American Born Chinese Identity Essay

Do you ever question your identity: who you are, where you come from? American Born Chinese details the effects and personal impact that stereotypes may have on a person. The novel depicts a theme that reveals the importance of accepting and loving one’s identity. These themes are all present throughout the stories of the main characters: The Monkey King, Jin, and Danny. As the book goes on, we see more similarities and differences between these characters. The similarities and differences include their backgrounds, their attempt to be someone that they are not, and their way of self-love and identity.
The Monkey King, Jin, and Danny all come from different backgrounds. The Monkey King grew up as the ruler of a nation. He was all powerful …show more content…
The Monkey King is boastful and requires the attention of others to make himself feel worthy. Without this approval, the Monkey King would become enraged, just as he did when he was not allowed to enter the dinner party because he was only a monkey and not godly enough. His way of life revolves around being appreciated by his superiors. Jin has no visible self-love. His main focus is on the people he has in his life. He changes himself to better fit with their needs. He has no care for how he sees himself, but for the way others see him. Danny is much like the Monkey King and Jin. He molds himself to fit the needs of the people around him, and he requires their positive attention to get through his day. When his foreign cousin, Chin-Kee, visits, Danny finds himself crippled because of the negative attention that has been put on him. He is embarrassed by his cousin’s actions and feels the need to move schools just to get a fresh, new start. The people that these three main characters associate with affect the way they love themselves. The Monkey King, Jin, and Danny are all too busy worrying about others view them, that they don’t take the time to worry about how they view