Ralph Chang in Typical American

Acceptance within American Born Chinese by Gene Yang is scattered everywhere within the book. It’s in each story within many situations. One of them telling about a challenging and treacherous journey across hundreds of miles of terrain. All of the main characters reveal so much power of acceptance while I was reading through each chapter of the book. To clarify the many events within the novel I will analyze and relate my experiences as a soldier to the journeys of the Monkey Key, Jin, and finally the monk.

Both of the boys change a lot during their stay on the island. Ralph begins the novel as a leader and role model to the other boys. But eventually, the group gives in to savage instincts and Ralph's position

Both of the boys change a lot during their stay on the island. Ralph begins the novel as a leader and role model to the other boys. But eventually, the group gives in to savage instincts and Ralph's position

Ralph is the main protagonist in the story and he is the leader of the children on the island. Since Ralph was voted leader, he has the characteristics of leadership and he brings civilization and order to the story. Unlike the other boys, Jack and Simon, Ralph’s main focus is to get off the island instead of having fun. For example, Ralph tried constructing huts with Simon; meanwhile, the boys are playing and running off having fun. In the beginning of the story, Ralph’s power with the children was secure; however, towards the end, that power is being transferred to Jack. Ralph represents the

Sometimes whats ideal in a situation is not what the truth of the situation and can cause your ideals to be lost. In William Golding’s novel, “Lord of the Flies”, he demonstrates a shift in some of the characters from the thought of idealism to the reality and truth of the world. Ralph is a good example of this shift, he starts out thinking the island will be a fun place and they’ll have fun waiting to be rescued, but soon he realizes that there is going to be more hardship and struggles to keep up the moral and hope of rescue. In the book Ralph wanted to keep everyone safe and get them off the island, but Jack wants to be a leader and messes up his plans, making it so that Ralph is alone in his plan to get rescued.

In the novel there are many Americans that depict the “American Myth,” for example Ann she was typical of the low wage working people ( Shipler, pg. 24-25), but the thing is Ann did not point fingers of blame at anyone, she excepted that she got herself into the situation that she is now. Even though she knew that the credit card companies rates were high she made the option of using them, but that is not because she had a choice or not but only because she had to. The lease on Ann truck was about to expire and her ex husbands child support of $100 was about to stop because her daughter was about to turn 18. Ann only had one option left which was bankruptcy but then she found

The tale “American Born Chinese” by Gene Luch Wang depicts the story of three characters, Monkey, Jin, and Danny. They all have the problem of fitting into their new environments. Jin Wang has to deal with Asian stereotypes. Danny has to deal with embarrassment of his cousin. Lastly, Monkey has to deal with the fact that there is no position for him in the heavenly ranks. However, over time, these characters have to come together to fit in. Yet the question remains: what exactly about fitting in is the problem? Although Jin Wang takes the form of Danny to reject his Chinese roots, the embarrassment of Chin-Knee shows he cannot hide behind a false American identity, thereby delineating that race is the source of his problem.

Jack’s predicament with finding himself being stuck between his original lifestyle and new desire to fit in was cleverly established in the story, drawing my sympathy, as I have also personally experienced this struggle. In the middle of the story when Jack began to realize that his Chinese life was different from others’, he narrated, “Mom learned to cook American style. I played video games and studied French” (4). These succinct sentences stood out, as the surrounding

In Lord of the Flies, Golding uses Ralph as the symbol of civilization. Readers can hear Ralph’s anger in chapter 4 on the mountain when he says this. “You let the fire out (Golding 70)”. Ralph is angry when Jack and his hunters kill a pig when they were supposed to keep the fire up. Ralph and Piggy had seen a ship. Ralph was infuriated that they didn’t get rescued. At the end of chapter 6, Ralph questions the group’s sanity when they are hunting for the beast. “Can’t you see the mountain? There’s no signal showing. There may be a ship out there. Are you all off your rockers? (Golding 108)”. Ralph is the only one who knows what must be done in order to get rescued. In chapter 8, readers can now see that even Ralph is falling prey to savagery but keeping his humanity at the same time. “ Without the fire we can’t be rescued. I’d like to put on war paint and be a savage (Golding 142).” Ralph is starting to lose some humanity. He keeps it unlike Jack does who totally loses it. At the end of chapter 12, readers can see that Ralph finally breaks down when he is rescued. “ Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy (Golding 202).” Ralph realizes that he will be rescued and he starts sobbing. He came so close to a horrible death only to escape it. Ralph was able to keep his humanity. He was a good person who symbolized civilization.

To further illustrate, in “Lord of the Flies” the character, Ralph, is a round and dynamic character. Ralph can be classified as this type of character because of the changes he undergoes as the story unfolds. To explain, at the beginning of the story, Ralph is confident and optimistic when himself and multiple boys crash on an island. He takes control and earns the trust if the group. Ralph conducts assemblies and his words are determined and civilized, “All at once he found he could talk fluently and explain what he had to say… ‘we want to be rescued; and of course, we shall be rescued…we must make a fire”’ (Golding 32-38). Ralph’s words and actions show his boldness to take control and his strong belief in being rescued. However, as the story continues, the system and trust Ralph establish begins to diminish, resulting in two separate groups. The one group contains Ralph and very few civilized boys, and the second group is made up Jack and the savages. Although the groups are at peace at first, multiple fights and Piggy’s stolen glasses causes Ralph to partially change. This change is revealed to the readers when Ralph and Piggy go to the saves to retrieve the glasses, “Truculently they squared up to each other but kept just out of fighting distance… ‘Ralph-remember what we came for. The fire. My specs”’ (Golding 177). During this mission, the once civilized Ralph begins to fight with the savages and he acted barbaric himself. Ralph’s and actions and Piggy’s words show the reader how Ralph transformed the course of the book from being civilized and confident with his word; however, Ralph is now becoming a savage and loses his optimistic attitude. Piggy’s words to Ralph, shows how Ralph is forgetting the idea of being civilized because Piggy must constantly remind Ralph of their mission, but Ralph seems to just want to fight. Ralph’s shift in personality shows the reader that he is a dynamic and round character. Therefore, Ralph’s character undergoes development; however, Brutus in “Julius Ceaser” changes in an equivalent way.

In the Novel Ralph is changed by his experiences on the island through the savagery of the other boys and lost his innocence when he goes from the sweet little boy who is excited they're alone on the island to being an accomplice in a murder.

All throughout the story Ralph shows us heroic qualities like: blowing the conch and having all the boys run to him. It shows that the boys look up to him as their hero to get them off the island. Even at at the end when all the boys chased him down trying to kill them. He still lead them all right to the naval officer. Showing us that he is the true hero of the story. At least Ralph stayed moral that meant he could live with himself without the weight of a person's death on his

Ralph's original society is split because of lack of interest with some of the individuals. They begin to loose faith in themselves, and thus seek fun and fortune. In the end the group seeking a long-term

This is where both Ralph and society’s perception of personal responsibility skews wrong. Golding explores broadly the inherent savagery prescient in all of the boys, even Ralph, and yet also assumes the former’s idea of society is the only morally good way to go about human civilization. However, concerning our world at large, morals need to take a backseat to practicality. Clearly, Ralph’s governance wasn’t very good, since it burned out just like his signal fire. He failed

For Ralph and many young Americans, this fantasy quickly proves false as they grow up and experience life. In the novel, Ralph’s perception of New York City and America changes almost as quickly as it was originally formed. He is immediately confronted with a language barrier, leaving him lost and disconnected from his new world. Soon enough, Ralph "was beginning to know what was what. He was lonely still…New York lost its gleam. He drifted through its streets as if through an exhausted, dusty land, no detail of which has changed in a thousand years" (Jen 13–14). Ralph’s hardships clearly show that coming and surviving in America as an immigrant is not what most perceives it to be. Instead, the everyday realities of life in America quickly lose that idealistic gleam which has been polished and revered over so many years, held in the minds of Americans across the country. Ralph sees the truth of these things and turns to a new path on the road to the American dream.