American Born Chinese Versions of Reality Quotes

Have you ever felt that you ought to belong to a group only to find out that you've been excluded from that group? That's basically the Monkey King's situation when he tries to attend the party in the heavens and finds out that he's not wanted because he's considered an inferior being. We feel bad for the Monkey King because he's clearly been living on Fruit-Flower Mountain among his fawning monkey subjects for too long and hasn't had a reality check in a while. At the same time though, why does the party—or any group—have to be closed at all?

Jin retells a parable his mother told him right before they moved into their new home in the suburbs. The parable is a pretty funny because it's so obvious that Jin's mother is trying to spin the move to the suburbs as a positive thing, while at the same time repeating the stereotypical immigrant mom spiel about the importance of studying. The sad thing? Her parable is so disconnected from the actual pain and misery young Jin clearly experiences as they drive to their new home (he's got a tear falling and some serious downcast eyes). The whole parable is an example of how difficult it is for Jin's immigrant parents to relate to his reality.

This part describes Jin's first encounter with the herbalist's wife. He tells her about his wish to become a Transformer when he grows up, even though his mother thinks it's a silly dream. Then the old lady lets him in on a secret: "'It's easy to become anything you wish…so long as you're willing to forfeit your soul.'" While we see the truth to what she's saying, we can't help but wonder if forfeiting your soul is the only way—it sounds so unpleasant, right? Another way to look at this problem: Can forfeiting your soul be understood as transforming?