Why is it difficult for Willis Wu to have a relationship with Karen Lee? What does Wu eventually learn from that relationship, and from his relationship with their daughter Phoebe?
Willis Wu is in search for personal
glory as an actor and as an Asian man throughout the entire novel. Upon meeting
his co-star on Black and White, Karen Lee, Willis realizes how
successful she is as a woman with a common ancestry to himself. However, after developing
a romantic relationship with her, Willis finds himself subtly jealous of her
accomplishments with Yu writing “You’re happy for her. You are. You know she’s
destined for bigger things than you” from Willis’ perspective (174). It’s very
difficult for Willis to live in the shadow of his eventual wife because he spends
his life dreaming of fame as an Asian man playing “Kung Fu Guy.” Due to his stubbornness,
Willis cannot accept that Karen is more successful than him and refuses to
realize that she is presenting him with a valuable opportunity and a way out of
Interior Chinatown when she offers him a role on her own show (177). His desire
to be known as more than just another Asian character eventually separates him
from Karen and their daughter Phoebe for years, and he never ends up reaching
his goal even after earning the role as “Kung Fu Guy” because he is “trapped.”
By staying on Black and White,
Willis allows the show to decide where his peak is as an Asian actor. Even if
he is the best Asian actor, he still will not receive a major role that is not
ridden with culturally heavy placements that are there simply so audiences of
that heritage can have someone to identify with in the show—Willis’ character
is not meant to be impactful. It takes him some time, but he eventually learns
this after starring as “Kung Fu Guy.” Willis reconnects with his family and is
surprised by the creativity of his young daughter while playing with her. Phoebe
is not caught up in the world around her but decides to live in one of her own
that doesn’t follow the norms society places on her as an Asian. She chooses what
her dreams are without allowing someone else to decide for her, and to Willis this
means a “dream of assimilation, a dream finally realized, a real American girl”
(208). By simply living her life as she chooses, without any acknowledgement of
a dichotomy between people of different races, Phoebe is able to accomplish more
at a young age than Willis is ever able to accomplish as an Asian who plays
into the role society gives him.
I agree with this post. I would like to add that Willis Wu has a hard time making his relationship work with Karen at the start of the relationship because of his need to overcompensate. “Kung fu guy” is almost a fantasy to him. This lust to become “Kung fu Guy” really puts a rift into their relationship. That is apparent when Karen and Willis talk about Karen’s new show and their diverging opinions as stated here: “‘It’s great. It’s great.’ ‘I know it is. But the fact that you said it like that makes me think you don’t think it is.”(Yu 177) We can see even when given a chance to finally live the life Karen and he dreamed of when he was ”dead” he loses all focus on the end goal and becomes even more intensely focused on “Kung fu guy”. I think it is safe to say that this box Willis has been put in his whole life has become his mission to finally break out into a larger box that is just the same box.
ReplyDeleteWillis Wu finally achieves his dream and with that dream he realizes his best moments with his Mother and Father were when they were “dead” not when his Mother was acting or getting money and a very small part remembers his Father taking him out for steak dinners when he became Sifu. He finally realizes that breaking the “Generic Asian man” box just leads to another even larger box that is just the same box. He realizes that what he cares about is Karen and Phoebe and to spend time with them. Willis realizes that the best moments he has had are when he is spending time with his family not chasing the next character or new character status and that becomes apparent when he goes home to phoebe and realizes how much different she is and how happy she is just with him there.