Donald Duk by Frank Chin
"Donald Duk" by Frank Chin is a novel that explores the journey of a fifth-generation Chinese American boy, Donald Duk, as he grapples with his cultural identity amid the backdrop of San Francisco's Chinatown during the New Year's celebration. The story presents a psychologically realistic portrayal of Donald’s internal struggles, particularly his conflict between the racial stereotypes imposed on him and the rich, heroic history of his ancestors. As he prepares for the Chinese New Year, Donald feels increasingly isolated and tormented by the perception that his community is seen as timid and nonassertive, leading him to experience self-contempt.
The narrative unfolds through a blend of history, legend, and surrealistic dreams, allowing Donald to uncover the true stories of his heritage, including the contributions and struggles of Chinese railroaders, including his great-great-grandfather. These revelations serve as a catalyst for Donald’s transformation, as he learns about the courage and pioneering spirit of his people, which contrasts sharply with the stereotypes he has internalized. Inspired by his newfound knowledge, Donald seeks to challenge these misconceptions and share the true legacy of his cultural background, ultimately empowering himself and celebrating his identity. The novel serves as a poignant exploration of identity, cultural pride, and the impact of historical narratives on personal self-perception.
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Subject Terms
Donald Duk by Frank Chin
- FIRST PUBLISHED: 1991
The Work
Donald Duk is a psychologically realistic depiction of a fifth-generation Chinese American boy who, by learning his family history and his cultural heritage, frees himself from the trauma caused by the racial stereotyping of his people. Set in San Francisco’s Chinatown during a New Year’s celebration, the novel delineates the initiation of its protagonist, Donald Duk, in a manner that interweaves history, legend, surrealistic dreams, and psychological realism.
Donald is troubled more by his racial identity than by his funny name. Repeatedly, he has heard people at school and in the media say that his people are traditionally timid and passive, introverted and nonassertive; therefore, they are alien to American heroism and pioneering spirit. He is thus filled with self-contempt and tormented by everything Chinese. With the Chinese New Year approaching, he becomes more and more depressed and withdrawn, for the New Year will provide another opportunity for his schoolteachers to repeat in class the same thing that everybody else says about his people.
The New Year, during which Donald completes the first twelve-year cycle of his life (there are twelve years in the Chinese zodiac), is the right time for the elders in his family and in the community to tell him what everybody has chosen not to say about his people. From these elders, he learns that his people immigrated from a land that had produced its own Robin Hoods and that Chinese railroaders, his great-great-grandfather among them, blasted their way through Nevada, lived in tunnels carved in deep frozen snow for two winters, set a world record in track-laying for the transcontinental railroad, and went on strike for back pay and Chinese forepersons for Chinese gangs. He is so fascinated with these railroaders’ heroism and pioneering spirit that scenes of their toil and struggle appear one after another in his dreams.
Through careful library research, Donald determines that his dreams are actually flashbacks to the real events that have been excluded in history books by the majority culture. With his newly gained understanding of the cultural heritage of his people, he is eager to go back to school to challenge the stereotype of his people with his story about their courage and assertiveness.
Bibliography
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Cheng, Scarlet. Review of Donald Duk, by Frank Chin. Small Press, vol. 9, Spring 1991, p. 87.
Chin, Frank. "West Meets East: A Conversation with Frank Chin." Interview by Robert Murray Davis. Amerasia Journal, vol. 24, Spring 1998, pp. 87-103.
Chiu, Herman B., and Andrew Taylor Kirk. "Unlimited American Power: How Four California Newspapers Covered Chinese Labor and the Building of the Transcontinental Railroad, 1865-1869." American Journalism, vol. 31, no. 4, 2014, pp. 507-24.
Davis, Robert Murray. "World Literature in Review: English." World Literature Today, vol. 65, Autumn 1991, p. 715.
Haven, Tom De. "He's Been Dreaming on the Railroad." The New York Times Book Review, vol. 96, 31 Mar. 1991, p. 9.
Ho, Cathy Lang. "Taking It from Frank Chin." San Francisco Review of Books, vol. 16, no. 1, 1991, pp. 31-32.
Louie, Ai-Ling. "Growing Up Asian American: A Look at Some Recent Young Adult Novels." Journal of Youth Services in Libraries, vol. 6, Winter 1993, pp. 115-27.
Ruhalter, Kana, and Arun Rath. "Celebrating the Life of 'Uncle Frank' Chin, the Unofficial Mayor of Boston's Chinatown." GBH News, 16 Oct. 2023, www.wgbh.org/news/local/2023-10-16/celebrating-the-life-of-uncle-frank-chin-the-unofficial-mayor-of-bostons-chinatown. Accessed 21 Oct. 2024.
Samarth, Manini. "Affirmations: Speaking the Self into Being." Parnassus, vol. 17, no. 1, 1991, pp. 88-101.
Trepper, Terry S., and May Tung. Chinese Americans and Their Immigrant Parents: Conflict, Identity, and Values. Routledge, 2013.