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The Three Different Identities In American Born Chinese By Gene Luen Yang

827 Words4 Pages

American Born Chinese is a story about Jin, an American with Chinese roots, who struggles with his identity - self-conscious about how he looks, sounds, and acts. Jin divides into three different identities; Jin his overall identity, Danny his typical American side, and Chin-Kee his racist stereotype Chinese side. This book is split into three different stories that represent the three different identities, The Monkey King’s story, Jin’s story, and Danny and Chin-Kee’s story. In the graphic novel, American Born Chinese, Gene Luen Yang uses symbolism and literary elements to illustrate struggling with your identity can lead to a better understanding of who you are and where you came from. Jin is faced with racial discrimination, not fitting …show more content…

This is immediately shown when he was little telling his mom, “I want to be a transformer” (27). Gene Luen Yang uses the transformer, Jin is referring to, to show the change he wants to encounter when he grows up. Another symbol of displaying a different persona is Danny’s cousin Chin-Kee. Although Danny thinks is embarrassing, Chin-Kee is truly embarrassing his Asian self. Later on in the story, Chin-Kee reveals his true identity, the Monkey King. Chin-Kee had hidden his identity to be a “conscience - as a signpost to Jin’s soul” (221). Chin-Kee represents all of those ridiculous Chinese stereotypes that haunt Jin. Chin-Kee guides Danny to his true self, Chinese American …show more content…

The Mythological Chinese Kingdom portrays ancient times, while the Junior High School portrays modern times. The Mythological Chinese Kingdom consists of fruit flower mountain, monkeys, heavens, and demons. Although this is to portray the ancient times, the monkeys are acting in accordance with the words of “today’s society”. The monkeys, the demons, and the people talking with suggestive references like, “Your peaches look extra plump today”, (1). Although this is connected to Ancient China, this is definitely not the way the Chinese spoke to one another. The Junior High School also ties in with the methods of old China. In ancient and modern China their leader is viewed as God-like. In today’s society, the “popular” kids are at the top of the school hierarchy. They could be viewed as “God-like”, especially to Jin. Jin looks up to those kids just like how the people of China look up to their leader. Jin is faced with being one of the very few Asians at his Junior High School, while everyone else is American. Of course Jin is going to feel out of sorts, especially when his teacher introduces him to the class as “Jin Jang”, and saying “He and his family moved to our neighborhood all the way from China”, when Jin’s real name is Jin Wang and his family moved from San Francisco (30). Gene Luen Yang uses this humility to display that it takes a considerable amount of open

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