Tropic of Orange by Karen Tei Yamashita PDF

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Final essay on Tropic of Orange. Really interesting book!...

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Tropic of Orange by Karen Tei Yamashita tells an apocalyptic tale circling around an orange, Los Angeles, Mexico, and seven characters that are tied to one another. Throughout the novel, Yamashita fiercely challenges cultural stereotypes by creating characters with depth and understanding of themselves and the little boxes society has placed them in based on their backgrounds. The two characters that most display hybridity in their past and identity are undoubtedly Bobby Ngu and Manzanar Murakami. Bobby Ngu is introduced to the reader by a third-person narrator that comes across as gossiping about Bobby. The narrator speaks to the audience about guessing what Bobby’s nationality is, saying “If you know your Asians...” (14) From here, the description continues with a slew of stereotypical suggestions such as “colors pallid,” “Japanese’s dress better,” and “they all got Ngu names” (14-15). The narrator also brings up that it is “confusing” that Bobby speaks Spanish- as if Spanish isn’t the most important language in California to know other than English. This section is troubling because it raises the question as to why this third-person narrator is so concerned with pinning down Bobby’s identity and why the narrator feels that identity must be displayed only by Bobby’s ethnic background. Bobby is so much more than a two dimensional stereotype based on nothing more than his skin color or his name. Yamashita put this description in the novel to show the troubling nature of trying to guess someone’s ethnicity. It’s unsettling to think that there are people who think they “know their Asians” and can look at someone and try to guess their background. This is even more upsetting if they somehow think they can know an individual from their ethnicity alone. Cultural identity is important, but not everyone truly identifies with their heritage. Yamashita shows this through her young and spunky character, Emi. Emi is a Japanese American woman who, repeatedly throughout the novel, states how little she identifies with the Japanese American stereotypes and expectations- even going as far as to say “maybe I’m not Japanese American” (21). She doesn’t want to be reduced to an expectation based on where her family is from. Bobby is the

same way. He has had an extremely hard life that forced him to take on adult responsibilities at only twelve years-old. His experiences have turned him into an workaholic. This has negatively affected his marriage as he explains that his wife Rafaela has left because she didn't want to watch him work himself to death. Because of the lack of guidance in his youth- Bobby moved away from his family at an age when vital aspects of his personality and cerebral functioning are just beginning to form, he doesn’t know how to effectively show his emotions. For instance, he buys Rafaela a cherry red Camero during their marriage and is upset when she leaves the Camero. The very little experience the reader has with Rafaela early on in the novel is enough to show that she is not a materialistic person. However, since Bobby was forced to take on adult roles while his social needs as a child fell to the wayside, he is not the best at reading these social cues- even from his wife who it is more than clear he adores even after she has left him. Bobby has the mentality that many people migrating to America have- “but that was the plan, wasn’t it? Surviving” (203). Bobby wants to see himself and those he cares about survive and thrive. On top of an already large pile of responsibilities and a history that is already too cumbersome and full of pressure, Bobby also has to deal with the ignorance of some individuals reducing him to a “one size fits all” of Asian Americans. Yamashita creates the complex character of Bobby to pull forward his complexities and call out those who try this strategy of blanketing people by cultural background. Manzanar Murakami shows the most blunt and obvious hybrid identity in that the life of his past is polar opposite from the life he is living at the time of the novel. Manzanar, in his past, was a successful surgeon and, as readers later find out, a grandfather. At the time of the novel, he is living on the streets and conducting traffic as if he were a musical director. Manzanar used to be a “Model Minority,” the idea that the Asian community is supposed to be studious and successful which is also a very harmful idea that creates extreme anxiety and unrealistic expectations of themselves in many Asian Americans. Manzanar fit the idea of the “Model

Minority” and was respected and liked until he decided to that the money and success weren’t for him. Once he decided to go a different route, he was a “blight on [the Japanese American community’s] image,” they even tried move him to other places in L.A. to keep him hidden and less damaging (37). Yamashita brings out Manzanar to show how minorities are cast off if they don’t live up to the majority’s expectation of them. There are many damaging stereotypes and expectations that Asian Americans undergo that is often downplayed because Asian Americans are the most successful and wealthy minority group in the country. Through Manzanar, Yamashita shows readers that these expectations are still damaging and the repercussions that come about should one not live up to those expectations. Interestingly, Manzanar’s granddaughter Emi does not live up to certain Japanese American expectations either, but she does seem to be thriving in L.A.. However, her punishment is death rather than being cast out by society. Karen Tei Yamashita’s Tropic of Orange employs some characters that are content with the expectations that society has placed on them. For instance, Emi’s mother tells her “no J.A. talks like that,” showing that she has fallen into what society expects of her (21). However, most characters in the novel challenge their assigned stereotype. Yamashita wants readers to understand when they are guilty of reducing people to their stereotypes and to really think about what that does to someone and what it feels like. She wants to make readers uncomfortable in scenes like Bobby’s introduction because we should be uncomfortable by such ignorance. Yamashita wants readers to understand that everyone in some way uses stereotypes from time to time. Maybe, after reading a book like Tropic of Orange, the next time someone is stereotyping, they will think remember the literature and rethink their thoughts and actions....