Loyalty and Family Theme Analysis

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 was to love him; and to embrace something else was to betray him.” In other words, for Mrs. Chang to join the country club anyway would be a disloyal act and a demonstration that she doesn’t really love Mr. Chang.

Mrs. Chang’s loyalty to her husband holds steady, even when his employment practices undermine the family’s security. Ultimately, then, Mr. Chang’s definition of loyalty differs from his wife’s. He feels the deepest sense of duty towards his employees and fellow Chinese immigrants, even when their behavior threatens his family’s livelihood. For example, he gives his workers extra money beyond what they’ve earned, and he endangers the pancake shop by hiring undocumented Booker and Cedric. When Booker and Cedric are caught by police, Mr. Chang bails them out of jail and tries to seek legal help. “What about your family?” Mrs. Chang demands. “What about your wife?” She is angry about the risks he’s taking, but once her husband makes up his mind, she just “scrutinize[s] her hem,” a gesture that underscores her submission to her husband’s judgment. When it turns out that neither Booker nor Cedric feel particularly loyal to Mr. Chang—they run away to avoid trial—Mr. Chang is left to consider what loyalty means to him in his new American society. However, the end of the story—when Mr. Chang and his family leave Jeremy Brothers’s disastrous party, his daughters complimenting his performance and Mrs. Chang taking responsibility for the mishap—suggests that his family’s loyalty is what Mr. Chang can count on most.