31 Kai becomes an antisocial child.
Kai’s mother keeps him indoor until the age of seven. As a result, he knows nothing about other children in his age. All he knows
is everything about what are believed in China. As a result, he becomes more antisocial.
Mother walked me to school on the first day of my first grade, my heart slugging with pounding anxiety. I wanted to go out, but I had been held out
of kindergarten. I did not want to go to school. That lasted of hours. I wanted to see other children, not be with them p. 36.
The quotation above shows that Kai wants to see his friends than play with them in the school. He does not want to be with his friends like he used to be kept
indoor. He also does not have any interest in other kids in his childhood. A condition in which Kai is not accustomed to socializing makes him an antisocial
child. It is shown from his manner in term of the rejection in socializing with other kids in Panhandle. Therefore, his being antisocial is inferred from his
mannerism as what mentioned in Murphy 1972 that a character’s characteristic
can be seen through the mannerism.
d. Inferior
Based on Webster’s Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary, inferior is
defined as “less important, valuable, or worthy”. Based on his thought, Kai is portrayed as an inferior child. He has different conditions from other kids in
America, especially Panhandle. Therefore his conditions make him experience troubles when he struggles with his new American life.
I was seven years old and simpler, shorter, and blinder that most. I enjoyed Chinese calligraphy, loved Shanghai food, and heated peanuts and my own
spilled blood. It was all very simple, but the results were so complicated p. 4.
32 The quotation above shows that his physical appearance and interests are different
from most Panhandle kids. Kai has different conditions compared to others. It makes him feel inferior and helpless. The status of being different itself is the
cause of all troubles that he experiences in dealing with his new life in Panhandle.
e. Weepy and Coward
Based on Webster’s Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary, weepy is
defined as “tending to weep; tearful; lachrymose”. Kai is described as a weepy child. This characteristic is derived from his reaction when he gets bullied. For
several times, he cries because of being bullied by his friends. Instead of hitting back his friends who hit him, he tends to cry. He has been hit by two people when
going to school. The first blow lands on his heart and the second has absently glanced off his arm.
I yelled as something incredibly hurtful hit my chest and I went backward on the step, hitting the back of my head. Shocked and feeling pain, I began
to cry p. 63.
Kai does not have bravery to protect himself from the beating. Even when trying to communicate with other kids in the school, he is hit by his friends again.
This uncontrollable actions or utterances bellow happen when Kai experiences fear condition.
Something else hit me and now, convinced that death was calling. I wailed with all my might. I was calling to Janie, Megan, and Jennifer. I was so
panicked that I forgot that none of them was home p. 63.
In relation to a weepy person, Kai can also be seen as a coward person. It is shown by his reaction when he argues about fighting with Toussaint, the only kid
who does not trap Kai during the beating. Toussaint becomes friendly to Kai even
