Older Brother isn’t Willis’s “actual older brother”—he’s “Everyone’s Older Brother,” a stereotypical golden child and role model to all. He was briefly Kung Fu Guy, a role he was born to play, though he never really related to that identity. Even so, young Willis wanted to be Older Brother when he grew up. Older Brother disappears under mysterious circumstances sometime before the novel begins, apparently having buckled under the pressure of being a model minority and having to live up to the high expectations of his parents and his community. Older Brother reappears toward the end of the novel to represent Willis in court, and it’s at this point that Willis learns that Older Brother left Chinatown to attend law school. Older Brother defends Willis in court against charges of having “disappeared” (a seeming metaphor for Willis’s sudden departure from the show Black and White). When Willis is found guilty, Older Brother claims that the system is rigged against them, and he and Willis resort to “Plan B,” which involves using kung fu to “kick [their] way out of” the courtroom.
Older Brother Quotes in Interior Chinatown
The Interior Chinatown quotes below are all either spoken by Older Brother or refer to Older Brother . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Act 1: Generic Asian Man
Quotes
Even for our hero, there were limits to the dream of assimilation, to how far any of you could make your way into the world of Black and White.
Related Characters:
Willis Wu (speaker), Older Brother
Related Symbols:
Kung Fu Guy , Chinatown
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Interior Chinatown LitChart as a printable PDF.
Older Brother Character Timeline in Interior Chinatown
The timeline below shows where the character Older Brother appears in Interior Chinatown. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Act 1: Generic Asian Man
OLDER BROTHER. Older Brother got the most out of Sifu’s teachings and so should’ve been in the best position...
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Older Brother is like Bruce Lee, but not exactly For one, Bruce Lee is too “real” to...
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BEGIN OLDER BROTHER AWESOMENESS MONTAGE: Older Brother ’s hair is always perfect. He’s also the rare Asian guy that has slightly wavy...
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Everyone has a story about Older Brother . One person recalls seeing him doing chin-ups on the cross bar of a traffic...
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For a while, everything was happening like it was supposed to for Older Brother . But then one day, it all stopped: he wasn’t Kung Fu Guy anymore. It...
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Act 3: Ethnic Recurring
...Turner flirt some more. Willis (as Special Guest Star) interrupts their banter to announce that Older Brother is missing, which gets their attention. Special Guest Star explains that everyone knew and adored...
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...losing his job. So instead, he says that he was just telling his dad that Older Brother is missing.
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...big and muscular, but Willis has been working on his Kung Fu. Willis wonders if Older Brother would fight Turner. But before he can decide what to do, Green moves in and...
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...than normal, almost like she’s shouting. Turner asks Old Asian Man when he last saw Older Brother . Old Asian Man says it’s been months—they had an argument about money after Old...
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...Guest Star) is working for them. Special Guest Star, nervous, explains to Mini Boss that Older Brother is missing; Mini Boss knows. Green relays the story about Older Brother getting into a...
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Young Fong (as Mini Boss) continues, explaining that Older Brother had a plan, but money wasn’t a part of it. Green threatens to arrest Mini...
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Act 6: The Case of the Missing Asian
...Willis, the defendant, looks up as his lawyer enters the courtroom: to his surprise, it’s Older Brother . Older Brother asks after Sifu and laments how he had so many roles but...
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...of the Missing Asian.” Before the prosecution can call their first witness to the stand, Older Brother stands and “object[s]” to the whole trial, arguing that it’s “rigged against [his] client.” The...
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Sarah Green takes the stand. Older Brother observes that there’s way too much sexual tension in the courtroom (Green and the prosecution...
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...is for the world to treat him like a White person—but like “a White man.” Older Brother counters that what Willis wants is to be treated like a “real American.” He notes...
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The prosecution objects and asks, “Who cares?” Older Brother asks the judge why Willis is the one on trial—after all, this is “the Case...
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Older Brother calls Mr. Willis Wu to the stand. Then he asks Willis if he does have...
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Willis asks with disbelief whose side Older Brother is on. Older Brother continues, explaining that Willis “can’t be viewed through either lens”—in short,...
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Older Brother condemns Murray’s conclusion that the designation “Blacks and Indians” includes Chinese people too, which relies...
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Older Brother continues. He explains that Asian people created Chinatown to have their own space in a...
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Older Brother argues that Willis is part of this system and is therefore both a “victim and...
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As the jury exits the courtroom, Green and Turner approach Older Brother and compliment his performance, suggesting he come to work for the DA; Older Brother declines...
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Not much time has passed before everyone returns to the courtroom. Older Brother isn’t sure whether this is a good sign or a bad sign. The forewoman reads...
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...This gets Asian people angry, and the courtroom is suddenly abuzz. The judge demands order. Older Brother asks if it’s time for Plan B, and Willis agrees.
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Music starts, and police burst through the doors of the courtroom. Old Brother and Willis assume their positions. The Generic Asian Men in the audience stand and jump...
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