Character analysis

Benjamin

Benjamin Wong is a Chines-American adopted by Chinese parents. He is blue eyed and blond haired Caucasian searching for Chinatown because he wants to explore his roots. Through his conversation with Ronnie, it is revealed that Benjamin refuses to be judged by his genetic heritage alone. He understands how people are stereotyping each other and he describes his society as “a society wedded to racial constructs which constantly forces (him) to explain (his) very existence.” This is because people judge others by their appearances. As a Caucasian, he is stereotyped, genetically, as being an American so he needs to explain his roots and real identity to everyone he meets. Benjamin takes pride of his roots and ancestors. He likes daily life of his parents and the community where he comes from.

Ronnie

Ronnie is an Asian-American. He is a Chinese by genetic heritage which gave him slant eyes and yellow skin. He is a violinist and through his conversation with Benjamin he admits that he derives his identity from the music, specifically jazz and rock and roll. Music means to him more than anything else even more his Chinese roots. A violin note moves him far more than the Chinese music. He is deeply angry inside because the stereotypes that people impose on him and on the Asians as a whole. They marginalize them, obliterate their accomplishments from the history books, objectify their females sexually, exploit their workers, ignore their high rate of mental illness and tuberculosis, describe them as “ they all look alike,” and think of them as drug dealers. He recognizes that he is racially Chinese but he is not content.