Text: Dark Blue Suit
- Collection of short stories, Short Story Cycle.
- All interconnected through locations, family, characters, POV character.
- The idea of being other in a world where everything has been defined as black and white.
Problem with that is where does one fall in the margins when they are grey? - The boxing documentary we watched was fantastic, the knowledge and insight that was given in that film were integral to placing yourself into the historical setting of the book. Being given that knowledge while in the reading process really helped in my connecting of dots in the stories.
- Right off the bat the book connects to Hsu’s Asian American History: A Short Introduction, the lives of the characters although fictional are grounded in reality. the situations of the characters and the trajectories of their lives are all too real in regards to Filipino history in America.
- Each individual story in Dark Blue Suit serves as it’s own separated coming of age tale. in each story the main character, Buddy comes of age in one way or another. He is not the only one though, the Father comes of age, Leo comes of age, Vince, Kilkoy, the sister Sonia, Steph. The characters come of age but so does the setting. The country as a whole is going though change in this book, 1968, year of the Hue offensive. Vietnam just ramped up, JFK had been assassinated, MLK had been assassinated, Violence had been streaking it’s way across the country.
- “Remember to forget”. Theme of remembering to forget present in all of the stories that have been read this quarter. (Forgotten Country, they forget the sister) (Chris, Sonia, Kitty and Rico)
- Immediate connection between this text and The Debut in that the Father had to abandon what they were good at, their passion in order to attempt to provide for the family they created. Sacrificing for your children.
- Family’s treatment of Sonia so different compared to how they treat everyone else that is family, despite those family not even having blood. Blood obviously means something but these family dynamics involved forces outside the family, Sonia should have been welcomed in.
- Scars from war. (Forgotten Country: Korean War)(Donald Duk: Vietnam)(Dark Blue Suit: Vietnam War) (When the Emperor was Divine: WWII) (Dark Blue Suit: Vietnam War)
- The scene when he meets Rico after the war stood out. All these white liberals judging him for something he was forced to do. Really contrasts with the hero worship of soldiers you see today.
?Vietnam-People want out, gov wants in. Soldiers receive hate?
?Middle East-People want, Gov wants in. Soldiers receive love?
Same thing different responses - Going back present, some leave physically but never leave mentally, some leave and come back.
- Red scare discussed, use of communism as scapegoat to curb unions.
- The young forgetting what it is the previous generations worked for.
- Connections to my project:
Jazz and Boxing. Right away I noticed the connections that could be drawn between why jazz stands out as to why boxing stands out.
Jazz and Boxing are both art. A live personal showing of skill, emotion, and the personal flare.
Each fighter or artist may learn from, be influenced by, or straight up just copy another in their field. Boxing and jazz both allow for each individual artist/fighter’s own style to develop and come into their own. The style with which a jazz musician or boxer performs is learned from somewhere but subsequently morphed into their own personal distinct styles. The moves with which A boxer interweaves into their routine are personal to themselves, just like the improvisational solos that dominate the wonderfully individualistic world of jazz. Source of pride for people, you bet your ass jazz musicians were sources of pride. - Themes:
Machismo
Sexism
Family
Home
Dreams
Cycles
Sacrifice
Death
Trauma
Memories
Dream
Hope
Coming of Age
Traditions and Customs
Film: The Debut
- The main character Ben, is apprehensive about sharing and embracing his own culture, Much akin to Donald Duk.
- Relationship between father’s, son’s, brother’s, and family explored
- The idea of scoring a white guy as a symbol of status.
Trying to attain whiteness - The white husband lecturing the people on their own culture and telling them about themselves. Reminded me of the teacher in Donald Duk, the one who was telling him Chinese are weak and how Chinese act and whatnot.
- Children as trophies, living vicariously through them. At first the dad wanted Ben to be a doctor and to make money. The father had to give up his art to try and raise him family, the grandfather was putting the same pressures on the father that the father was placing onto Ben.
He was living the exact same kind of cycle, Ben broke it. - Family being expected to be able to provide everything for their kids. No matter what it wasn’t enough in the eyes of the father and grandfather.
- Annabelle, Ben’s sister, provides a link to Ben to connect to his Filipino culture.
The dance providing the avenue through which one connects was very present in Donald Duk, (Ballet of Fred Astaire, Flamenco, Chinese Dragon dance) - Gusto, Ben’s cousin is the same as Ben, just another side of the coin.
- Ben was the “coconut”, he was running from his Filipino side and trying to fit in the white world.
Gusto was running from the white side, he had the white step dad, the dead father, he was fleeing in the opposite direction, he turned towards black culture, hip hop, cornrows, and the bravado. - The one character who was waking up all of the other Filipino kids and Ben’s friends. Enjoyed him talking about the overlooked history of Filipinos in America.
- Dance and rhythm and it’s universal applications and ability to bridge people together. Dance raw, emotional, power, just like jazz and music.
- Ben was so closed off to the Filipino part of his life that he didn’t even know there was a community. All the kids outside having their own part at the party. when Ben was younger Gusto invited him into what Ben thought was a gang. Was just Tagalog for friend group.
- The difference between both parties, Filipino party was welcoming, friendly, full of people happy to see you. High school party full of kids moshing? Didn’t get that. Never went to moshing parties. Concerts, yeah. But never a party where you just mosh. The truth or dare questions, not light-hearted, straight up racist right off the back. White bitch get’s her stereotypes wrong, like is that more offensive? Like if someone stereotypes you from a different ethnic group or what?
- “She didn’t know what she was saying” —Blink 182 band member #2
“Yeah she did” —Ben - The son not knowing about his fathers past (Donald Duk, Dark Blue Suit, Forgotten Country).
the closer he allows himself to get to his culture the more he sees his father as a person and not just a strict un-breaking wall of anger and force. - The Father was in a band in the Philippines, had to give up for Ben. When Ben learns all of this he sees himself in his father and begins to understand his father a bit more.
- The Dad giving up his music to raise a family. He continues to live through Ben even if it isn’t shown, Both Ben and his Dad are artists, his dad had to give it up, quite clear that while performing he is himself, at home, at peace, however you want to call it. By Ben breaking the cycle and following his own dreams instead of what is “best” he is allowing the Dad to live through him as the Dad was never able to even have the option of pursuing his dreams. Ben being able to pursue his own and without the father’s help breaking the cycle. The end scene stood out to me as the father being unable to say it verbally but nonetheless communicating to his son through this unspoken language (Dark Blue Suit). He approved.
- The Father would never stand up for himself against his own father. The moment the father’s little brother was assaulted by the Grandfather, that is when the father sprung into action, not to protect himself but to protect his little brother.
- Short scene between Gusto’s two friends, the other gangster and the FOB
The whole time they were giving Ben shit for being too white, then at the end after several mispronunciations, the one guy yells at the other one for being fresh off the boat and giving Filipino’s a bad name.
Contrast between these two worth looking at.
Ben too white
Cousin too Filipino.
This idea of being other. Present in all texts read throughout quarter. - Ben’s art from before the party is all of white people and white culture. Painting after the party is of his family.
- Machismo heavy theme
- Father child relationships explored heavily in most texts read.