American Born Chinese Versions of Reality Quotes

It's really easy to read the scene in which Jin kisses Suzy as Jin's way of repeating what Greg did to him with Amelia. But we think there's more to the scene than just Jin copying Greg's meanness. You might even be able to argue that Jin kisses Suzy out of a momentary feeling of sympathy, synergy… whatever you want to call it. Suzy says some really revealing things to Jin, things that resonate with Jin because he gets bullied too for being a "c****." So when Jin sees Suzy cry, it is possible that he actually feels close to Suzy. The "ZZZT!" and the lightning bolts in panel 108 kind of confirm that he's at least feeling something.

Jin's problem? His feelings are all in his own head, on his side of the panel, not on Suzy's side. He's too caught up in his own misery to consider Suzy's actual feelings or Wei-Chen's feelings—he's in an incomplete reality, if you will. It's a moment of self-absorption that's actually kind of typical for Jin's character.

This scene is all about shock value: Chin-Kee's head bounces off of his body and out pops Monkey's head. It's pretty clear that we've got a major transformation on our hands, but what kind of transformation is it? Since Monkey is a Chinese mythological icon, he replaces the false stereotypes Chin-Kee represents. The Monkey King is a different kind of fantasy, one that's heroic and tough, and also grounded in actual Chinese culture (unlike Fu Manchu, who was a Hollywood creation). So when he appears, it's a sign that Jin's on the path to a new reality, one that more openly includes his Chinese self.

This scene is all about shock value: Chin-Kee's head bounces off of his body and out pops Monkey's head. It's pretty clear that we've got a major transformation on our hands, but what kind of transformation is it? Since Monkey is a Chinese mythological icon, he replaces the false stereotypes Chin-Kee represents. The Monkey King is a different kind of fantasy, one that's heroic and tough, and also grounded in actual Chinese culture (unlike Fu Manchu, who was a Hollywood creation). So when he appears, it's a sign that Jin's on the path to a new reality, one that more openly includes his Chinese self.

The last scenes in the book—Jin's conversation with Monkey, and Jin's reunion with Wei-Chen—are like a return to the mundane world. Once all the wild fighting stops, the drama becomes really subtle and so do the panels. (Well, except when Wei-Chen rolls up in his detailed car with his bass pounding—but that only lasts a couple of panels.) But don't let all that subdued action make you think that things are back to boring for Jin and Wei-Chen.

We think it's pretty important that they end up at a Chinese bakery/cafe/restaurant, drinking a beverage that's about as whimsical as Taiwanese drinks come: pearl (or boba) milk tea. The boys aren't back at school—the domain of white bullies—nor are they back at home, which is the domain of their parents. They're at a place that's a sign of how inventive and resilient Chinese American culture is. Who would expect a Chinese restaurant like 490 in a supposedly white suburb? The ending reframes the book in a new reality that Chinese Americans have refashioned for their own purposes. And that is pretty cool in our book.