2.2.

9 Practice
1. Describe the central internal conflict each protagonist seems to experience. What
emotion, personality trait, or idea does each character struggle with, and what clues led
you to this understanding?

a. Monkey King: Throughout the entire story, the Monkey King struggles with a
major identity problem. He constantly feels ashamed of his monkey background,
and tries frivolously to be something he’s not. Many clues lead up to this. For
instance, removing the smell of monkey fur and changing his name are all major
warning signs to this internal conflict.

b. Jin Wang: Jin Wang suffers from a similar problem, as he doesn’t feel welcome at
his school. This then causes a want to disregard his chinese culture and identity.
This clash in his mind causes him to lose confidence as well, making his social
and love life very difficult. Jin Wang’s inability to stand up to Greg, his outlash at
Wei-Chen, and his transformation to Danny are all clues to this identity crisis.

c. Danny: With the introduction of Danny, we immediately see his conscious

behavior of self-image. When Chin-Kee is around him, he constantly feels
embarrassed about what other people might think of him and his cousin. For
example, when Chin-Kee answers questions in class, or eats his chinese lunch,
Danny always feels embarrassed.

2. Explain what external conflicts each protagonist faces that complicate his internal
conflict. In other words, how does the character's struggle play out in the external world?
Support your responses with specific references to the text.

a. Monkey King: The Monkey King strikes out at those who, in his opinion, don't
respect him because he is humiliated by who he is. At the dinner, he engages in
combat with both gods and demons. Later, he returns to do battle once again
with each of the gods, from the Dragon King to Tze-Yo-Tzuh. Although caused by
an internal conflict, these fights clearly resemble external issues.

b. Jin Wang: Jin Wang actually suffers from two external conflicts in this part of the
story. First, his relationship with Amelia is constantly causing issues. His inability
to ask her out, and then being able to have a proper date are all obstacles in Jin
Wang’s way. Secondly, Jin Wang has a major conflict with Wei-Chen, as he
kisses his girlfriend. This clearly is an external conflict as it results in physical
harm between the two.

c. Danny: Through the persona of Chin-Kee, Danny's internal image consciousness

is put to the test outwardly. Nothing would make Danny happier than to fit in with
the trendy crowd and to be deemed "cool." However, he is continuously at odds
with Chin-Kee, and he even admits to his buddy Steve that this is the case:
 Danny has already changed schools a number of times as a result of his cousin's
actions. At peak climax, Danny beats up Chin-Kee when he finally breaks out.

3. Identify the foil for each of the three main characters. Then choose one of these foils and
explain how that character brings out the personality traits of the protagonist. Be specific
about those traits and how they are revealed.

a. Chin-Kee, who exudes confidence and doesn't give a damn what people think, is
Danny's foil. Wei-Chen, who has confidence and loyalty, is Jin Wang's foil. The
bold and brash Monkey King is pitted against the monk Wong Lai-Tsao. In
contrast to the Monkey King, the monk exhibits patience and humility, causing
him to be his foil. The sequence in which Wong Lai-Tsao arrives at the location
where the Monkey King is ensnared beneath the debris shows the disparities
between the two characters the most. The Monkey King reacts angrily and brags
about his kung fu prowess while the monk patiently explains to him that he must
accept his actual nature in order to liberate himself. This contrast is extravagant
and finally shows us the true nature of the selfish Monkey King. Going further
however, as a foil, Wong Lai-Tsao actually develops the Monkey King’s
personality for the better. Removing himself from the rocks was the first step
towards this. When we see the Monkey King with Jin Wang at the end, a
complete transformation is clear.

4. Choose one of the protagonists and explain how he advances the plot of his particular
narrative. How does the combination of his internal and external conflicts move the story
along? Who is the antagonist in the narrative?

a. The Monkey King engages in numerous exterior disputes as a result of his

interior personality qualities of rage and boastfulness. The Monkey King attempts
to beat Tze-Yo-Tzuh despite the fact that Tze-Yo-Tzuh is unquestionably much
more powerful after confronting the gods who disallowed him from their group.
The Monkey King's attempts to beat him also show how arrogant he is and that
he won't concede defeat. His main antagonist outside of himself is Tze-Yo-Tzuh,
who tests him by encasing him in a wall of rocks. As a result, the monkey is
compelled to become his actual form in order to flee, opening the door for Wong
Lai-rescue Tsao's and the trip to the West. Although Tze-Yo-Tzuh is not a villain,
he truly is the antagonist of the story. He helps move the story along by opposing
the beliefs and actions of the Monkey King.

5. Briefly summarize the character arcs of the three protagonists and the lesson each
character learns.

a. Monkey King: At the beginning of his character arc, the Monkey King dislikes
being a monkey and believes that others treat him disrespectfully. This was
heavily influenced by the inciting incident of the dinner party. He trains and
 makes many modifications to become bigger and stronger through the
techniques of kung-fu. He sets out to confront the gods and successfully does,
however he is eventually defeated by Tze-Yo-Tzuh, the chief god. The Monkey
King, despite being imprisoned beneath a mountain of rubble created by
Tze-Yo-Tzuh, still doesn't learn his lesson until Wong Lai-Tsao teaches him the
importance of being true to yourself. The Monkey King gains the ability to accept
himself as is. Doing so he is able to assist other characters, including Jin Wang.
The true transformation can really be seen when comparing the Monkey King at
the end of the book with Jin Wang to his character at the beginning of the plot.

b. Jin Wang: At his new school, Jin Wang initially had trouble adjusting and feeling
confident in himself. Additionally, he was unable to defend his own interests or
understand the importance of his friends, notably Wei-Chen. Jin Wang
continuously struggles to fit in with the society of his school, but he eventually
gains enough self-assurance to ask a girl out. However, once Greg warns him to
stay away, Jin Wang experiences even more issues with self-worth; he rejects his
one real friend and alters his entire appearance to blend in. When he fights
Chin-Kee, who reveals to be the Monkey King, he finally confronts his "Asian"
identity. The conflict is finally settled when the Monkey King teaches Jin Wang
the importance of his actual form. He soon sees Wei-Chen again and makes up
with him quickly. Jin Wang’s realization of true friendship was the ultimate
transformation in his character arc.

c. Danny: Danny feels guilty about his ancestry. As a result, he makes an effort to
keep Chin-Kee, his humiliating Chinese cousin, at a distance. Danny strives to
put Chin-Kee behind him and even apologizes to Melanie for his relative's
actions. With a vast amount of rising action, Chin-Kee is ultimately confronted by
Danny, who drags him outside for a fight. Quickly, Danny realizes he can't hide
who he is when Chin-Kee transforms into the Monkey King. He discovers that he
shouldn’t change just because of societal factors. Danny's transformation back
into Jin Wang demonstrates this growing self-acceptance. To end the character
arc and ultimate emotional change, Jin Wang (originally Danny), makes up with
Wei-Chen.

6. How do the three character arcs contribute to the same theme?

a. Although in completely unique circumstances, the three characters all struggle

with and discover the importance of identity. It's not surprising that the
protagonists in each narrative arc learn a similar lesson at the end of the arcs
because all the story lines come together towards the graphic novel's conclusion.
Danny, Jin Wang, and the Monkey King all discover that they can all become
better individuals and use their talents to benefit others if they embrace
themselves for who they really are. As a result, the arcs cooperate to create a
common theme.