The Year Of The Dragon And Chan Is Missing '

The Year of the Dragon and Chan is Missing both address the crisis of identity for Asian Americans and attempt to disprove the fixed notions that surround Asian Americans in society. In Chan is Missing, Wang seeks to illuminate that Asian American identity extends beyond the perpetuated stereotypes. Racial stereotypes are used as the basis of identity for Asian Americans. In their investigation into what happened to Chan Hung, Jo and Steve interview various individuals who Chan Hung encountered and every individual presented a different image of Chan, most of which were contradictory of one another. For instance, one individual characterizes Chan Hung not intelligent and unassimilated in American culture, but another individual commends Chan …show more content…
In reality, there is no definitive definition of Asian American identity because there are not certain characteristics one can label as Asian American. As a detective story, one has a set of expectations of what his or she will experience when watching the film. However, Wang deliberately avoids following the narrative of typical detective film. Rather than solving the solving the mystery and allowing the audience to know what really happened to Chan, Wang refuses to provide the audience closure to illuminate the ambiguity of the Asian American identity. In addition, throughout the film, Steve takes on different identities such as a police officer and a streetwise guy. Wang’s uses of Steve’s ability to take on various identities in way that blurs the line between his real identity and the one he portrays parallels the struggle of Asian American identity. The Asian American identity is caught between the stereotypes society places on …show more content…
In Chan is Missing, Chan Hung had difficulty adjusting to life in America because he “continued to be Chinese”. Chan’s wife even criticized him for not wanting to become an American citizen and being “too Chinese”. In The Year of the Dragon, China Mama has a hard time inserting herself in Pa’s American family. The language barrier is the greatest obstacle in her way because she cannot communicate with anyone because they do not speak Chinese. Chan Hung and China Mama’s struggle to assimilate can be explained by the Chinatown baked apple pie as it “doesn’t taste like any other apple pie [because] “many Chinese baking techniques have gone into it” (Chan is Missing). Therefore, when Asians immigrate over to America and learn to assimilate into the culture and attempt to create a new identity, they cannot form an authentic American identity because they are not American. On the other hand, as an ABC, or American born Chinese, Steve does not experience the same difficulties of assimilating into the American culture as Chan Hung; instead, Steve often voices his frustrations on why Chan is such a FOB, or Fresh of the Boat. For instance, Steve calls Chan “f***king embarrassing” because he did not understand the joke he said to him. Steve feels threatened by Chan’s inability to assimilate because it questions his American identity. Similarly Mattie,