Interior Chinatown

by

Charles Yu

Sarah Green Character Analysis

Sarah Green is a white detective and a star of Black and White. She’s a confident and skillful detective, though her physical attractiveness often overshadows these qualities in the eyes of her colleagues and viewers of Black and White. She’s more culturally sensitive than Turner in their on-screen interactions with Asian characters on Black and White and condemns some of Turner’s racist remarks, though she, too, struggles to see through the racial stereotypes that mainstream society has forced on these characters. Green acts as a mediator when Turner butts heads with Willis. During Willis’s trial, Green takes the stand to testify that Willis, in his claims of being “invisible” to society, ignores the many ways that society discriminates against women of all backgrounds.

Sarah Green Quotes in Interior Chinatown

The Interior Chinatown quotes below are all either spoken by Sarah Green or refer to Sarah Green. 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:
Immigration Theme Icon
).
Act 1: Generic Asian Man Quotes

Black and White always look good. A lot of it has to do with the light. They’re the heroes. They get hero lighting, designed to hit their faces just right. Designed to hit White’s face just right, anyway.

Related Characters: Willis Wu (speaker), Miles Turner, Sarah Green
Page Number: 25
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 2: Int. Golden Palace Quotes

GREEN (turns to you) You speak English well.

GENERIC ASIAN MAN Thank you.

TURNER Really well. It’s almost like you don’t have an accent.

Shit. Right. You forgot to do the accent.

Related Characters: Willis Wu (speaker), Miles Turner (speaker), Sarah Green (speaker)
Related Symbols: Chinatown
Page Number: 92
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 3: Ethnic Recurring Quotes

“I’m working with them now. This could be good.”

“Happy for you,” he says. He looks skeptical. Worried.

Related Characters: Willis Wu (speaker), Sifu/Ming-Chen Wu/Old Asian Man (speaker), Miles Turner, Sarah Green
Related Symbols: Chinatown , Kung Fu Guy
Page Number: 108
Explanation and Analysis:

No. But you’re going along with it. Look where we are. Look what you made yourself into. Working your way up the system doesn’t mean you beat the system. It strengthens it. It’s what the system depends on.

Related Characters: Miles Turner (speaker), Sarah Green (speaker), Willis Wu
Page Number: 113
Explanation and Analysis:

Are you doing the right thing? Something about this feels wrong.

But this is Black and White. They let you have a part. You can’t stop now.

You look at your dad. He shifts his eyes away, and you know in that moment that he is disappointed. But he won’t ever say it. You’ll never talk about it again. He’s gone, slipped back into Old Asian Man. He’s not going to make the choice for you. It’s your role to play.

Related Characters: Willis Wu (speaker), Sifu/Ming-Chen Wu/Old Asian Man (speaker), Miles Turner, Sarah Green
Related Symbols: Chinatown
Page Number: 118
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 5: Kung Fu Dad Quotes

KAREN You wanted them to find you.

KUNG FU DAD I wanted them to find us.

Related Characters: Willis Wu (speaker), Karen Lee (speaker), Phoebe , Miles Turner, Sarah Green
Related Symbols: Kung Fu Guy , Chinatown
Page Number: 227
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 6: The Case of the Missing Asian Quotes

But at the same time, I’m guilty, too. Guilty of playing this role. Letting it define me. Internalizing the role so completely that I’ve lost track of where reality starts and the performance begins. And letting that define how I see other people. I’m as guilty of it as anyone. Fetishizing Black people and their coolness. Romanticizing White women. Wishing I were a White man. Putting myself into this category.

Related Characters: Willis Wu (speaker), Miles Turner, Sarah Green
Related Symbols: Kung Fu Guy
Page Number: 259
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Interior Chinatown LitChart as a printable PDF.
Interior Chinatown PDF

Sarah Green Quotes in Interior Chinatown

The Interior Chinatown quotes below are all either spoken by Sarah Green or refer to Sarah Green. 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:
Immigration Theme Icon
).
Act 1: Generic Asian Man Quotes

Black and White always look good. A lot of it has to do with the light. They’re the heroes. They get hero lighting, designed to hit their faces just right. Designed to hit White’s face just right, anyway.

Related Characters: Willis Wu (speaker), Miles Turner, Sarah Green
Page Number: 25
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 2: Int. Golden Palace Quotes

GREEN (turns to you) You speak English well.

GENERIC ASIAN MAN Thank you.

TURNER Really well. It’s almost like you don’t have an accent.

Shit. Right. You forgot to do the accent.

Related Characters: Willis Wu (speaker), Miles Turner (speaker), Sarah Green (speaker)
Related Symbols: Chinatown
Page Number: 92
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 3: Ethnic Recurring Quotes

“I’m working with them now. This could be good.”

“Happy for you,” he says. He looks skeptical. Worried.

Related Characters: Willis Wu (speaker), Sifu/Ming-Chen Wu/Old Asian Man (speaker), Miles Turner, Sarah Green
Related Symbols: Chinatown , Kung Fu Guy
Page Number: 108
Explanation and Analysis:

No. But you’re going along with it. Look where we are. Look what you made yourself into. Working your way up the system doesn’t mean you beat the system. It strengthens it. It’s what the system depends on.

Related Characters: Miles Turner (speaker), Sarah Green (speaker), Willis Wu
Page Number: 113
Explanation and Analysis:

Are you doing the right thing? Something about this feels wrong.

But this is Black and White. They let you have a part. You can’t stop now.

You look at your dad. He shifts his eyes away, and you know in that moment that he is disappointed. But he won’t ever say it. You’ll never talk about it again. He’s gone, slipped back into Old Asian Man. He’s not going to make the choice for you. It’s your role to play.

Related Characters: Willis Wu (speaker), Sifu/Ming-Chen Wu/Old Asian Man (speaker), Miles Turner, Sarah Green
Related Symbols: Chinatown
Page Number: 118
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 5: Kung Fu Dad Quotes

KAREN You wanted them to find you.

KUNG FU DAD I wanted them to find us.

Related Characters: Willis Wu (speaker), Karen Lee (speaker), Phoebe , Miles Turner, Sarah Green
Related Symbols: Kung Fu Guy , Chinatown
Page Number: 227
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 6: The Case of the Missing Asian Quotes

But at the same time, I’m guilty, too. Guilty of playing this role. Letting it define me. Internalizing the role so completely that I’ve lost track of where reality starts and the performance begins. And letting that define how I see other people. I’m as guilty of it as anyone. Fetishizing Black people and their coolness. Romanticizing White women. Wishing I were a White man. Putting myself into this category.

Related Characters: Willis Wu (speaker), Miles Turner, Sarah Green
Related Symbols: Kung Fu Guy
Page Number: 259
Explanation and Analysis: