Wittman Ah Sing is the main character of Maxine Hong Kingston’s novel Tripmaster Monkey. He is a young Chinese-American man living in San Francisco during the 1960s, trying to find his place in society and struggling with his identity as both Chinese and American. In chapter one of the novel, we are introduced to Wittman through his interactions with his friend and fellow artist, Jackson.
Wittman is described as having “hair like sunlit water” (p. 3), which suggests that he has a certain beauty or radiance about him. However, he also wears a mask on his face that he has created himself, which represents his struggles with identity and fitting in. This mask is described as “a cross between a dragon and a lion, but had no tail” (p. 3). This image highlights the idea that Wittman feels like he doesn’t quite fit into either Chinese or American culture completely.
Throughout chapter one, Wittman expresses frustration with the limitations placed on him by society because of his race. For example, he complains about not being able to get work at an advertising agency because they only hire white people: “They don’t want any Chinamen telling them what looks good” (p. 6). This shows us that Wittman is aware of how racism affects him and others like him.
Wittman also has dreams of becoming an artist and creating something meaningful that reflects both his Chinese heritage and American upbringing. He talks about wanting to create “a new kind of art - something more than East meets West” (p. 9), which shows us that he wants to break out of traditional labels and categories.
Overall, Wittman Ah Sing is a complex character who struggles with identity issues due to being both Chinese-American in a time when racism was rampant in America. His desire to create art that reflects both cultures shows us that he wants to bridge the gap between the two and find a place where he can belong. However, his frustration with the limitations placed on him because of his race highlights the struggles that people of color face in America.
