Maybe I just love the Robo Happy shirt and the pants hiked up to his chest, but there must be other reasons I find Wei Chen to be the most interesting character in American Born Chinese. Sadly, he gets the short shrift at the novel's end, giving the conclusion a perfunctory feel.
For the sake of simplicity I would like to focus on Wei Chen's role within to specific contexts (that's not to say others do not exist): 1. Judeo-Christian mythology; and 2. The experiences of the children of 1st generation immigrants. In the allegorical/literal world that Gene Yang has created in American Born Chinese, these categories are not mutually exclusive, but rather work together to deal with the complexities of assimilation. In order to address the connection in its most basic form, it is probably best to consider the idea of "Rebellion against the father."
Though it surely has precedent in traditions that pre-date Christianity, perhaps the most enduring example of filial disobedience that we can reference is Lucifer's rebellion against heaven as recounted by John Milton in his epic poem Paradise Lost. Wei Chen refusing his heavenly duties as emissary of of Tze-Yo-Tzuh and servant to mankind (218-220) certainly has Luciferian undertones. (See also the angels Bartleby and Loki in Kevin Smith's Dogma for another recent take on the tradition).
If we take Wei Chen out of the celestial realm and consider his rebellion against the father in literal terms, we get a pretty compelling example of the type of trajectory that the lives of children of Asian immigrants can take. Jin's rebellion on the other hand is more passive if not more complete. He adopts hairstyles, speech patterns, and love interests consistent with those of his caucasian peers. Wei Chen, however, rages against a system of cultural values rather than appearances. Before falling from the heavens, he tells his father that he will use the mortal world for his own pleasure (220.1) and when we see him next it looks as if he has fulfilled that oath (228-229). I only wish that when he and Jin had a chance to talk again, they could have taught one another more than the best place to find good milk tea.
1 comment:
I was also more (or at least equally) interested in Wei Chen's development as a character than in Jin's. I wondered what Yang's purpose was in making Jin the one to reestablish contact with Wei Chen. Was it an affirmation of the power of man vs. the power of the deities? Or was there the implication that, by helping Wei Chen, Jin was better able to learn the lesson himself?
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