Welcome to the LitCharts study guide on Gish Jen's In the American Society. Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literature guides.
In the American Society: Introduction
In the American Society: Plot Summary
In the American Society: Detailed Summary & Analysis
In the American Society: Themes
In the American Society: Quotes
In the American Society: Characters
In the American Society: Symbols
In the American Society: Theme Wheel
Brief Biography of Gish Jen
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Historical Context of In the American Society
Other Books Related to In the American Society
- Full Title: In the American Society
- When Written: Mid-1980s
- Where Written: United States
- When Published: 1986
- Literary Period: Contemporary
- Genre: Short Story
- Setting: Suburb in the Northeastern U.S.
- Climax: When Jeremy confronts Ralph Chang at his party, yelling, “WHO ARE YOU?”
- Antagonist: Jeremy Brothers
- Point of View: First Person
Extra Credit for In the American Society
Recurring Characters. Ralph Chang, Mrs. Chang, Callie, and Mona reappear in multiple Gish Jen short stories and novels. The short story “In the American Society” became the basis for Jen’s novel-length exploration of Ralph Chang’s life, Typical American, and its sequel, Mona in the Promised Land. Callie and Mona appear across several of Jen’s stories in Who’s Irish?.
Name Change. In high school, Jen started going by “Gish” instead of “Lillian,” a reference to the American silent film actress Lillian Gish. Jen once expressed that the name “Lillian” didn’t fit her personality.