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In the American Society
Themes and Colors
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in In the American Society, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
The Difficulties of Assimilation
In “In the American Society,” the Chang family contends with two opposing forces: the drive to assimilate into American life and the impulse to respect Chinese customs. Ralph Chang, a Chinese immigrant (and the narrator Callie’s father), takes over a pancake shop in hopes of saving money for his daughters’ college educations. His business quickly succeeds, and the Changs become wealthy. Before long, however, tensions arise between Mr. Chang and his employees as…
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Success, Race, and Immigration
At the beginning of “In the American Society,” the Chang family appears to attain the American dream. Mr. Chang takes over a successful pancake business, and the family gets rich. They purchase a station wagon with air conditioning, Mr. Chang enjoys a new recliner, and Mrs. Chang quits her supermarket job and starts taking an interest in “espadrilles, and wallpaper.” Soon, however, the realities of being an immigrant business owner start to puncture Mr. Chang’s…
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The Illusion of Belonging
After Mr. Chang becomes wealthy from running his pancake shop, Mrs. Chang starts showing interest in joining the country club. She has reservations, such as the necessity of a referral letter from a current member, but her daughter Mona—who wants to swim in the country club pool—makes light of these concerns, telling her mother, “Annie’s mom’d write you a letter in a sec.” Soon after, Annie’s mom, Mrs. Lardner, shows up at…
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Loyalty and Family
For the Chang family, loyalty is a core value, albeit one that is applied unevenly. Within the Changs’ marriage, loyalty is paramount and equal to love in importance. After Mrs. Chang voices her hesitation about moving forward with the country club idea, citing her husband’s distaste for wearing suit jackets and joining “the American society,” Callie notes, “My mother could not simply up and do as she pleased. For to embrace what my father embraced…
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