By Krystal M.
In Stealing Buddha's Dinner, Bich becomes so in love with books as a way of belonging somewhere and shows her attempts to "prove that [she] could be more thorough and competent white girl than any of the white girls [she] kew" (152). Bich is trying to grasp her identity whether it be her American identity (through books) or her Vietnamese identity (through learning more about her culture). Until she finds her identity, she'll continue searching for some a community to belong to and identify with. I drew a golden Buddha with a yellow orb around it to show its divinity and drew a lot of books surrounding the Buddha. The Buddha being covered by the books symbolizes Bich's struggle with choosing to identify as American or Vietnamese. There are some moments where Bich craves to be American by eating more American food and dressing the way other American girls do but there are still times where she desperately tries to hold onto her Vietnamese culture by praising the Buddha and enjoying Noi's cooking. Until she learns to have the two identities live peacefully, they'll continue fighting until finally one identity conquers the other.
I really liked your drawing and think that it fits Bich's situation very well. Bich is struggling to fit into a society that she physically can not, and so she finds other ways to fit in. Books are a tool that Bich can not only read to escape the world that she is struggling in, but she can also adapt to the new Western society by learning how the Americans live through the American books she reads. I liked the Buddha you drew in the books because to me the books represented the American society and the Buddha represents the Vietnamese society. Thus, with these two together, we can see the idea of Bich finally realizing that she doesn't have to choose between being American or being Vietnamese. She understands that she will never be 100% of either one and that being a little bit of both is ok.
ReplyDeleteBy: Karissa H.
I had a very similar thought process about the American books. Your picture is very well done but is a little bit misleading since Bich only had a few books in her possession and had to continuously reread those same books over and over. I think that also caused a problem for her because she had only a few examples of what an American "should" be rather than what an American actually is. Ultimately, I agree with Karissa. It is okay to be a little bit of both cultures.
ReplyDeleteKrystal,
ReplyDeleteI love your drawing and how you perfectly display the battle between the two cultures. Your clear explanation about how the one often overpowers the other almost into nonexistence. I think your portrayal of the books hiding the Buddha statue perfectly represents how Bich tries to hide her Vietnamese culture on the inside while displaying her American culture on the outside. I believe this represents the duality of the cultures and how she often partakes in the Vietnamese culture within the confines of her home and perpetuates the “ideal” American when she is in the public. Although the two cultures sometimes seep into the other’s domain, there is often a clear distinction of the two. Your last line is indicative of how Bich eventually discovers how to allow the two cultures to simultaneous exist within her.
By: Clarrissa R.
Your drawing is the perfect representation of the young Bich, and most of us literature majors. The seclusion and peace that you have drawn is one of the greatest pleasures of reading. This image reflects beautifully the scene where Bich is discussing her happy place on her top bunk. I found that the books were not really a place that she found Vietnamese role models that she desired to read about. The books at that time lacked diversity. Bich did desire to read more diversity, but was unable to find any. I felt that her longing to find a relatable character was a bigger drive in reading. I didn't really see that Bich's use of reading was to become white. As with a good majority of people she wanted to read a book with relatability.
ReplyDeleteBy: Jonny D.