As this is a more obvious topic with this text, I will not spend too long going over all the Othering I found in the text. However, I would like to point out some of the more intriguing Othering I discovered while reading The Shadow Hero.
The most obvious Othering in the text is that of the Chinese vs. white Americans. This is a topic that Yang has addressed in his other works as well. Not only is the struggle to the 'who am I?' question addressed, but Yang and Liew give their readers some meaty pieces of text to work out.
For instance, when Hank is dressed as the Jade Tortoise and talks to the cop about who is in charge of the gangs, the cop tells him about Mock Beak and Ten Grand. The cop asks his name and Hank responds with "The Jade Tortoise." Laughing the cop responds, "Just cause you're workin' the chinatown beat don't mean you hafta have a name like them!" (89). This is not the only time the cop assumes Hank is a white man masquerading as a Chinese man. When Hank drops off fake Ten Grand to the cop, an awkward conversation follows, with the cop saying, "Face it, hero! Those sneaky slant-eyed bastards made a rub outta you! Outta us! Sometimes I wish---Aw, jeez. You're...you're one of..." (118). The assumption that everyone is Chinatown is "sneaky" and criminal is played out in both scenes. The cop not only jumps to this conclusion because of his prejudiced but because Hank actually looks "white". The mask hides the distinguishing mark of his "slanty-eye[s]". It is also interesting how the text is in bold when using these derogatory descriptions, bringing more attention to them than any of the other words on the page.
Along with this scene is the one with the Anchor of Justice at the end of the novel. The Anchor asks Green Turtle if he would be ready to defined his country should a fight break out between nations. Hank hesitantly responds with a yes and the Anchor reveals that he, too, is not "from around here either" (152). This not only brings more Othering into play but it makes readers wonder how long the Anchor knew that the Green Turtle was not just American but Chinese American? Supposedly Hank could pass for a "white" American, as evidence by the cop who kept confusing Hank's identity, but how did the Anchor know? Maybe it is an Other thing- like the ability to sense that someone is different. Maybe the Anchor knew becasue of Hank's mother. Or perhaps it is a commentary on the intelligence of the police force, since this "outsider" superhero can tell who Hank is but not the cop, who represents "our law" in the novel.
With that, I wondered what would happen if America and China ever got into a fight? Who would Hank choose to defend? And would Green Turtle choose differently? This goes back to identity and names, which was discussed briefly in my previous post.
As a last thought, at the end of the novel Red says to Hank, "Do you really think dressing up in that silly costume will make them accept you? Do you really think it will make you a part of them?" (150). Once again, the bold print is used to emphasize the most important aspect of that conversation- them. Others. Hank is unsure how to answer Red but didn't care as "the Green Turtle has already become a part of me" (152). This is a nice answer, letting readers make the assumption of what happens to Hank after the text ends. But this idea of the superhero intrigues me. If the superhero concept is a 'them' creation, then perhaps that explains why none of the typical ways superheroes were created worked on Hank. Hank's mother listened to every origin story she could and tried it all out on Hank to give him superpowers. Yet, none of them worked. In fact, one only made him look more "white", or pink. The only reason Hank is now the Green Turtle is thanks to his Chinese shadow spirit, the Great Tortoise. Maybe this ia suggestion by the authors that it is only by blending the two halves of the self that one is able to be super, as Hank suggests with his comment about the Green Turtle becoming a part of him.
The most obvious Othering in the text is that of the Chinese vs. white Americans. This is a topic that Yang has addressed in his other works as well. Not only is the struggle to the 'who am I?' question addressed, but Yang and Liew give their readers some meaty pieces of text to work out.
For instance, when Hank is dressed as the Jade Tortoise and talks to the cop about who is in charge of the gangs, the cop tells him about Mock Beak and Ten Grand. The cop asks his name and Hank responds with "The Jade Tortoise." Laughing the cop responds, "Just cause you're workin' the chinatown beat don't mean you hafta have a name like them!" (89). This is not the only time the cop assumes Hank is a white man masquerading as a Chinese man. When Hank drops off fake Ten Grand to the cop, an awkward conversation follows, with the cop saying, "Face it, hero! Those sneaky slant-eyed bastards made a rub outta you! Outta us! Sometimes I wish---Aw, jeez. You're...you're one of..." (118). The assumption that everyone is Chinatown is "sneaky" and criminal is played out in both scenes. The cop not only jumps to this conclusion because of his prejudiced but because Hank actually looks "white". The mask hides the distinguishing mark of his "slanty-eye[s]". It is also interesting how the text is in bold when using these derogatory descriptions, bringing more attention to them than any of the other words on the page.
Along with this scene is the one with the Anchor of Justice at the end of the novel. The Anchor asks Green Turtle if he would be ready to defined his country should a fight break out between nations. Hank hesitantly responds with a yes and the Anchor reveals that he, too, is not "from around here either" (152). This not only brings more Othering into play but it makes readers wonder how long the Anchor knew that the Green Turtle was not just American but Chinese American? Supposedly Hank could pass for a "white" American, as evidence by the cop who kept confusing Hank's identity, but how did the Anchor know? Maybe it is an Other thing- like the ability to sense that someone is different. Maybe the Anchor knew becasue of Hank's mother. Or perhaps it is a commentary on the intelligence of the police force, since this "outsider" superhero can tell who Hank is but not the cop, who represents "our law" in the novel.
With that, I wondered what would happen if America and China ever got into a fight? Who would Hank choose to defend? And would Green Turtle choose differently? This goes back to identity and names, which was discussed briefly in my previous post.
As a last thought, at the end of the novel Red says to Hank, "Do you really think dressing up in that silly costume will make them accept you? Do you really think it will make you a part of them?" (150). Once again, the bold print is used to emphasize the most important aspect of that conversation- them. Others. Hank is unsure how to answer Red but didn't care as "the Green Turtle has already become a part of me" (152). This is a nice answer, letting readers make the assumption of what happens to Hank after the text ends. But this idea of the superhero intrigues me. If the superhero concept is a 'them' creation, then perhaps that explains why none of the typical ways superheroes were created worked on Hank. Hank's mother listened to every origin story she could and tried it all out on Hank to give him superpowers. Yet, none of them worked. In fact, one only made him look more "white", or pink. The only reason Hank is now the Green Turtle is thanks to his Chinese shadow spirit, the Great Tortoise. Maybe this ia suggestion by the authors that it is only by blending the two halves of the self that one is able to be super, as Hank suggests with his comment about the Green Turtle becoming a part of him.