What does the book The American born Chinese reveal about the American religious experience - Essay Example

We can see that being an Asian and of Chinese origin, Jin Wang has difficulty is exposing his religious idea and practices in America. He cannot communicate and interact with the Westerners and feel alienated in the community. He is from Chinese background but hesitate to mingle with Asian people. Here, the author is trying to show the world the difference between Asian and American religious perception. From this book it can be understood that American religious experience is less deep and direct than Eastern religious concepts. (Thesis) In America people are more materialistic and they see life as something for pleasure.

If we look at the cultural and religious value of Jin Wang, he finds it hard to express it to his peers as he finds it embarrassing. Obviously, the religious beliefs of American people are less prominent than Chinese or Asian people. We can see that most, the American do is visit church and pray. They don’t have beliefs and mythology like Asians or Chinese. The author has made a comic of the story by introducing the Monkey King of Asian mythology to entice the readers. This is the overly and superstitious representation of Asian religious beliefs which is alien to American ideologies.

Here, we can see that American religion does not feature gods like Chinese religion and other Asian religion. Asian religion is more based on legends and mythological stories whereas American live on religious laws which are practical. The protagonist of the story is from a conservative Chinese background and cannot assimilate with the American people. But it is to be understood that he find Americans less religious and pious which he cannot accept. The American have their way of life and as Chinese Jin Wang find them having a more direct religious values.

We can see that American and Chinese people have their typical culture and religion and Jing Wang liking a girl in school who is Christian feels hesitant to ask her out because of their religious and ethical disparity. Here we can see the struggle and problems a Chinese person undergo being in American land where his religion is looked up on with strange sense. The book reveals the American religious experience is shallow and is they endorse the idea of money, materialistic things and other earthly relationships as representing “Gods” when they present things before God.

For Americans, the religious concepts of Asians have been a thing of dismissal. If they cannot understand the ideologies and scientific reasoning behind them, it does not make our values less important. We can find that many Americans are atheist and this is less common practice in Asia. The book portrays the American religious experience to be passive and not lively like that of Asians. As per ( Koebler,2013) “Though 20 percent of Americans declared "no religious preference," just 3 percent of respondents said they were "atheists.". The Americans live a life of leisure and God comes only rarely in to picture.

The hero of the story cannot resemble with American life and is in a dilemma. In the interaction of Chinese with American communities one can see lot of prejudice and racism. The book reveals the American religious experience can be relevant to Buddhist world. For them there is only one God and Monkey King is absurdity. The social identities of people are different all around world and every culture has its identity and value. We as an immigrant must try to integrate with American postmodern culture.

Even the accent of Chinese people differs largely from American people as they have influence of Chinese language in them but it is not less valuable than English. American religious as revealed by the book portrays that Christianity is meaningful and other religion are