Now that Halloween is behind me, I am back to assisting a university student with his thesis on Chang Apana/Charlie Chan.
While working with this student, we have visited a number of Chan-related sites in Honolulu. Also, I have pointed out the factual errors regarding Apana and Hawaii in Yunte Huang's new book. [Shame on you, Mr. Huang for your lack of attention to the history of Hawaii.]
A new question has presented itself. Is Chang Apana / Charlie Chan the first non-Caucasian hero related to literature and film? Please remember that we're talking 1925-1926. Besides American cowboys, what heros came before Charlie Chan? Is the African-American slave in "Uncle Tom's Cabin" (1852) considered a hero?
If you know the answer, please let me hear from you. Thank you for your assistance.
I can't remember their names, but would any Native American heroes in the works of James Fenimore Cooper qualify? It has been decades since I read any Cooper, but I was thinking that there were a few portrayed as heroes.
