This essay explores the proccess of assimilating into the American society after a famiy moves to the USA from China in "In The American Society", by Gish Jen. It also explores the irony in the title of the piece.
This essay explores the proccess of assimilating into the American society after a famiy moves to the USA from China in "In The American Society", by Gish Jen. It also explores the irony in the title of the piece.
"In The American Society", by Gish Jen, is a lurid portrayal of an Asian-American family who immigrated to the United States--addressing both the struggles and fortunes that America's opportunities have offered the family as they leave their old life in China. Now, the father must make something of himself and his family, in a time when America meant vast possibilities, but also being labeled as a foreigner. The mother in the story smugly declares, " 'But this is the U-S-of-A!' "(542), proclaiming her pride in the opportunities accessible in her new home. Though, as the family begins to assimilate into the "American society", they find that while success brings them respect and affluence, it may not automatically make them fit into the new culture. The title itself is a direct inference to the transformation the family is forced to undergo.
The first half of the story is suitably entitled "His Own Society", describing the family's journey towards coming to terms with the American society. When the mother is thinking of joining the country club she states, " 'Your father doesn't believe in joining the American Society. He wants to have his own society' "(542). This line echoes the ever-present theme in the story of assimilation, and the father's hesitation with adjustment. For people who come from cultures that are significantly different from the freethinking America, the process of acculturation can be awkward and even caustic. In the story, the father opens his own pancake house, and the family begins to encounter success. They then attempt to fit into their new society...
More Society and community
essays:
"Race and the United States Postal Service"
... 9% Asian. The other 2% is made up of all other races in the Postal Service. (United States Census Bureau, 2000) (Table 1)Each group has its own way of looking the same and different. The White American has ...
Race in the United States. Suggest ways in which the American experience can have relevance for other nations and peoples.
... s struggle to realize the full promise of our society. This paper should assist the understanding of race in the United States and suggest ways in which the American experience ...
What is an american?
... the American people and try to focus on that. They see American people as working people with families at home to support. Foreign media views the United States much ... and few take their status as a native of the United States lightly. Other societies as well as people from other areas of the world ...
Homelessness in the United States: Causes, Myths, and Help
... The United States of America is considered to be the land of milk and honey. Here is supposed to be a land where each person has the opportunity to live the American dream ...
The Diversity of Hispanic Americans
... United States in the Treaty of Paris on December 19, 1898 as a result of the Spanish-American War. This has made the relationship unique, since Puerto Ricans are American citizens they are considered U.S. migrants as opposed to foreign ...
The value of being young to the American Society
... these different corrective surgeries. What is wrong with us? Nobody knows but the American Society holds it upon them that perfection is a necessity. You ... to make themselves more attractive. The more people age, especially in the United States, they try to feel younger. They try to be "in" or ...
Divorce in the United States
... people now live longer and marry earlier, the size of the population 'at risk' increases. Only in Japan is the married proportion of the population as high as it is in the United States. Moreover, Americans who ...
Causes of Societal Change In The United States
... the United States will double its population in approximately 90 years. The National Commission of Population Growth and the American Future (1972) reported that population growth threatens severe problems for American society and ...