34 that it is the correct decision has to be chosen in order to fix his identity in the
place he lives. Fighting was a metaphor. My struggle on the street was really an effort to
fix identity, to survive as a member of a group and even succeed as a human being p. 3.
This successful adaptation that Kai presents can lead him to the correct decision in term of surviving in the new culture. In other words, his being adaptable is seen
from Kai’s thought about fighting. As proposed by Murphy 1972, a characteristic can be seen from the author’s thought.
b. Forgiving
Based on Webster’s Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary, forgiving is
defined as “disposed to forgive; indicating forgiveness”. He is a forgiving child.
According to Murphy 1972, one method of characterization is seen from the author’s speech. Therefore, from Kai’s speech when he learns the theory of
boxing in the Y.M.C.A, it can be inferred that he is a forgiving child. He is taught from the very basic of boxing theory. When his instructor in the Y.M.C.A
describes boxing faculty and his lesson by wild pantomime, he asks him to practice the expression of an anger face. He has to imagine the kids that often hit
him in the block. However, he still cannot hate the kids on the block even they often hit him. This quotation bellow shows that Kai is a forgiving child.
“I tried, but I really didn’t hate the kids on my block” p.181. Even the kids in Panhandle bully him, he never allow himself to hate the other
kids. Y.M.C.A teaches Kai many things that can build good personality. One of the characteristics that Kai successfully grabs is forgiving.
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B. Kai Ting’s Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Conflict in Dealing with Culture Shock
Based on the novel, it is described that Kai Ting finds difficulties to adjust to the host culture. Kai still holds the Chinese culture although he is already in
Panhandle that carries different values and way of life. The feeling of being anxious, helpless, irritable, and in general, homesick that one experiences on
moving to a new culture as proposed by Church 1982 shows a sign of culture shock as cited in Heine, 2008, p. 514. This novel tells how Kai feels rejected by
the culture, which makes him feel anxious, helpless, and irritable. In other words, these feelings show that he experiences culture shock.
I was special. I was trying to become an accepted black male youth in the 1950s- A competitive, dangerous, harshly won objective. This was more
difficult because I was Chinese. I was ignorant of the culture, clumsy in the language, and blessed with a body that make Tinker Bell look ruthless. I
was guileless and awkward in sports. I faced an uphill challenge with downhill set of assets p. 4.
He feels helpless and irritable when he says that it is more difficult to be accepted as a black male youth and admits that he is ignorant of culture. He also reveals his
feeling by exaggerating it. He describes himself as a Tinker Bell who has a small body and is ignorant of the culture. He also expresses that he has to survive from
the condition of being ignorant with his weaknesses. However, to sum up all of
his struggling between the existences of two cultures, Kai succeeds to adjust to the new culture.
According to Heine 2008, Kai’s attitude toward the host culture is considered as an assimilation strategy. He attempts to fully participate in the host
culture while making little or no effort to maintain one’s heritage cultures.
