Waiting by Ha Jin

I just finished reading Waiting by Ha Jin, and I can concur with the many glowing reviews I've read; it's wonderful. That said, I have an unshakable bias against certain characters one comes across--in literature and in life. I'm talking about the Newland Archers of the world, the Stevens's, the Lin Kong's. Those who give in to their "fate," choosing the conventional or expected road rather than risking everything for the thing they think they really want. It's not their "choice" (or "compliance") that disturbs me; it's their inability to bootstrap themselves and say, "Oh, well, this is the hand I've been dealt. I've made my choice. I'm going to find a way, despite it all, to be happy." Is this a peculiarly American attitude? Pollyanna-ish? I don't know. I think I just hate all the whining.