Genre
Autobiographical Novel
Setting and Context
The novel is set in Detroit, Cleveland and San Francisco, written in the context of racial bigotry.
Narrator and Point of View
First-person narrative in Wu’s point of view
Tone and Mood
Optimistic, explorative, enduring
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonist is Frank Wu, who is also the narrator.
Major Conflict
We became the subject of racial bigotry among his peers when he was still a child. Bullying was part of Wu's life, and he had to remain optimistic and enduring to push on with his education in a racially polarized world.
Climax
Wu successfully attains a career in law, and he is free to move from one state to the other. Unfortunately, racism is a factor even in open-minded societies like in California.
Foreshadowing
Wu's bullying at an early age foreshadowed his career discrimination and personal confidentiality issues. Later in life, Wu concludes that the white people do not only discriminate against Blacks, but they mistreat Asians as well.
Understatement
Racial discrimination in America is understated because people tend to believe that only the black community is prejudiced. Wu reveals that other races like Asians are also discriminated against and bullied, which has gone unnoticed for many years.
Allusions
The story alludes to racial discrimination and the challenges other ethnicities go through while among the white society.
Imagery
The narrator's school memories bring out sight and smell imagery. The narrator recalls the girl's physical appearance, who could tie his shoelaces and the smell of pancakes brought to school by parents to celebrate their children's birthdays.
Paradox
The main paradox is that despite the narrator being an Asian, he makes discriminative remarks against his fellow Asians. For instance, the narrator argues that Asians are less appealing to first graders. Similarly, the narrator says that Asians have an upturned nose. Therefore, it is satirical that the narrator is complaining about bigotry when he describes his fellow men and women negatively.
Parallelism
The racial bigotry that took place paralleled the narrator’s daily life.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
N/A
