Typical American

Theresa and Ralph’s enthusiastic embrace of America slowly infects Helen. The brother and sister talk forcefully, and Helen finds it difficult to make herself heard. They move into a new apartment together and are worried by the number of African Americans in the neighborhood. Later, they will look back on their prejudice with regret. The building’s superintendent is disinterested in their problems. Ralph becomes increasingly incensed by the rundown building. Helen does what she can to hide the worst of the issues, and Ralph is impressed.

All three study Pete the superintendent and imitate his lazy behavior. They laugh long and hard. The claims of “typical Pete” are soon turned into “typical American,” and their mocking is turned to the culture as a whole. They feel proud that they have figured out the American way of life.

Ralph struggles to adjust to life as a husband. He worries that Helen is quiet, both in bed and in day-to-day life. He notices how she hides objects and breathes strangely. He wishes he was in China so he would have someone to talk to about his fears. The worries do not stop him from feeling attached to Helen. Ralph tries to discuss her breathing and encourages her to breathe in a different way.

Ralph returns to finish his doctorate. Pinkus is no longer his advisor; a new man named Professor Pierce has taken Pinkus’s old position. Ralph tries to study but is distracted by his desire to talk to Helen. He lacks the social tools to talk to her in a satisfying manner. All he can do is criticize her breathing and her tendency to hide objects. He yells at her and leaves. Soon they are fighting all the time. He mocks her so savagely that she runs into another room and locks the door. He apologizes and they share a passionate, tender moment. Helen is jealous of how attentively Ralph listens to Theresa. She hopes that time will heal the wounds in their marriage.

Theresa begins to study for medical school. Ralph stays home some days, struggling to contain his jealousy. He mocks her as a “know-it-all” (53). Helen tries to repair the roof leak without success. She becomes more assured and self-reliant the more she realizes she won’t return to China any time soon. She even begins to enjoy work but takes care to ensure that her hands remain soft and smooth. At the end of the work day is, she listens to the radio or reads glossy American magazines. She loves the advertisements. She sings to herself and talks on the telephone to friends. A “tingling in her breasts” (54) makes Helen think that she might be pregnant.

Ralph is delighted to hear of the pregnancy but slips deeper into a depression. He sleeps on the couch and reacts badly to everything, including the news that Theresa won a scholarship to study medicine at a state school. The heating in the apartment breaks so they search for Pete. The superintendent has disappeared. Days pass and Pete remains missing. Theresa mentions that she has been considering marriage herself, and Helen hopes the news will bring them together.

Helen visits the basement with a flashlight to investigate the broken heating system. She finds the furnace switched off and begins to read the coffee-stained instruction manual. Later, Ralph rouses from a depressed slumber and realizes that he is too hot beneath his blankets. Theresa asks Helen how she fixed the boiler, and Helen explains that the oil tank had emptied; she called the company and they refilled it. Theresa is overcome with admiration for her sister-in-law. Theresa decides to lie to the others and tell them that her scholarship has been canceled. They sympathize with her fake tears. That night, Ralph announces that he is “tired of sleeping” (57).

Helen is delighted that Ralph is studying again. She tells this to her friend Janis Chao. Janis is the kind of person Helen would not have associated with in China. They are from two different social classes. Everything is different in America, and Janis is one of Helen’s closest friends. Janis invites Helen and Ralph to many events, but they never attend. Helen suspects that Ralph is jealous of Janis’s husband Henry Chao, who has already finished his PhD. Ralph seems to dislike Henry and Helen worries she has confided privileged information to Janis, but the pleasure of confiding in another person is too satisfying to give up.

Janis and Helen chat about Theresa. Helen explains that Theresa gave up her scholarship to get Ralph back to school and that Theresa is considering her marriage prospects. Janis believes she knows the ideal man for Theresa. First, she suggests an American, then, a few days later, a Chinese man who also has a PhD. Helen passes the news to Theresa, who is shocked that her sister-in-law would discuss the matter behind her back. Helen drops the subject. Theresa mentions it again later, but the man in question is already taken by this time. Janis has one final suggestion: An American-born Chinese man who owns a lot of property. A dinner is arranged where this man and Theresa can meet.

Helen frets about how to invite Ralph to the dinner party. He accepts without hesitation, and Helen is pleased with how much he has changed for the better since resuming his schoolwork. Ralph is pleased that he has risen from his depressive funk but chides himself for celebrating the cancellation of Theresa’s scholarship. Professor Pierce gifts Ralph a book titled The Power of Positive Thinking, and Ralph struggles to read it in English. The laborious translation process means he commits the entire book to memory. Ralph internalizes the book’s ideas and sets his mind to work toward a better future. Everything begins going well for Ralph until he is stung by a bee between his eyes on the day of the dinner party.

Ralph is surprised by how well his sister dresses for the party. Theresa bought a new pair of high-heeled shoes for the occasion but now regrets her decision. She teeters along the street. Janis welcomes them into her home. She is pregnant. Ralph greets Henry, who towers over Ralph and brings back nothing but bad memories of their time together in school. Ralph explains the bee sting between his eyes.

Janis introduces everyone to Grover Ding, a handsome man of about Ralph’s height with a gold tooth and a strong jaw. Grover compliments Theresa’s new shoes and winks at her. Dinner is 10 courses long. Janis insists on serving herself despite her pregnant state. Everyone congratulates Henry on his job offer of a tenured position at a university. Ralph struggles to eat. Grover says nothing. The guests speak English to accommodate him. Theresa ignores him but notices that Ralph is staring slack-jawed at Grover for most of the meal “like someone in love” (65). As Henry makes small talk, Grover leaves the table and does not return for some time. He emerges from the bedroom after the tenth course and explains that he was forced to make important phone calls. He returns to the table and winks at Helen and then at Ralph.

The dinner party continues. Grover catches up on all of the courses he missed while Janis finally sits down to eat. As Grover eats, he engages excitedly in conversation and asks Henry to repeat all the small talk from earlier. The mood is awkward. Janis suggests that the men go outside to look at Henry’s new car. Ralph, Grover, and Henry exit the building and locate the car.

The men coo over the new car, and Grover’s overly appreciative tone seems to aggravate Henry. Grover turns the ignition and drives away in the car with Ralph beside him. Grover and Ralph talk as they drive around the city. Grover drives fast out of the city as night falls. Hungry, they pull into a diner where Grover tells Ralph to order whatever he wants. They eat three courses of food. Even though Ralph is full, they order more. They loosen their belts and slump in their seats. Grover flirts with the waitress and then walks into the kitchen with his hands on her hips.

Ralph is alone in the dining room. He hears laughter and crashing sounds from the kitchen. Finally, Grover emerges as the waitress drives away in her car. Ralph talks about his doctorate, and Grover explains his property business. Ralph reminds Grover of himself “back when [he] was a nobody” (72). Now he is a millionaire and a self-made man. They bond over The Power of Positive Thinking, and Grover talks about his first business venture, turning cooking grease into fine soaps. The time comes to leave, and Grover says not to worry about the bill as he owns the diner. Henry’s car is out of gas so Grover calls a cab. They arrive back in the city and bid one another farewell. Ralph tearfully thanks Grover, who hands Ralph his business card. The cab pulls away and Ralph ascends the long staircase to his apartment.

Theresa, Helen, and Janis find Henry pacing up and down the sidewalk alone. They laugh carefully, assuring one another that Grover and Ralph’s exit is a joke. Then they worry why the men have not returned. The group chats aimlessly to take their minds off the situation. They explore the neighboring blocks and make phone calls. There is no news of Ralph and Grover. They all stay together that night. The abandoned car is found in the morning but there’s still no news of the men who took it. Finally, Theresa and Helen leave.

Helen finds Ralph at home and they argue about his behavior. Helen agrees to blame Grover. Later, Ralph regrets conceding that Grover was to blame. He phones Grover but gets no answer. He tries again and again but eventually gives up. Janis and Henry’s baby is stillborn. Janis cries all day and refuses to eat. Ralph becomes concerned for his pregnant wife. He works even harder on his doctorate to secure a bright future for his unborn child.

Helen grows increasingly still as a natural counterweight to Ralph’s growth in activity. The changes in her body make her tired and unable to move too much anyway. She and her husband are closer than they have ever been, but she harbors a secret affection for Grover. Their daughter Callie is born two weeks early during a blizzard. Ralph and Helen are instantly smitten with their baby girl.

Ralph and Helen are brought together by Callie and Grover, who are “something to protect and something to protect against” (79). Theresa is also closer than ever to her brother and her friend. She is still studying medicine, though in a reduced capacity, so she helps out with the baby when she can. Helen and Ralph have a second daughter named Mona, and Ralph finishes his doctorate.

Ralph graduates and is now Doctor Chang. The pictures of the graduation ceremony are hung near the wedding photos. He wishes his mother and father could have seen him graduate. Theresa points out how much he has come to look like their father. Henry helps Ralph get a tenure-track job, and Theresa gets her MD at last. Helen finds them a new, larger home. They bid farewell to the old apartment.