risk and consequences that he will face if he tells them the truth about See-goh- poh but his courageous and wiseness help him to do it without any qualms. By
telling the truth to Ama and Popo, he will make them depressed but he insists in doing so because he cannot deny himself. Therefore, he prefers not to tell any lies
to his family.
4. Wise
Another characteristic that is reflected throught the characteristics of Digou in this play is his wiseness. He tells his sisters that it is wrong to praise
ancestors who were flawed and human just like common people. He asserts that Americans of Asian origin have to realize that their ancestors has affected their
contemporary identities. The reason why he obeys his sisters words and does not angry to them
when they accuse him for telling a lie is not because he is afraid of his sisters, but because he is too wise to see the situation. He knows when is the right time to
speak to them about his true experience with See-goh-poh. Another part that shows his wise characteristic is his dialogue with
Chester. There are some moments in which the playwright establishes a bond between Di-gou and Chester. It is clear from Di-gou’s speeches that him and
Chesters should be bonded together by a shared sense of what is Chinese. In the beginning of the play, Di-gou firstly appears as a viewer framed in the glass door.
Later he makes his entrance in the same way, first looking in on the scene through the glass.
When Di-gou is beaten by his sisters, Chester watches helplessly through the same glass door. At the end of the play, Chester is framed by this glass as his
face begins to change. These moments explain the connection between Chester and Di-gou by suggesting that they are omniscient viewers as well as members of
the family, standing both outside and inside the action. Di-gou says to Chester that The stories written on your face are the ones
you must believe 144. It means that through objective observation one can find the truth of ones own nature and own identity. Chester should take heed of what
has come before him, that where he comes from matters, even if he has to do some works figuring out where he came from. All those things define who he is.
Digou wisely says this advice to Chester. He shares his idea of a collective past, of roots, of family, and of their “Chinese. By saying that to
Chester, Digou wants to tell him that there are faces back further than he sees. Faces long before the white missionaries arrived in China. Digou wants him to
understand how the faces of his own people, his families, and his roots in China. This is a first good way to become one with his family before he can hope to live
away. CHESTER: Well, I hope you’re not disappointed to come and see your
sisters, your family, carry on like this. DI-GOU: They are still my sisters.
CHESTER: I’m leaving here. Like you did. DI-GOU: But, Chester, I’ve found that I cannot leave the family. Today
look-I follow them across an ocean. CHESTER: You know, they’re gonna start bringing you to church.
DI-GOU: There are faces back further than you can see. Faces long before the white missionaries arrived in China. Here. [He holds
CHESTER’s violin so that its back is facing CHESTER, and uses it like a mirror.] Look here. At your face. Study your face
and you will see-the shape of your face is the shape of faces
