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Theme Of Justice In Boxer And Saints

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The sheer complexity of justice, which Gene Luen Yang conveys throughout Boxers and Saints, creates an obscure understanding for when it is truly served. Still, the theme that justice is solely attained by those who show sympathy towards others is perpetually illustrated throughout both novels. Yang demonstrates that one’s compassion is determined by the reader’s sense of justice, which is prevalent if a character dies to save another. Therefore, the answer to the philosophical question, ‘Is justice ever achieved?’, is merely dependent upon the compassion shown by a character, as is the reader’s sense of justice regarding it. Essentially, Yang proves that no matter how one begins their fight, justice is served as long as they end it portraying the greatest act of compassion: saving someone’s life even if it means losing their own.
Throughout Boxers and Saints, Bao provokes numerous deaths in order to save his own life, thus ending the story an unjustified character. This is proven when his father begs him not to leave, but he does so anyways. Bao believes that he is rescuing his father from a damaged state and that this justifies his desertion; however, his indifference towards his “vow to always respect [his] father’s wishes” (Boxers 66) leads to his father’s death as “[he] refuse[s] to eat” (Boxers 261). By inflicting injustice upon his father, Bao proves his lack of compassion. He further displays injustice when he allows Ch’in, his inner conscience, to negatively
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