Bamboo People

Becoming independent and finding role models and father figures is a key aspect of the characters’ growth in Bamboo People—particularly the two protagonists, Chiko and Tu Reh, as well as their friends Tai and Sa Reh. All four boys have lost or are missing at least one parent—most commonly their fathers—during the novel’s progression, and the presence, or lack, of role models shapes their character development. The novel shows how sometimes, as the saying goes, “It takes a village” to overcome obstacles like an absent father.

Chiko is 15 at the start of the novel. Because of his father’s arrest and imprisonment, he’s forced to become the “man” of his household; he searches for a teaching job to support his family despite lacking a formal degree. His father educated him to resist the Burmese government’s propaganda regarding other ethnic groups like the Karenni, and his open-minded bookishness (thanks to his father’s advice to “[r]ead widely”) blocks him from the unhealthy “father/son” favoritism that the captain bestows on his loyal followers.

Although Chiko allies with Sergeant U-Tha-Din, most of his solutions come from his own mind and are indirectly rather than directly influenced by role models like Tai and Daw Widow, who teach him that street smarts and resourcefulness are just as important as book learning. Chiko is forced to make adult decisions too early because of his unstable environment and military conscription, and he must use his wits to solve his own problems. His logical thinking allows him to sneak letters home to support Tai’s sister (pushed by Tai’s resourcefulness and determination to escape) and to use his secretarial position to search for news of Father (inspired by Daw Widow’s intelligence network). However, Chiko’s emotional and empathic growth is less developed: Although he cares about Tai, Chiko hesitates to openly support him and defy Captain Evil. Chiko gives up his own opportunity to return to Yangon only when Tai’s life is threatened by the captain’s jungle mission.

However, Chiko initially has no guidance for losing his leg. Traumatized and alone in the Karenni refugee camp, Chiko has no precedent for this situation, and pain, illness, medication, and psychological and emotional distress affect his logical processing. In addition, he endures the camp’s distrust and hatred of him and what he represents. However, the camp teacher—a disabled, skilled, and successful educator—shows Chiko that prosthetics don’t preclude his dream of teaching. This gives Chiko much-needed hope and support. Likewise, Ree Meh and Nya Meh’s grandfather reassures Chiko that his loved ones won’t reject him because of an amputation and that life is more important than limbs. Although Chiko comes of age without his father, he has a vast and diverse support network.

Tu Reh undergoes a similar journey. His father, Peh, is alive, well, and present in Tu Reh’s life—and is an influential figure and role model—but becomes separated from Tu Reh during the jungle mission. Tu Reh depends on his father’s guidance but is forced to make independent decisions about whether or not to save—and defend—Chiko. Peh encourages Tu Reh to save Chiko but tells him, “A Karenni man must decide for himself” (149). Angry and traumatized by the Burmese military, Tu Reh wants revenge for his hurt but is ultimately swayed by empathy because of Chiko’s youth and similarities to Tu Reh’s younger sister.

This moral dilemma resurfaces repeatedly during Tu Reh’s journey back to camp and afterward, given the volatile and complicated relations between the Karenni people and the Burmese military. The consequences of Tu Reh’s choices escalate until he’s derided and isolated in the camp and loses his best friend, Sa Reh. Despite this and his initial distrust and reluctance, Tu Reh continually chooses empathy and befriends Chiko. This choice is influenced in part by Peh but more directly by other mentor figures, like Ree Meh and Nya Meh, their grandfather, and Auntie Doctor. The grandfather constantly preaches peace and empathy—often through Bible quotes—while Auntie Doctor speaks from experience: They’re just “[b]oys in pain” (218). Likewise, Ree Meh has cause to hate the Burmese but follows her sister’s lead in caring for others regardless of identity; Nya Meh, despite physical, emotional, and psychological trauma, takes her healer’s job seriously: Like Auntie Doctor, she cares for everyone equally, regardless of identity or politics. She learned healing from a Burmese doctor, solidifying the idea that a role model can be literally anyone. Although Peh has lessons he wants Tu Reh to learn, Tu Reh must—and does—learn them himself, maturing into a Karenni man his father would approve of.

To a lesser extent, Tai and Sa Reh exhibit growth similar and/or antagonistic to that of the protagonists. Tai and his sister are street orphans who grew up without parents and only each other to support and be supported by. Like Chiko, Tai became the “man” of his household at an early age and is similarly resourceful. Tai’s empathy is narrow: While he sees through Captain Evil’s propaganda about ethnic groups like the Karenni, Tai is less open about defending them—his empathy is reserved only for his loved ones, like Chiko and his sister. Tai will do anything for his family but remains neutral or dismissive of everyone else. He’s single-mindedly focused on one goal at a time—such as finding his sister—to the point that he refuses to consider less direct strategies, even if they’re more effective in the long run. In this, Chiko becomes a role model to him, teaching him to read and write—and showing Tai the power and privilege that literacy can provide. While Tai initially resists the lessons in favor of escaping, they eventually become his salvation: They distract him from worrying about his sister and qualify him for the Yangon clerical position. Although literacy was a longer, more roundabout method to escape persecution, it proved more effective than his initial strategy of hiding in a truck.

As a foil for Tu Reh, Sa Reh reveals the dangers of being too reliant on one role model. Sa Reh has a close bond with his father, Bu Reh, especially after the loss of his mother. However, Bu Reh’s hatred of the Burmese rots Sa Reh’s empathy and nurtures his loathing and anger—so much so that he thinks the worst of Chiko even when Chiko is at his most vulnerable. Sa Reh’s loyalty to his father leads him to disrespect Ree Meh and Nya Meh’s grandfather and triggers Nya Meh post-traumatic stress in Nya Meh from captivity. Not until her breakdown does Sa Reh begin to consider the consequences of his actions and the importance of listening to more than one role model in order to mature. While he experiences little character growth in the novel, he has a clear capacity for change, showing that life always provides the opportunity to develop. In this way, the author uses several characters to explore the importance of role models in adolescent growth and the influence of father figures, both present and absent.