Fresh Off The Boat And Saving Face Analysis

This semester it has become clear to me that Asian culture has very strict guidelines that they must abide by when it comes to how they conduct themselves in everyday life. There are many stereotypes about Asian culture that are not true and effect how Asian society reacts to them. These stereotypes affect how males and females in Asian culture react when put in a non-Asian environment. “Non-normative” representations of sex and sexuality were displayed in “Better Luck Tomorrow,” “Fresh off the Boat” and “Saving Face.” These texts all portray a different idea and a different way of looking at sexuality and the way it interacts with gender. In “Better Luck Tomorrow,” all the characters were students and they varied from the age of about 17-25. This was interesting to see be portrayed because they had a very clear idea of what being a “man” was. They wanted to be cool and wanted to be popular. They took these wants very seriously and ruined one of their best friends lives because of it. Culture tells them that they cannot be smart or frail and that they must have a lot …show more content…
This novel is about a boy’s journey to finding his inner “man.” Gender in this book is defined by aggressive and emotionless actions. He does not have a proper male model and he shows the most respect for his grandpa. After moving to Florida, Eddie’s dad becomes more aggressive and in beginning to be a “bad-ass.” Eddie is caught between generations and he does not know how to act, like his father or like his peers. He turns to hip-hop and like the characters in “Better Luck Tomorrow” he abides by mainstream norms of the time period. This ethnic community follows the stereotype that would be associated with black people rather than Asian culture. These are generational issues as well because the hip-hop he listens and relates to is old. He is not listening to contemporary music because Eddie cannot relate to