Bog # 9

From pages 300-325 the reader starts to see a different side of Hessler. Throughout the book Hessler is more of an observer rather than someone who presents their opinions. However, on Page 318 Hessler describes his frustration when a shoe shiner starts bothering him, he states, “There were two things in particular that could anger me quickly in Fuling. One was any sort of physical violation… The other was when people treated me like an animal, grunting or gesturing bluntly because they assumed that the waiguiren was very slow and couldn’t speak Chinese (318).” This passage reveals Hessler’s anger during his time in Fuling. This is one of the first times we see Hessler describe his anger and frustration with being treated like an animal because he looks different than the locals. Throughout the book Hessler shows patience with the people in Fuling who have different views than he does. However, when the shoe shiner started physically violating Hessler he stood up for himself which shows that he isn’t afraid to fight for his right of privacy and respect.  The identity of the shoeshine man is shown through this quote by him stereotyping Hessler to be an uneducated American. This man’s identity tells me that he is closed-minded and is very judgmental to people he doesn’t know personally.