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Mr. Ralph Chang
Mrs. Chang is the wife of Mr. Chang and the mother of Callie and Mona. Before Mr. Chang became wealthy through the pancake house, she worked her way up to manager in a grocery store; . Mrs. Chang is an independent woman who develops opinions about town issues like zoning and takes care of her own car maintenance. More recently, she turns her attention to material interests associated with well-to-do housewives, like interior decorating and nice shoes. In contrast to Mr. Chang, Mrs. Chang appears adept at fitting into her American surroundings. She charms the other guests at Jeremy Brothers’s party, although it’s clear that her social graces come at a cost to her sense of integrity (her conversation partner speaks knowingly about “the Orient” and attempts Chinese). Although she toys with the idea of joining the town country club at the beginning of the story, Mrs. Chang is fully aware of the challenges of being an immigrant in an American suburb. Her ultimate priority is loyalty to Mr. Chang, even when she knows that his bad business decisions will cost the family.
Mrs. Chang Quotes in In the American Society
The In the American Society quotes below are all either spoken by Mrs. Chang or refer to Mrs. Chang. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
His Own Society
Quotes
“Your father doesn’t believe in joining the American society,” said my mother. “He wants to have his own society.”
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“You know, the Chinese have a saying,” said my mother. “To do nothing is better than to overdo. You mean well, but you tell me now what will happen.”
“So what else I should do?” My father threw up his hands. “Those are my boys.”
“Your boys!” exploded my mother. “What about your family? What about your wife?”
My father took a long sip of tea. “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.”
“A restaurant is not a town,” said my mother.
In the American Society
Quotes
Of course, my father tried to eat a cracker full of shallots, and burned himself in an attempt to help Mr. Lardner turn the coals of the barbecue; but on the whole, he seemed to be doing all right. Not nearly so well as my mother, though, who had accepted an entire cupful of Mrs. Lardner’s magic punch and indeed seemed to be under some spell. […] I watched my mother take off her shoes, laughing and laughing as a man with a beard regaled her with navy stories by the pool. Apparently he had been stationed in the Orient and remembered a few words of Chinese, which made my mother laugh still more.
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Mrs. Chang Quotes in In the American Society
The In the American Society quotes below are all either spoken by Mrs. Chang or refer to Mrs. Chang. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
His Own Society
Quotes
“Your father doesn’t believe in joining the American society,” said my mother. “He wants to have his own society.”
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
“You know, the Chinese have a saying,” said my mother. “To do nothing is better than to overdo. You mean well, but you tell me now what will happen.”
“So what else I should do?” My father threw up his hands. “Those are my boys.”
“Your boys!” exploded my mother. “What about your family? What about your wife?”
My father took a long sip of tea. “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.”
“A restaurant is not a town,” said my mother.
In the American Society
Quotes
Of course, my father tried to eat a cracker full of shallots, and burned himself in an attempt to help Mr. Lardner turn the coals of the barbecue; but on the whole, he seemed to be doing all right. Not nearly so well as my mother, though, who had accepted an entire cupful of Mrs. Lardner’s magic punch and indeed seemed to be under some spell. […] I watched my mother take off her shoes, laughing and laughing as a man with a beard regaled her with navy stories by the pool. Apparently he had been stationed in the Orient and remembered a few words of Chinese, which made my mother laugh still more.
Related Characters:
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