JOURNAL ARTICLE

Disability and Superability: The Spectacle of Extra/Ordinary Bodies in Maxine Hong Kingston's Tripmaster Monkey: His Fake Book.

  • Published In: Contemporary Women's Writing, 2023, v. 17, n. 3. P. 262 1 of 3

  • Database: Humanities Source Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Chen, Fu-jen 3 of 3

Abstract

This essay analyzes Maxine Hong Kingston's 1989 novel *Tripmaster Monkey: His Fake Book*, focusing on its portrayal of Asian bodies as sites of cultural fantasy, anxiety, and ideological contestation shaped by racism, sexism, and ableism. The protagonist, Wittman Ah Sing, embodies a postmodern "Monkey King" figure whose adaptive resilience reflects neoliberal subjectivity, while the depiction of Siamese conjoined twins in Ah Sing’s theater production symbolizes intersubjective connection and collective political engagement. The novel stages fragmented and diverse bodily tropes to critique historical and contemporary constructions of Asian American identity, culminating in a communal theatrical vision that challenges normative ideologies and global capitalism. Despite Ah Sing’s transformative journey toward communal solidarity and universal ideals, the essay notes his failure to fully recognize ideological complicity and the inherent opacity of self and other, underscoring ongoing tensions in identity formation and political critique.

Additional Information

  • Source:Contemporary Women's Writing. 2023/11, Vol. 17, Issue 3, p262
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:Literature and Writing
  • Publication Date:2023
  • ISSN:17541476
  • DOI:10.1093/cww/vpae012
  • Accession Number:177947889
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