Shawn Wong

Shawn Wong, in his novel American Knees, explores some of the problems faced by a young Chinese-American as he attempts to work, live and love in the United States. As the book begins, Raymond Ding is being divorced by his wife Darleen, a situation which cuts him off not only from her but from the relative cultural stability his association with her family has previously provided him. Although the book certainly attempts to examine important racial and gender issues, Wong's inconsistency as a writer and his lack of control over his material limit the effectiveness of this important examination.

At times, the book's comic tone produces an almost farcical reality, as in the opening scene which focuses on the divorce and is intended to establish a foundation for what is to follow (11-14). At other times, the discussions about serious issues seem more like seminars among sociological experts than genuine conversation among real people, as in the exchange between Brenda and Aurora about ethnic and gender conflict (101-102). The fact that Wong has Brenda actually ask if the conversation is a "panel discussion" (102) does not diminish the fact that it sounds like just such a panel discussion. And at other times, the author's attempts to write in a brusque style, particularly with regard to sexual relations, comes off as forced or overly earnest (179-181).

These inconsistencies and weaknesses in style and tone weaken the overall impact and confuse the reader as to the writer's

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e some sort of liberating experience from the virtual prison of unhappiness in which he lives, he reveals that even his imagination is imprisoned: "I wish I were married to Loretta Young" (18). His imagination has been taken over by the fiction of American movies and television. However, this imprisonment is the result of pressures from two cultures, not merely the American culture. Wong is not intent merely to skewer the devouring nature of America, but also to show that the Chinese culture is capable of imprisoning its people as well. For example, Wong uses his most bitter tone to describe the hypocrisy of Chinese culture: Chinese actually believed in good luck, happiness, long life, and other phrases forged in steel and dipped in gold and used to decorate Chinese restaurants. . . . When someone died, fake paper money was burned. . . . One did not burn real money; Chinese might be superstitious, but they weren't stupid (20). The point Wong is making is ultimately an important one: Chinese and Americans and all groups of human beings share common denominators both desirable and undesirable. All groups have their share of hypocrisy; all are acquisitive; all are foolish; all are marked by good people and bad people. In shor

Category: Literature - S