Broadly speaking, Transformer toys symbolize identity, and particularly how fluid one’s identity can be. This can be both a positive and negative thing. When young Jin first tells the herbalist’s wife that he’d like to grow up to be a Transformer, she points out that this isn’t impossible—he just has to be willing to forfeit his soul to do so. In this context, especially when Jin transforms into the white persona of Danny a few years later, the Transformer represents a person’s ability to completely reject who they truly are in favor of being someone else. Meanwhile, the Monkey King gives his son, Wei-Chen, a Transformer to remind him of who and what he is inside (a monkey), even as he must look the part of a human on the outside while on his earthly mission. For Wei-Chen, the Transformer is a symbol of his true nature, while for Jin, the Transformer speaks to his desire to be anyone but who he really is.
Transformers Quotes in American Born Chinese
“Yeah, but Ma-Ma says that’s silly. Little boys don’t grow up to be Transformers.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure about that. I’m going to let you in on a secret, little friend: it’s easy to become anything you wish...
...so long as you’re willing to forfeit your soul.”
I replayed the day’s events over and over again in my mind. Each time I reached the same conclusion: Wei-Chen needed to hear what I had to say. It was, after all, the truth. And at around three in the morning, I finally believed myself.
I dreamt of the herbalist’s wife.
“So, little friend. You’ve done it. Now what would you like to become?”
“Take this with you. It’s a human child’s toy that transforms from monkey to humanoid form. Let it remind you of who you are.”
Transformers Symbol Timeline in American Born Chinese
