American Born Chinese

Fiction | Graphic Novel/Book | Middle Grade | Published in 2006

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Download PDF

Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Sections 1-3

Sections 4-6

Sections 7-9

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Themes

Otherness and the Effects of Racism and Discrimination

Jin, Wei-Chen, and Suzy all feel a sense of “otherness” due to their Asian heritage, and that otherness makes them particularly vulnerable to racist attacks on their identity. Otherness is a sense of being different in terms of one’s self-image, and this experience can stem from being a member of a racial minority as well as other cultural identifiers. As young people of Asian heritage, they comprise a minority within the context of their predominantly White student body. The parallel story of the Monkey King, who is introduced as he is rejected from a dinner party for being different from the other deities, demonstrate that otherness and racism can take many different forms; rejection and injustice exists everywhere, not just in the world of young humans.

Jin, Wei-Chen, and Suzy are all bullied for their Asian heritage by a handful of students who represent the mainstream White culture at their school. In elementary school, other students make assumptions about Jin and Suzy that reflect their stereotyped thinking concerning Asian culture. For example, Jin’s parents are Chinese and Suzy’s parents are Japanese, but the students assume they are siblings, reflecting a widespread racist belief in the notion that all Asians look alike, no matter their country of origin. Later, in middle school, Jin, Wei-Chen, and Suzy are mocked with racist epithets, and Jin is excluded by White students for being different. Whether the bullying takes the form of highly visible racist insults or more subtle micro-aggressions, the experiences have negative emotional and psychological effects on the young people affected.

Jin’s struggle with racist and discriminatory experiences leads to a complex feeling of internalized racism. From a very young age, Jin finds that adults and youngsters alike made assumptions about him based on his appearance; even his third-grade teacher contributed to the problem, compromising Jin’s feeling of safety in his classroom instead of providing students with a positive and tolerant role model. As a result, Jin experiences intense emotional reactions of rage, inferiority, and humiliation, which lead to a sense of self-hatred that manifests in hateful behavior towards other Asians like Wei-Chen. Jin’s internalized racism causes him to use racist anti-Asian language against Wei-Chen; although Jin’s aggression reflects his self-hatred, his words are painful to Wei-Chen, causing their friendship to end.

Chin-Kee’s behavior may be bolder than that of Jin, Wei-Chen, and Suzy, reflecting a confidence the others do not possess. Yet his antics inspire some White students at Danny’s high school to giggle at his accent and behavior. The treatment of Chin-Kee demonstrates that outward performances of confidence do not always deter bullies; other students display discriminatory and humiliating behaviors towards Chin-Kee even though he shows strength in his self, rather than shyness and vulnerability.

Identity and the Limitations of Transformation

In American Born Chinese, several characters undergo a physical transformation that reflects their inner conflict with their own true identities. Once the Monkey King learns that he is widely considered as an inferior being due to his status as a monkey, he works hard to develop his physical and spiritual strength. These efforts enable him to show aggression and to overpower any deity or creature who may disrespect him, but they result in a being that is not the Monkey King’s true form. His impulse to put on shoes and to ponder ways to mask his smell represent the Monkey King’s dissatisfaction with himself that emerges only after he is rejected by others.

Similarly, Jin transforms himself in an effort to assimilate into the mainstream White culture in both minor and major ways. Firstly, when he develops a crush on Amelia in middle school, Jin demonstrates a deeper interest in his appearance. He finds his looks are lacking, so he attempts to adopt Greg’s hairstyle and perms his hair. Amelia agrees to go out on a date with Jin, but her decision has nothing to do with Jin’s attempt to emulate Greg. Ironically, Amelia heard Wei-Chen compliment Jin’s kindness, so she goes out with Jin for his true self, not his outward one. When Greg insults Jin by asking him not to date Amelia, Jin realizes that his transformation has done little to improve his reputation. At this point, he rejects Wei-Chen, who reminds Jin of his Asian self, and transforms completely into Danny, a White boy who cannot escape the torment of his true heritage, manifested by the appearance of Chin-Kee.

Other characters also undergo transformations in order to communicate with others and to follow spiritual orders. The Monkey King transforms into Chin-Kee to communicate with Jin, the Monkey King’s son transforms into Wei-Chen to fulfill a duty, and the creator of everything, Tze-Yo-Tzuh, takes on different forms to engage with the Monkey King and make his messages clear. The transformer toys represent the changeability of outward appearances, but the thematic emphasis remains on the importance of being true to oneself and one’s authentic identity.

Growing Up in America as the Child of Immigrants

Many of the scenes in American Born Chinese take place in elementary school, middle school, and high school. Adolescence in America has a popular image as a unique rite of passage involving dating, cars, and social stratification. Jin, Wei-Chen, Suzy, and Danny all experience adolescence in American Born Chinese, and though much of their adolescence is colored by their otherness and their racial identities, they go through challenging, awkward experiences that typify adolescence for many American students who are not Asian.

The confusion of friendship, the need to belong, and a burgeoning sense of physical attraction to others contributes to the strangeness of being an American adolescent, and the main characters in American Born Chinese have a complicated response to this confusion. As young people who are deemed different from others, they navigate adolescence with the added challenge of reconciling their family’s Asian heritage with their American experience of growing up. Jin’s decision to consult his cousin when he decides to ask Amelia on a date reflects this difficulty; Jin cannot ask his parents about dating or other details related to dating like driving and deodorant because they would neither understand his confusion nor display sympathy towards his dilemmas. As a result, Jin is more alone than a young person who feels a cultural kinship with his parents and their broader social circle. In this isolation, Jin develops a keen sense of self-hatred, and he rejects himself just as others reject him.

The author communicates a deep understanding of the adolescent experience with his depictions of scenes in familiar settings like the school library, the cafeteria, the gym, and outdoor spaces where students often congregate. By setting two of the three storylines of American Born Chinese in these familiar school environments, the author illuminates what the characters have in common with their White counterparts and how they are different from them. Although Jin and Danny’s identity struggles are certainly unique, all adolescents at this time in life live with confusion when it comes to who they are and how they fit it in with others.