Ethnicity

Wittman Ah Sing is both more quintessentially American, and more Chinese, than his reader is. An overarching theme of Kingston's work is that the two are compatible. Wittman, as a Chinese American, is both 100% American and 100% imbued with his own distinctive brand of Chinese culture, honed by five generations in America. When Wittman insists his play is not "East meets West," as approving critics insist, but "West meets West" he is inviting the reader to redefine their ethnically limited version of what constitutes an American to include the traditions and culture of many races.

As an American, Wittman abhors his father's cheapness, Judy Louis's plainness, and the Chinese propensity to bring bundles and boxes of fragrant food on journeys and pretend the delicious aroma is coming from someone else's luggage. As a person of Chinese ancestry, Wittman longs to be accepted for all these qualities, plus his skin...