Minority cultures in the United States are subjected to large amounts of vitriol and hatred, and the people to be found in these cultures are often caught between both sides in this grand-scale war, leading them to question the very foundations and ideals that make them who they are and lose their identity.
These individuals often lose sight of where they come from, without realizing their past has defined who they are in the present. The fictional stories to be found in The House on Mango Street and American Born Chinese represent this ever-present issue in modern America and display the ramifications it can have on the young who grow up in this time of turmoil.
When caught in the crossfire of this cultural war, adolescents can struggle to retain their own culture while simultaneously integrating into American society. The characters in both novels cannot revoke their identity, as one’s past and inner workings will follow them anywhere.
By analyzing the stories of Esperanza, Jin/Danny, and the Monkey King, one might better understand and empathize with not only the great difficulty in accepting one’s true nature but the true happiness to be found by accomplishing the simple act. In the end, nothing matters more than being true to oneself.
In The House on Mango Street, the main character Esperanza struggles to accept her upbringing. She often tries to dismiss her origins in poverty and is seemingly ashamed to admit her place in society. She aspires to escape her past and build a better future for herself.
When asked where her home is by a nun, she is ashamed to point to their current residence. When the nun is shocked that it is the dilapidated building, she says she is made to “feel like nothing,” (Cisneros 5) and determines that one day she will own a “real house,” (Cisneros 5) one she is proud of.
She not only has a war of identity on the nature of economic status but gender as well. Her community possesses some inherently sexist elements, as the women of her community are often taken advantage of and never realize their dreams.
She wishes to not find herself in this sad situation, as she would not be content with a life relegated to feeling trapped, where she would be stuck in a “place by the window” (Cisneros 11) like so many other women, thinking of what might have been.
She is a dreamer, but one that is finally able to piece herself together through a beautiful quality of herself: her gift for writing. Through the beautifully written words, she is, at last, able to put to rest the demons of her past and see the beauty not only within herself but where she came from.
In American Born Chinese, we are presented with three intersecting storylines that converge to tell an overarching tale of finding and accepting one’s identity in a world intent on snuffing out individuality. Through the fantastical tale of the Monkey King, we are presented with our entry point into this greater theme.
The Monkey King grows discontent over time with his true self and wishes to be more than just an ape. He conquers great trials and achieves great feats to ascend from his self-perceived lowly nature until he finally meets his match in the creator of all that is in Tze-Yo-Tzuh.
Tze-Yo-Tzuh traps the Monkey King for centuries, and it is only through accepting his identity as a monkey that he might escape. The monk Wong Lai-Tsao helped the Monkey King gain inner peace with his true nature, by opening his eyes to the beauty to be found in the very qualities that made him feel lowly.
In his talk with Jin centuries later, he alludes to his past mistakes by giving him the advice “I would have saved myself five hundred years’ imprisonment beneath a mountain of rock had I only realized how good it is to be a monkey.” (Wang 223) The Monkey King spent much of his life trying to be something he wasn’t, without ever recognizing the beauty to be found in his true form.
The great feats of strength and courage he exhibited to the outside world paled in comparison to the strength it took to end the war within his soul, in which he finally conquered his inner demons akin to how he defeated his many foes over the years. Only through this final victory was he finally able to find the happiness he sorely desired, in the simple act of being content as a monkey.
The story of Jin continues this exploration of the great complications that might arise when trying to retain one’s true self in the face of great conflict, this time through the lens of an adolescent traversing modern America.
Jin consistently deals with xenophobia from those around him and begins to withdraw from both his culture and his unique qualities. While growing up and experiencing the many peaks and pitfalls of regular youthfulness, he is forced to endure this racism.
While Jin and his friends are enjoying a moment of joy and laughter after an embarrassing moment, two bullies passing by make racist remarks “Hey, I chink it’s getting a little nippy out here” and “You’re right! I’m getting Gook Bumps” (Wang 96).
This moment, while seemingly unimportant in the grand scheme of things, puts an end to their laughter and happiness and ruins the moment. Despite his innate love for his home culture, the world around him seemingly works at all times to instill in him a hatred for the very qualities that make him who he is.
How can somebody hope to be content being Chinese, a Monkey, or anything else if every person around is intent on tearing one down? Jin is only able to handle so much, and eventually undergoes a spiritual transformation that represents the inner war within himself regarding his identity.
Finally, these plotlines converge in the story following Danny, who is later revealed to be the personification of the ideals that Jin wishes he could embody. Danny is never his own individual character, but Jin is in disguise, repressing the very attributes and qualities that make him who he is.
Early in his childhood, an herbalist tells Jin that “it’s easy to become anything you wish…. so long as you’re willing to forfeit your soul.” (Wang 29) This quote foreshadows the transformation that Jin undergoes later in his life, where he seemingly revokes everything that makes him Jin and becomes Danny.
Danny consistently deals with the racist stereotypes and characteristics demonstrated by his cousin Chin-Kee, who seemingly embodies all the hateful misconceptions outsiders have of Chinese people. In a way, Chin represents perhaps what Danny has begun to even see in himself, due to him being subjected to intense racism throughout his life.
Eventually, through the help of the Monkey King and his love for his friend Wei-Chen, Danny can embrace his identity as Jin and move onwards without trying to be some abstract ideal he is not. Jin finally realizes that he must give weight not to the words and actions of the world around him, but to his inner self.
Upon their final shown conversation, Jin and Wei-Chen can rebuild their broken friendship by bonding over a seemingly insignificant detail, which is their mutual dislike for the milk tea at the restaurant they’re at, which apparently “has an oily taste” and is reminiscent of “rabbit crap.” (Wang 232)
This comical moment is not as innocuous as it at first seems, as this simple act represents two individuals bonding over their love for their own culture and embracement of the very ideals that make them who they are.
The characters of The House on Mango Street and American Born Chinese are in the end able to quell the inner war of identity present within their hearts and move forward with this new acceptance guiding the way. They are each able to individually reconcile with their pasts and the aspects of their true selves that make them who they are.
The major theme of these two novels is inner acceptance and the turmoil and struggles that might arise when people try to fight who they are.
The characters must accept their true identities and embrace their pasts while simultaneously looking toward her future, which is beautifully illustrated when the Three Sisters say to Esperanza “When you leave you must remember to come back for the others. A circle, understand? You will always be Esperanza. You will always be Mango Street. You can’t erase what you know. You can’t forget who you are.” (Cisneros 105)
We can’t break ourselves into pieces trying to become something new without losing a part of ourselves in the process. The characters in these two novels represent countless real individuals in our society.
People who wish to be something they are not, something that is in their eyes better. The unique identity each person possesses makes them special, and far too few see their own gorgeous individuality. Nobody is lesser, or inadequate by any measure. There is great beauty to be found in anyone, anywhere, even in a simple monkey.
Works Cited
Cisneros, S. (2020). The house on Mango Street. Alfred A. Knopf.
Yang, G. L. (2008). American born Chinese. Guanda.
