54 pages • 1 hour read
Gish JenTypical American
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1991A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Character Analysis
Ralph Chang
Ralph Chang is the closest the novel has to a protagonist. The narrative traces his journey from his childhood in China, to his struggles to get by in America, to his idyllic family life in the suburbs, right up to the moment he almost loses everything. Ralph is a bundle of neuroses and character flaws. He is an intelligent man who struggles to apply his intelligence in any meaningful way. Ralph hurtles through life in a desperate attempt to resolve his innate pride and desire for success with his frequent failures.
The story of Ralph Chang is the story of a perpetual outsider. His father ostracizes him from the family when he is in China, a fear of the authorities disconnects him from his social group in New York, and a burning jealousy damages his relationships with his friends, family, and loved ones. He is in danger of losing his job, his immigration status, his family, and his home because he struggles to empathize with people. This struggle leads Ralph to trust all the wrong people. He is used and manipulated by people like Grover who does nothing but undermine his pride. Ralph’s damaged pride causes him to lash out at his family members and friends even when they are trying to help him. He refuses help from Henry Chao, Theresa, and others because his poor experiences with trust have pushed him back into the realm of the perpetual outsider.
This position on the outside of relationships means that Ralph defines himself in opposition to other people. He compares himself against his friends and peers and always finds himself wanting. The novel shows time and again that Ralph’s insistence on measuring himself against others ends in failure. He will never have the biggest house, the best car, or the nicest clothes because he trusts the wrong people. He still compares himself to those who have everything, so of course he always comes up short. It’s only when Ralph recognizes his failures and devotes himself to caring for his sister (who he almost kills) that he enjoys some form of reconciliation. Theresa’s near-death experience helps Ralph realize the importance of family and teaches him not to measure himself against others.
Theresa Chang
Theresa Chang is Ralph’s sister but they have very different personalities. Ralph is a festering ball of jealous neuroses while Theresa is quiet, reserved, and introverted. These traits often make her feel lonelier and more cut off from society than her brother. This isolation has been true for most of Theresa’s life. Her large frame made her stand out from the other girls in China and was a source of embarrassment for her mother. The family’s efforts to hide Theresa left a psychological imprint on the young girl, who became a quiet and reserved adult. Theresa does not want to be noticed and loathes being the center of attention. As a result, many people are able to take advantage of her.
Theresa is perhaps the smartest character in the book. She is a doctor who works hard to overcome the gender and racial barriers that obstruct her path to success. In addition to her book smarts, she has an emotional intelligence that the other characters lack. Her understanding of her brother’s prideful nature, for example, leads her to pretend that she has lost her scholarship. She manipulates her brother into resuming his studies and helps him to finish his doctorate. Later, she encourages Helen to frame job offers in a way that will make Ralph more likely to accept them. She understands the flaws in others but struggles to stand up for herself.
There are points in the novel where Theresa makes sacrifices for others. She begins to understand that she will never get married and so she indulges Henry’s willingness to partake in an affair. The point at which Theresa is most assertive is when Ralph bullies her endlessly and she moves out of the family house. The decision is striking and the only real moment when Theresa stands up for herself emotionally. However, this decision also leads to her being miserable and isolated from her family. Theresa’s quiet tragedy is that she accepts failure in herself to allow her loved ones to succeed.
Helen Chang
Helen is a wife and homemaker, and she defines herself as such. Her marriage is not built on stable foundations, and she and Ralph go through long periods of estrangement and bitterness. These periods threaten her identity as a homemaker but not as a mother. Helen’s children are the real figures of love in her life and she is devoted to them in every way. Rather than Ralph, the children are the emotional outlet for Helen’s struggles, and she dedicates herself to raising them as best she can. Fear that the children will discover her affair with Grover causes her more consternation than the thought of Ralph finding out. Her love and worry for her children leads her to break off the affair with Grover.
The affair with Grover shows the extent to which Helen is like her husband. She indulges in self-destructive behavior without realizing what she is doing. She remarks that Chinese people do not have affairs when she learns of Theresa and Henry’s infidelity, but the thought does not cross her mind as she opens herself up to Grover. Helen is a hypocrite but she does not recognize herself as one. The affair threatens to destroy the family unit but she does not recognize the threat it poses because Grover provides her with temporary satisfaction. The affair is not about lust but possibilities. Grover paints her a portrait of a different life, and she buys into his vision. Helen is very much like her husband in that she cannot recognize her own hypocrisy.
Grover Ding
Grover Ding is the closest the novel has to an antagonist or a villain. He manipulates, lies, steals, and cheats, all in pursuit of physical gratification and financial reward. Ralph sees Grover as the embodiment of the American success story and strives to be like him. This ends in failure when Grover scams Ralph and leaves the family in danger of bankruptcy. Grover threatens the family’s financial and emotional security. His affair with Helen indirectly endangers the lives of Helen and Theresa. Grover is the chaotic element in the story who has the ability to destroy everything the characters create.
Grover has everything in the world but he is never happy. He has no family or loved ones on whom he can spend his vast wealth. The characters revere him at first but then pity for him and his empty, pathetic life. This pity is partly a coping mechanism to deal with the terrible way Grover scammed the family, but it also speaks to Grover’s role as a cautionary tale. Grover is a warning of what happens when someone wholly immerses themselves in the consumerist, capitalist system and abandons their morals. Despite this, Grover is never punished. He feigns disinterest and ignorance while continuing to build his empire. He relishes in telling Ralph that he slept with Helen and, in doing so, prompts Ralph to unleash his most violent tendencies. Grover is best beaten by being ignored. The family separates from him, exorcizing him from their lives. This is the only way they can overcome the corruption he represents.
Henry Chao
Henry Chao does everything right but suffers from his own tragedies. He graduates ahead of Ralph and is made a tenured professor before his younger academic rival. Henry is not tempted out of the academic world by get-rich-quick schemes and becomes successful enough in his own right. He is occasionally a braggart, but he means well and does what he can to support his friends.
Henry is ultimately a nice man who finds himself in impossibly tragic situations. He and his wife suffer a miscarriage. Their marriage later crumbles apart. Henry finds solace with Theresa, and after a long and celibate courtship, they begin an affair. The affair is not about lust; the two have genuine affection for each other and provide real emotional support. Henry grows more distant from his wife but he still cannot be with Theresa. He is caught in a bind. His character shows that even people who do everything correctly and who do not surrender wholly to temptation can find themselves in tragic, difficult situations.
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By Gish Jen
