The story of the Monkey King is drawn using ornate details and rich colors, especially gold and red. The brighter colors make the heavens seem more ethereal, at least at face value (Yang 7). By reading the text bubbles, we can see that these gods and goddesses talk very similarly to mortals and do not act as humbly as Tze-Yo-Tzuh would have them act. By coloring these frames brightly, Yang adds an extra dimension to his writing by elevating the heavens' looks without elevating its residents' actions. Yang also uses the color green to signify that the character is an enemy of the Monkey King. When Tze-Yo-Tzuh and Wong Lai-Tsao are introduced, they are wearing red and brown respectively to show that they are not enemies of the Monkey King (77,143). The five pillars of gold are obviously colored gold, which color Yang commonly uses to foreshadow a transformation later in the novel (76ff). As predicted, the pillars are revealed to be Tze-Yo-Tzuh's fingers.
In the story of Jin Wang, Yang begins by using a muted color scheme of mainly pale blues and greens. He only uses gold and red to signify accepting Chinese culture. When Wei-Chen Sun is introduced, he is wearing a yellow shirt and plays with a gold transformer (36ff). The color gold also foreshadows that he will transform later in the novel. Additionally, Wei-Chen Sun eats out of a red bowl and chopsticks (89). Since he has already accepted his Chinese heritage, Wei-Chen is associated with similar colors to the heavens. The only instances that Yang uses the color red within Jin's story are to again draw a connection to Chinese culture. At the Chinese herbalist's shop, Yang colors the abacus and the Chinese-styled bench red (26ff). Jin's transformer is also red to foreshadow how Wei-Chen's and Chin-Kee's transformations are to reveal their true Chinese forms (27). To signify that Jin is becoming more comfortable with his Chinese identity as he enters high school, Yang uses brighter colors. Instead of a pale blue shirt, he wears a bright turquoise shirt, which shows that he is closer to accepting his being Chinese (87).
In Danny's story, Yang plays with the color of gold. He contrasts the Chinese characters' black hair by coloring each white main character's hair blonde. This is to again show how the Americans see themselves as separate from the Chinese community. Yang again uses gold to show the connection to Chinese culture. Danny's hair is more gold than blonde, especially compared to the other white character's hair, to signify that he is actually Chinese (45). The other character that wears gold is Chin-Kee (48). Unlike the other Chinese characters, he wears gold to foreshadow his transformation and because he has a more direct connection to Chinese culture: he is a disciple of Tze-Yo-Tzuh.
I think it's important that you highlight this emphasis of color and its role in the novel. I was in the same breakout room as you in class, so I learned (even though this is my first graphic novel) that quite often graphic novels don't have color so it was a distinguishing factor for American Born Chinese. Additionally, I think it assists in emphasizing key points and mood developments since character emotions are displayed more visually than written as seen in normal books. I think the use of colors and visuals ultimately connects to the author's decision in making the story a graphic novel because the commentary the author is trying to express is much more emphasized through the illustrations. It is more effective than simply putting words to a page. I think we could also look into what these different colors signify for the Chinese culture and how they relate to the development of the story. I believe it’s an important aspect we haven’t yet discussed in class but essential to analyzing the storyline and hidden meanings in the visuals.
ReplyDeleteA graphic novel is obviously going to be more heavily centered around pictorial symbolism. It is interesting that you noticed that red and gold tones in the novel are tied to Chinese culture while green is seen as symbolizing American culture. It is evident that Jin- Wang attempts to become more “white” as he dresses in green as the novel progresses and tries to curl his hair. This same representation applies for Danny’s portion of the story. Chin-Kee is literally has gold/yellow skin which may symbolize his direct symbolism to the Chinese culture or a representation of the stereotype of “yellow skin” present in American culture. While colors of actual objects or people are significant, it is important to note the sizes of the characters and objects. An example of this is in Jin-Wang’s sections of the novel. Jin-Wang is always drawn very small in the panels compared to the other characters. He is never the center of the drawing. This may be a reference to his passiveness. Jin-Wang is seen as a shy, non-assertive boy. These characteristics are physically depicted in his size. In contrast to Jin-Wang, Chin-Kee is drawn disproportionately huge in comparison to the other characters. His head and hands are very large, and his buck teeth are striking. His exaggerated features may represent his obnoxious and assertive personality.
ReplyDeleteMaryanna, I really enjoyed your post and the colors that you chose to discuss. While I was reading the novel, I admit I wasn’t paying much attention to the colors. I did look at all of the pictures, but my brain focused more on the drawing style and the characters than on the colors that were used. But your post about the symbolism of the colors in the novel was very interesting and made me go back and look at the images in the novel to see if I noticed what you mentioned! The thing that you talked about that I think stands out the most is the use of the color red, especially in Jin’s story. When flipping through the novel again, there is very little red used during Jin’s story; it is mainly used during the scene with the herbalist. However, throughout the monkey king’s story, the color red is in almost every frame. I think that this provides a sharp contrast between the two stories visually; Jin’s frames are all quite muted and kind of boring colors, while vibrant reds and yellows are used during the monkey king’s story. The very last page of the novel (233) shows Jin and Wei-Chen talking and laughing inside a café. The façade of the shop is a muted reddish pink, which is closer to the color red that is popular in China and Chinese culture and used throughout the monkey king’s story, but still fits in with the color scheme of Jin’s frames. I think that by using this muted red on the last frame, Yang is showing that Jin is making peace both with his heritage and with Wei-Chen.
ReplyDeleteI found it really interesting how much significance is placed on the colors in the novel, and I thought your analysis was really interesting. I think the color red is particularly interesting in its role as a symbol of chinese culture through the story. I think a particularly important moment is the scene in which Jin has his conversation with the Monkey King (223). The background in the last few panels is a brick red, so muted it’s almost no longer red. It fits with Jin’s confusion in the moment, as he considers whether or not he is willing to accept his identity. The next few panels slowly introduce slightly less muted versions of red as Jin converses with Wei-Chen. I think that the increased saturation of the color really highlights the acceptance that Jin is slowly reaching. Immediately following that is the scene in the Cafe, where the entire background is gold. This results in an overwhelming presence of the color. There is also a subtle wash of gold over both Jin and Wei-Chen during this scene (230). The combination of the incredible presence of gold and the increasing saturation of red really highlight this final scene of acceptance as Jin begins to come to terms with his own identity.
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