China Men | Teaching Key Figures

Character Descriptions

This section provides a short description of all the major characters in the book. This can be printed out as a study guide for students, used as a "key" for leading a class discussion, or you can jump to the quiz/homework section to find worksheets that incorporate these descriptions into a variety of question formats.

Characters

Maxine Hong Kingston - The author of the biographical text who acts as the narrator and as the re-teller of anecdotes narrated to her as a child.

Ed - This character, who studies to take the Imperial Examination and passes the assessment, is assigned to be a school teacher in his home town. He finds the job unrewarding, frustrating and difficult. He marries and has two children and then decides, in 1924, to emigrate alone to the United States of America. He is the author's father.

Bak Goong - One of...
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