Boxers And Saints Quotes

The idea of patriotism has long been a founding principle among a nation’s community. The independence of a nation is always celebrated, and it’s citizens are expected to honor the sovereign beliefs of their homeland. From the beginning, the core properties of a country are ingrained in the day to day practices of its people, and these practices carry on to become their traditions, and a part of themselves and their community. In Boxers and Saints, a graphic novel diptych that explores the Boxer rebellion that occurred in China in 1900, Gene Luen Yang illustrates two characters that are the same inner battle from different sides of the rebellion. Bao, a young boy, leaves his village in search of revenge against the foreign devils have pillaged his community, and wrecked the lives people he cares about. …show more content…
On the same timeline, a young girl grows up in Bao’s hometown. and is the only surviving child in her generation. Her family, believing her to be a burden of bad luck, call her Four-Girl and ignore her as a child. Four-Girl feels that she truly is evil if her family treats her in such a way, so she attempts to be the living embodiment of the Devil. When she hears of foreign devils in China, she is eager to be baptized and renames herself to Vibiana in order to become one. She regularly sees visions of Joan of Arc, which guide her in her decision to become a guardian of the Christians. As the nationalism of China ultimately consumes all of Bao’s thoughts, Vibiana’s identity is what leads to her betrayal of China. Through the spiritual guidance given to Bao and Vibiana, Gene Luen Yang ponders the balance between personal autonomy and national identity, and the possibility of coexistence between the two