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Shoes and Hair
Broadly speaking, Transformer toys symbolize identity, and particularly how fluid one’s identity can be. This can be both a positive and negative thing. When young Jin first tells the herbalist’s wife that he’d like to grow up to be a Transformer, she points out that this isn’t impossible—he just has to be willing to forfeit his soul to do so. In this context, especially when Jin transforms into the white persona of Danny a few years later, the Transformer represents a person’s ability to completely reject who they truly are in favor of being someone else. Meanwhile, the Monkey King gives his son, Wei-Chen, a Transformer to remind him of who and what he is inside (a monkey), even as he must look the part of a human on the outside while on his earthly mission. For Wei-Chen, the Transformer is a symbol of his true nature, while for Jin, the Transformer speaks to his desire to be anyone but who he really is.
Transformers Quotes in American Born Chinese
The American Born Chinese quotes below all refer to the symbol of Transformers. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 2
Quotes
“Yeah, but Ma-Ma says that’s silly. Little boys don’t grow up to be Transformers.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure about that. I’m going to let you in on a secret, little friend: it’s easy to become anything you wish...
...so long as you’re willing to forfeit your soul.”
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Chapter 8
Quotes
I replayed the day’s events over and over again in my mind. Each time I reached the same conclusion: Wei-Chen needed to hear what I had to say. It was, after all, the truth. And at around three in the morning, I finally believed myself.
I dreamt of the herbalist’s wife.
“So, little friend. You’ve done it. Now what would you like to become?”
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Chapter 9
Quotes
“Take this with you. It’s a human child’s toy that transforms from monkey to humanoid form. Let it remind you of who you are.”
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Get the entire American Born Chinese LitChart as a printable PDF.
Transformers Symbol Timeline in American Born Chinese
The timeline below shows where the symbol Transformers appears in American Born Chinese. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 2
...and they stayed there for a long time. In the backseat, Jin plays with his Transformer action figure. They arrive at their new house.
(full context)
...Saturday mornings in Jin’s apartment, watching cartoons, and then they’d stage epic battles between their Transformers.
(full context)
...going to be when he grows up. Excitedly, Jin says he wants to be a Transformer. He holds up his Transformer toy and explains that Transformers are “robots in disguise.” He...
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Wei-Chen sits down a little ways away from Jin and sadly pulls out a Transformer. This sparks Jin’s interest. Wei-Chen explains that his Transformer changes from a robot into a...
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Chapter 9
...King promised to visit once per year to check in and sent him with a Transformer to remind him who he was. Wei-Chen leapt off the cloud and fell to Earth,...
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