. is claiming America.'" Kingston lists the tremendous labors of the Chinese in America which went into the nation's development, and argues that such efforts give Chinese-Americans their rights, or at least should. "While celebrating Chinese strength and achievement, Kingston . . . serves as avenger, this time reporting exploitation, prejudice, and neglect" (Current Biography, 1990, p. 39).
If China Men is a preliminary battle in this claiming of America, of their rightful place in America, by the Chinese-Americans, then Tripmaster Monkey is a blatant, no-holds-barred declaration that the war has been won. What is unexpected in this declaration of triumph is the form which the victory has taken. Who could have anticipated the character of Wittman Ah Sing as the embodiment of this victory, of this successful "claiming of America"?
Still, it would hardly be accurate to say that Wittman is free of the racism visited upon his ancestors. As we read, "Although he is a fifth-generation Chinese-American raised on cartoons and Hollywood movies, Wittman cann
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