Point of View

The story of Dennis Ouyang in "Level Up," is written in the limited third-person and omniscient point of view. The author, Gene Luen Yang, is an Asian-American. By having personal knowledge of the Asian culture, Yang is able to depict the impact that the rather stringent and traditional culture can have on its youth, especially for those living in America who see the sharp difference in their lifestyle compared to that of most of their peers. In that sense, there may be an autobiographical element to the story of Dennis.

By portraying the Asian parents as strict and no-nonsense in their demeanor who felt that they must "eat bitterness" in order to be ready for life, the figure of Dennis is a sympathetic one. Dennis struggles between pleasing his mother and father and fitting in with his peers. Eight-year-old Dennis visits at an arcade with no...