In the American Society

“[A]nd as time went on and the business continued to thrive, my father started to talk about his grandfather, and the village he had reigned over in China—things my father had never talked about when he worked for other people.”

Before Mr. Chang becomes a rich business owner, he does not talk much about his grandfather in China, who was powerful in his area. Once Mr. Chang gets some power by owning the pancake house, he thinks back to his grandfather and wishes to become powerful like he did. He does not understand that American employees do not want to be treated like the citizens in Mr. Chang’s hometown. He will not be able to replicate this patriarchal structure in America, but his desire to do so represents his conflict with society.

“We all laughed: my father had no use for nice clothes, and would wear only ten-year-old shirts, with grease-spotted pants, to show how little he cared what anyone thought.”

The women of the family discuss Mr. Chang’s manner of dress and laugh at the thought of him going to a meal at a country club. Mr. Chang refuses to debase himself at the beginning of the story by conforming to the norms of others. This shows his priorities and foreshadows how his trying to replicate his culture in a new country will fail.

“He demanded a similar sort of loyalty of his workers, whom he treated more like servants than employees. Not in the beginning, of course. In the beginning all he wanted was for them to keep on doing what they used to do, and to that end he concentrated mostly on leaving them alone. As the months passed, though, he expected more and more of them, with the result that for all this largesse, he began to have trouble keeping help. The cooks and busboys complained that he asked them to fix radiators and trim hedges, not only at the restaurant, but at our house; the waitresses that he sent them on errands and made them chauffeur him around. Our head waitress, Gertrude, claimed that he once even asked her to scratch his back.”

These words sum up the business ethos of Mr. Chang. He is willing to give a lot, but he expects a lot, much of which is outside the scope of people’s jobs. This demonstrates a lack of understanding, on his part. He expects people to serve him in whatever way he needs as long as he is willing to take care of them, and he doesn’t understand that tasks like trimming the boss’s hedges and scratching his back are degrading.

“‘I do not think, anyway, that it is against law to hire me, only to be me,’ he said, smiling faintly.”

Booker says these words as he asks Mr. Chang for a job. Booker is correct that at the time, it was not illegal for Mr. Chang to hire him. This highlights the unequal dynamic between native-born Americans and immigrants, wherein an immigrant can be punished for being undocumented but the person who profits from their labor cannot. Booker’s willingness to admit his immigration status also characterizes him as a just person.

“‘Oh, it’s no trouble at all, no trouble at all. I tell you.’ She leaned forward so that her chest freckles showed. ‘I know just how it is. It’s a secret of course, but you know, my natural father was Jewish. Can you see it? Just look at my skin.’”

Mrs. Lardner says this as she agrees to recommend the Chang family to the country club. She announces her own status as the daughter of a Jewish man, showing that they both have ethnic ties that others deem less than worthy. She is able to hide her background, but Mrs. Chang is not. While Mrs. Lardner is trying to build comradery, these words show her inability to really understand the Changs, which ultimately proves harmful to them.

“I looked over at Mona, who was still cowering in the broom closet. ‘In fact, there’s some black family’s been waiting so long, they’re going to sue…’”

Callie says this when Mrs. Chang is worried about being put forward as a candidate for country club membership. It foreshadows what will happen to the Changs, but it also highlights the racist dynamics at the country club and other upper-class American institutions, as other applications by non-white families are postponed or rejected.

“The next week Fernando got caught stealing a carton of minute steaks. My father would not tell even Mona and, me how he knew to be standing by the back door when Fernando was on his way out, but everyone suspected Booker.”

This begins the series of events that eventually leads to Booker and Cedric getting arrested. Booker likely went behind Fernando’s back to turn him in, and Fernando eventually goes behind everyone’s back to turn in Booker and Cedric. It shows the dynamics of the workers at the pancake house, and it is the inciting incident that leads to Mr. Chang’s epiphany about his approach to American culture.

“The next day my father posted bail for ‘his boys’ and waited apprehensively for something to happen. The day after that he waited again, and the day after that he called our neighbor’s law student son, who suggested my father call the immigration department under an alias. My father took his advice; and it was thus that he discovered that Booker was right: it was illegal for aliens to work, but it wasn’t to hire them.”

Mr. Chang referring to the men as “his boys” shows that he takes responsibility for them—they are the closest thing to his sons and subjects in his imagined patriarchy. It also shows, however, that he does not see them as equals. Since they work for him, he believes he has to do what is necessary to protect them. Mr. Chang does not know how to navigate the legal process in America, and he attempts to bribe people.

“‘You know,’ he said finally. ‘In the war my father sent our cook to the soldiers to use. He always said it—the province comes before the town, the town comes before the family.’”

When Mr. Chang says this, Mrs. Chang reminds him that they are not in China anymore. She is upset because she wants Mr. Chang to put his family above his employees. She understands that the way Mr. Chang is conducting his business is not working, and he cannot recreate traditional Chinese structures in America.

“My father returned jubilant. Booker and Cedric hailed him as their savior, their Buddha incarnate. He was like a father to them, they said; and laughing and clapping, they made him tell the story over and over, sorting over the details like jewels. And how old was the assistant judge? And what did she say?”

At this point, Mr. Chang believes that he managed to protect his people, just like his grandfather did in China. He feels grandiose and spoils his family in the aftermath. Perhaps because of this high, his illusions are dashed even more when he realizes that Booker and Cedric do not trust him to protect them. This scene occurs right before the turning point in his perspective.

“He even took to showering my mother with little attentions, and to calling her ‘old girl,’ and when we finally heard that the club had entertained all the applications it could for the year, he was so sympathetic that he seemed more disappointed than my mother.”

Once Mr. Chang’s illusions of power are dashed, he becomes more attentive to his family. He begins to bow to Mrs. Chang’s wishes. This does not lead to success either, however, as they are not considered for country club membership, and they are humiliated at the party. The fact that his attempts to assimilate and his attempts to stand apart both end in humiliation show just how difficult it is to make it in a new country.

“Just when I’d cracked the spine, though, Mrs. Lardner came by to bewail her shortage of servers. Her caterers were criminals, I agreed; and the next thing I knew I was handing out bits of marine life, making the rounds as amicably as I could.”

Ostensibly, Callie is at the party as a guest just as much as everybody else is. When a shortage of servers comes up, she is asked to step in, proving that she is not as respected as the other guests, likely due to her ethnicity. This proves that even though the Lardners invited the Changs, they do not fully respect them.

“‘I do.’ Jeremy seemed genuinely contrite. ‘Doubtless you’ve seen drunks before, haven’t you? You must have them in China.’”

After speaking with Mrs. Lardner, Jeremy apologizes. However, he immediately undercuts his apology by downplaying his behavior as normal drunken antics. He insults Chinese people as well by implying that Chinese people may be different from Americans. This statement sets up the following incident when Jeremy tries to humiliate Mr. Chang by switching clothes with him.