Disability and Superability: The Spectacle of Extra/Ordinary Bodies in Maxine Hong Kingston’s Tripmaster Monkey: His Fake Book

Abstract

Abstract This essay explores how Maxine Hong Kingston’s Tripmaster Monkey (1989) showcases and anticipates cultural imaginaries surrounding Asian bodies as repositories for fantasy and affect. From the fragmented body of the suicidal protagonist to the spectacle of the Siamese conjoined twins, Kingston stages diverse bodily tropes that reflect racist, sexist, and ableist perceptions throughout history. The protagonist Wittman Ah Sing, embodied as a postmodern “Monkey King,” represents a neoliberal subjectivity marked by adaptive resilience. In contrast, the Siamese twins enact intersubjective connections, catalyzing the protagonist’s communal theater production. The play’s communal vision challenges the ideological norms of the “Normate” and resists complicity with global capitalism. Ultimately, the acknowledgment of shared struggles amidst radical divisions and recognition of our participation in ideological fantasies fosters collective solidarity and a radical critique of the capitalist system.