“Nothing of me is original. I am the combined effort of everyone I 've ever known.”- Chuck Palahniuk. Chuck Palahniuk states that our own identities are not only formed by ourselves, but also by the culture around us. Gene Luen Yang 's Boxers & Saints follows the lives of Bao and Four during the Boxer uprising in China, as they struggle to find their identities. The uprising forces Bao and Four to chose whom they identify with, their fellow countrymen or the foreigners and christians. Through Bao and Four 's struggles, Boxers & Saints illustrates that experiences and interactions influence one 's identity and that without compassion for others, one can never attain the fullness of one 's identity. Boxers & Saints provides a basis for the characters
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Bao and Four 's identities are directly changed due to the Boxers uprising against the foreign devils and christians that are invading China. Bao learns Kung Fu from Red Lantern, a Brother of the Big Sword Society. When first introduced in the story, Red Lantern shows compassion to the village that Bao lives in, by helping the people with health problems (Boxers 41). Red Lantern 's identity as a compassionate warrior again reinforces to Bao what identities his culture finds acceptable. Bao passively accepts that being a compassionate warrior is an acceptable identity without really evaluating the idea and he strives to become a warrior, like his brothers and Red Lantern. Upon the death of his King Fu master, Bao decided that he will avenge him. A mystic vision from Master Big Belly confirms Bao 's new identity. Bao receives the ability to summon the power of the gods, which Yang illustrates with a splash panel showing Ch 'in Shih-huang, a past emperor of China, standing behind Bao (Boxers114). The importance of the gods in the Chinese culture is emphasized by the use of color compared to the neutral colors that Yang has previously used when illustrating everyday life of Bao 's village. The rejection, or acceptance in Bao 's case, of one 's culture 's religion influences the direction of one …show more content…
Bao 's identity was not fulfilling in the end because he lost sight of taking care of others, he became the tyrant instead of the christians. Even though both Bao and Vibiana were raised in the same part of China and grew up under the same reign, their identities went opposite ways which in the end lead them to be on opposing sides. Vibiana was willing to die for her faith in the end because of learning to be mindful of others, she identified in Christ. While Bao was afraid of death because he only had an identity in the living world, among the Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists, as a leader who showed no mercy. Indeed, when laying claim to an identity, one must remember that we are all influenced by those around us and that without compassion and understanding of others, one will never be at peace with
Bao and Four 's identities are directly changed due to the Boxers uprising against the foreign devils and christians that are invading China. Bao learns Kung Fu from Red Lantern, a Brother of the Big Sword Society. When first introduced in the story, Red Lantern shows compassion to the village that Bao lives in, by helping the people with health problems (Boxers 41). Red Lantern 's identity as a compassionate warrior again reinforces to Bao what identities his culture finds acceptable. Bao passively accepts that being a compassionate warrior is an acceptable identity without really evaluating the idea and he strives to become a warrior, like his brothers and Red Lantern. Upon the death of his King Fu master, Bao decided that he will avenge him. A mystic vision from Master Big Belly confirms Bao 's new identity. Bao receives the ability to summon the power of the gods, which Yang illustrates with a splash panel showing Ch 'in Shih-huang, a past emperor of China, standing behind Bao (Boxers114). The importance of the gods in the Chinese culture is emphasized by the use of color compared to the neutral colors that Yang has previously used when illustrating everyday life of Bao 's village. The rejection, or acceptance in Bao 's case, of one 's culture 's religion influences the direction of one …show more content…
Bao 's identity was not fulfilling in the end because he lost sight of taking care of others, he became the tyrant instead of the christians. Even though both Bao and Vibiana were raised in the same part of China and grew up under the same reign, their identities went opposite ways which in the end lead them to be on opposing sides. Vibiana was willing to die for her faith in the end because of learning to be mindful of others, she identified in Christ. While Bao was afraid of death because he only had an identity in the living world, among the Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists, as a leader who showed no mercy. Indeed, when laying claim to an identity, one must remember that we are all influenced by those around us and that without compassion and understanding of others, one will never be at peace with