to devote herself to the Christian faith and move to an isolated Christian village. By joining the “foreign devils,” Vibiana is going against everything that her family and entire nation stands for. Believing they are the “Middle Kingdom”, a majority of Chinese, like Vibiana’s family and Bao, do not see the need for foreign influence because of the set mentality that they are the greatest nation. A particular scene when Vibiana’s sacrifice of her national identity is clearly shown is when Bao confronts her during the battle and ends up killing her (Saints 161). When she refuses to revoke her Christian identity and reitterates that her name is “Vibiana”, rather than her Chinese name, Four Girl, Vibiana clearly shows that she has given up her sense of reliance in her nation. Becoming Christian is Vibiana’s way of displaying her personal choice which completely outlaws her national identity in her fight. This dedication to her new faith and sense of personal choice ends up being the thing that gets her killed, because she refuses to claim her Chinese name. Just as Vibiana struggles to maintain her national identity, Bao has the opposite