The Monkey King struggles with respect: respect from others, respect for others, and respect
for himself. Because he so desperately wants others to recognize and accept him, he finds himself
embarrassed often. He wants to do well and he desires validation, and when he falls short, he feels
ashamed. On page 15, when he gets denied from the dinner party, this embarrassment becomes
apparent. At first, we don’t see the guard; instead, we only see his strong grip on the Monkey King’s
arm. We see the Monkey King’s furrowed brow and his indignation: “I demand to be let into this
dinner party” (15). However, this declaration is followed by a laugh track, a cloud of “ha ha ha ha,”
chortled by everyone else in a chaotic chorus. Yang creates this effect by surrounding a host of
dinner party guests with the “ha ha ha” words. The other guests – nameless, anonymous – have
various expressions of glee. There is pointing, there is delight, there is embarrassment on behalf of
the Monkey King. And then the Monkey King sits in the foreground, with only half of his features
evident. His shame is so deep that not even his whole face is given; he is only half of a monkey, half
of a creature. He has been lessened by others and their esteem for him. He is embarrassed. This
makes me think of the time when I participated in a basketball half time show and completely biffed it
in front of hundreds of people.