In the American Society

Mrs. Chang is both the deuteragonist and Mr. Chang’s foil. In Jen’s Chang family novels, she is given the name Helen. She is the deuteragonist as she is the second most important character in the story, although she is not the narrator. She plays a crucial role in the story because her character demonstrates how hard it is for people coming to a new country to assimilate. She is immersed in American culture through her work at the supermarket, and she is characterized as successful and ambitious as she ultimately becomes the manager. As the manager, she attempts to help other immigrants assimilate by telling them about cultural norms in America. She does not, however, completely abandon her Chinese culture, as seen when she criticizes her daughters for being “copycats,” and she is reticent to apply to the country club because it goes against her husband’s wishes.

Her role as Mr. Chang’s foil emerges as Mr. Chang attempts to stay true to the customs of his own culture. Mrs. Chang, on the other hand, largely tries to assimilate. Without one or the other character, it might appear that the story advocates for either maintaining home values or assimilating fully into the culture as the way for immigrants to make their way. By showing how both methods fail, Jen shows that neither of these methods is sufficient in and of itself.

Mrs. Chang does not have as much control as her husband does. All three female members of the Chang family understand that to go against Mr. Chang’s wishes would be to disrespect him. Mona breaks this unspoken norm when she tells her friend that her mother wants to join the country club. Mrs. Chang is not happy about this, and she believes her daughter would have been better off not saying anything. She desires American status symbols, but she also is too hesitant at many points to go after them herself. She does, however, buy herself a minivan with air conditioning when the pancake house brings in money, one of many details that shows her appreciation for American luxury.

Callie and Mona Chang are minor characters in the short story, though Callie is the first-person narrator. She knows everything because she sees it firsthand, living with her parents and helping out at the restaurant. She understands her parents enough to understand their motives. Both she and Mona understand some of the errors that their parents make, and at times, they find humor in this. While the Changs are all members of the same family, their life experiences are quite different because the youngest two Changs were born in America. Their more American identity comes through in many ways, including in their names and fluent, colloquial dialogue. The different experience these daughters have from their parents reflects a recurring theme in Chinese American literature about the varied experiences between first- and second-generation immigrants.

Callie and Mona are static characters; they do not change much throughout the story. Their actions prompt many of the short story’s events, forcing their parents out of their comfort zones and into making decisions. Unfortunately, these actions do not turn out well for their parents. First, they stuff the comment box with fake negative comments, which prompts Mr. Chang to fire Skip, the busboy. Second, Mona tries to get her family into the country club, but this ultimately ends up in the family’s rejection. They attend the party to try to get into the right crowd, and Mr. Chang ends up humiliated, and the family sees that they do not fit in there.