Going Bananas: Comparison Between Drew Hayden Taylor And Wayson Choy

“You are black, what are you doing here?” said the younger student in an elementary school in Québec. Being born in the multicultural island of Mauritius, I always believed that I was Indo-Mauritian, due to similar religious practices, despite being dark-skinned. Moreover, due to this unfortunate encounter, I felt like an outsider this caused me to question my identity and the continuing racism in society. In Drew Hayden Taylor’s “Pretty Like a White Boy” and Wayson Choy’s “I’m a Banana and Proud of It”, both authors use distinct respective terms — “Special Occasion” and “Banana” to represent their cultural identities and issues. For instance, Taylor derives his term from his struggle of being half-Ojibway and half Caucasian while Choy’s term deals with far larger issues such as multiculturalism and racism of Chinese people. Therefore, “Banana” is a more effective term than “Special Occasion” due to its serious connotations such as intergenerational tension between Chinese and North American culture, which includes racism, alienation, and assimilation of Chinese people into American culture. On the other hand, “Special Occasion” only has one main specific scope which deals with Taylor’s identity crisis.

Ironically, one of the major weaknesses in “Special occasion” is Taylor’s misidentification. As an illustration, he argues that, despite the “aforementioned blue eyes and fair skin … there lies the heart and spirit of an Ojibway storyteller”. However, in “Special Occasion” he essentially hides his Ojibway heritage and instead, embraces his whiteness, portrayed through Italian food and insignificant things such as a white woman’s “breast implants”. Surprisingly, Taylor ignores his Ojibway heritage which entails far more important aspects such as “respect for elders and love of the land” and thought-provoking perspectives on life such as the cycle of existence. However, one can argue that “Special Occasion” is the better term because it has no color connotations, but this only proves that he refuses to address the issues of racism by choosing to ignore it. In other words, Taylor’s decision to identify himself as a “Special Occasion” is solely based on his issues whereas Choy’s term “Banana” discusses universal struggles and more concerning issues such as racism against Chinese people.

“Banana” is a relatively simple term Choy used to represent both his Chinese and North American identity, unlike Taylor’s “Special Occasion” which mainly focused on his white heritage. In addition, it also portrayed issues with a wide scope such as intergenerational tension between Chinese and North American culture. To illustrate, he discussed the racism against Chinese people which was implemented in various laws such as “the Chinese Exclusion laws in which no Chinese immigrants were granted citizenship in either Canada or the United States”, signifying the alienation and discrimination against Chinese immigrants. Even though his Chinese heritage was tainted due to racism, discrimination and alienation, Choy still accepted and embraced his heritage. On the other hand, Taylor ignored his Ojibway heritage which was at his core despite the influence of whiteness. Cultural assimilation into North American lifestyle was a way for the Chinese to start over and build a better life for themselves and the next generation. In fact, “Banana” described “the generations of Chinese people who assimilated so well into North American life” that they even started losing their traditions. However, their looks was a way to remind them of their true ancestry despite the vast North American influence in the media, movies, and in their music. Despite Choy’s struggles from being trapped in the middle of the two cultures, he does not ignore his heritage, unlike Taylor. Instead, he accepts “the paradox of being both Chinese and not Chinese”, as he has the physical traits of a Chinese individual, yet his culture was influenced by North America. Moreover, Choy discovered that the challenges he was confronted within his paradox were “universal”, as many individuals are also faced with the notion of not belonging in a society because of their individual differences. Furthermore, he argues that despite the differences, everyone wants “the same security and happiness”, which ironically, brings us together.

To conclude, “Special Occasion” pales in comparison to “Banana” as it only has a specific scope which solely focuses on Taylor’s personal identity crisis and insignificant white heritage compared to his Ojibway side. On the other hand, the superior term “Banana” is universal and discusses the rising tensions between Chinese and North American culture, which includes racism, alienation, and assimilation. Moreover, knowing that the struggles I once encountered in my childhood were universal, makes me optimistic as many individuals, like me, have persevered through these challenges.