35
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.
36 Alder and Peter 1975 mention there are five stages of culture shock,
which include honeymoon stage, disintegration stage, reintegration stage, the continuing of reintegration, and reciprocal stage as cited in Pedersen, 1995, p. 3.
Based on Kai ’s experiences in dealing with culture shock, he has reached the
continuing of reintegration stage by the end of the story. It happens when the person increases the ability to function in the new culture by considering both the
good elements of Chinese culture and American culture. He realizes that fighting is necessary for him to fix his identity in the place he lives. Even though he loses
his own language, he succeeds to survive from the fear of being an ignorant child in Panhandle. In addition, there are several causes that make him experience
culture shock. It is important to discuss the causes of culture shock in order to give insight why the conflicts occur. Those causes are the different social values,
beliefs, ways of life, languages, and interests, and the lack of socialization.
1. Different Social Values
The value constructs found in the United States is not identical to those found in mainland China Xiao, 2001, p. 12. Each society carries their own
values that make different values possibly exist. Thus, the values found in China are in contrast to that of in America. One will experience culture shock when
moving to another country since the country does not share the same values. According to Xiao 2001, while American is centered on the value of Judeo-
Christians roots, Chinese culture is built upon a value system crystallized in Confucianism p. 111. In addition, the Confucianism describes the respect for
tradition and reciprocity in social relations. The Chinese lends new meaning to the
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