American Born
Chinese by
Gene Luen Yang emphasizes the importance of identity. There are many components
that make up one’s identity including gender, race, religious affiliation, etc.
Despite the fact that this novel tells the story of Chinese characters and is
interwoven with aspects Chinese culture, it alludes very strongly to the
religion of Christianity, which is not a commonly practiced religion in China.
In this blogpost, I will analyze how the characters and storylines in this
graphic novel mimic those of The Bible, the sacred book of Christianity and
intertwine them with Chinese culture.
The allusions to
Christianity are dispersed throughout the novel. A reader who was not raised in
Christianity may not pick up on these references, which is why I feel it
necessary to point it out. The first allusion to Christianity that I noticed
was “after forty days he achieved the four major disciplines of
invulnerability.” (Yang, 57). Forty is a famously sacred number in the bible,
known for being a period of waiting and preparation. This number is intertwined
with Chinese culture in that it takes the Monkey King 40 days to master
different disciplines of Kung Fu, which is a Chinese martial art.
Yang’s use of
Christianity as a backdrop for his story continues with the introduction of
Tze-Yo-Tzuh, who serves as the God figure in this story. He is the ever-present
and all-knowing creator– “I was, I am, and I shall for-ever be… I made you with
awe and wonder for wonderful are all of my works” (Yang, 80). This passage is
almost a direct quote from The Bible. Tze-Yo-Tzuh’s role is to enforce the
Monkey King’s true identity on him.
In the second half
of the graphic novel, the allusion to Christianity becomes much stronger once
the true identity of each character is revealed. Chin-Kee is revealed to be the
Monkey King. Danny is revealed to be Jin-Wang, and Wei-Chen is revealed to be
the Monkey King’s son. Wei-Chen serves as the Jesus figure, in that he was
“asked to live in the moral world for forty years” (Yang, 217) and his duty was
to serve Tze-Yo-Tzuh (God). The story ends with Jin-Wang and Wei-Chen
reuniting, with Jin-Wang finally accepting his true identity. Despite the
frequent references to Christianity, I am unsure of how the ending of the story
ties into the Christian themes that pervade the story. Does Jin-Wang accepting
his identity in the presence of Wei-Chen represent that we should all accept
our identity as the creator has made us? And what is the point of using
Christianity in a novel featuring Chinese characters? Is Yang attempting to
reconcile the differences between Chinese ethnicity and American nationality
(which often includes association with the Christian religion)? These questions
are addressed through the intertwined nature of the Christian and Chinese
storylines I have mentioned above.
In addition to the references you mention I would add that on page 215 we learn that the purpose of Wong Lai-Tsao and the Monkey King's Journey was to follow a star into the west to deliver three packages to a newborn baby, which I assume alludes to the story of the birth of Jesus. The character of the Monkey King is based off of a well known classic Chinese novel "Journey to the West" also known as "Monkey" from the 16th century. In the original novel a Buddhist monk travels to Central Asia and India to recover Buddhist sacred texts. The author could have kept these details from the original story but instead chose to tie it into Christianity.
ReplyDeleteThe message of "American Born Chinese" is about accepting one's own cultural identity. The main character is supposed to accept his Chinese identity rather than conform to the American culture around him. Yet the author changes a Chinese story to fit a western Christian story, adds numerous references to Christian mythology, and creates a direct analogue to the Christian God who orchestrates the events of the story. To me, this altering of Chinese culture to fit western culture contradicts the message of accepting one's identity.
This post definitely strengthened my view of the novel as I didn’t even think to relate some parts of it to Christianity. Although the Bible does not specifically design any special meaning to the number 40, it sure is used many times. I have learned that the number 40 deals with judgment and/or testing when used in the Bible, as Jesus was tested by the devil for 40 days in the desert. According to the Bible, while Jesus was in the desert, he did not eat or drink anything for 40 days. This can be related to the Monkey King and studying Kung-Fu, “He locked himself deep down in the inner bowels of his royal chamber…he ate and drank nothing…after forty days, he achieved the four major disciplines of invulnerability” (Yang, 56-57). The four major disciplines of invulnerability could be connected with the 4 major mysteries to the Rosary which is a prayer in the Catholic religion. By doing a little research, I was able to learn Yang practiced Catholicism while growing up (link at the bottom of this post). I think he incorporated these Christianity connections into American Born Chinese as a way to incorporate his religion with his ethnicity – something that is probably not done a lot in China with Christianity.
ReplyDeletehttp://blogs.slj.com/goodcomicsforkids/2013/09/19/interview-gene-luen-yang-on-boxers-saints/