logo

50 pages 1 hour read

Laurence Yep

Dragonwings

Laurence YepFiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1975

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Themes

Forming a Bicultural Identity

Moon Shadow’s coming-of-age journey, also commonly known as a bildungsroman, illuminates the Chinese American experience. As a seven-year-old boy, Moon Shadow Lee must follow his father to America and face the reality that discriminatory immigration policies and anti-immigration laws will keep his family separated for many years to come. His family is a poor, working-class family, and his father struggles to simultaneously make a living in America and provide for his wife back in China. Moon Shadow is fearful of moving to a foreign land, but he is determined to follow his father and to be a dutiful son.

His journey in Forming a Bicultural Identity is a gradual transformation fraught with many conflicts. For Moon Shadow, life in America is defined by the racial discrimination against Chinese people. As a young child, he must endure the intimidating experience of traveling to the United States as a Chinese immigrant. Remembering his time on the ship, Moon Shadow states, “I was young and I was homesick and I was frightened – especially of all the sailors, for […] I thought that they were tiger demons” (10). Through Moon Shadow’s memories, Yep describes the degrading process of inspection upon the immigrants’ entrance to San Francisco.

blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
Unlock IconUnlock all 50 pages of this Study Guide

Plus, gain access to 8,450+ more expert-written Study Guides.

Including features:

+ Mobile App
+ Printable PDF
+ Literary AI Tools