In Chinatown Family, Lin Yutang depicts the life of a family of Chinese immigrants living in New York City in the 1930s. Comment on the similarities and differences between Chinese and American culture, as they are portrayed in the book, with regard to a couple of the following: family, social hierarchy, wealth, religion, and confrontation. If you feel you have the perspective to do so, feel free to also comment on the extent to which Yutang’s portrayal remains true today, or even the degree to which it was ever completely true.
Also comment on what traits the book suggests, through its plot, are ultimately of the greatest value.
November 4, 2017 at 1:19 pm
Chinatown Family, a novel written by Lin Yutang, published in 1948 depicts the life of a Chinese family, the Fong family, which has recently had all members of the family successfully immigrated to America. The family immigrates to New York City during the 1930’s and the author, Lin Yutang writes a masterpiece at depicting the similarities and differences between the American and Chinese cultures at the time. The novel in terms of family depicts that within a Chinese family, as seen with the Fong family, continuously must follow the traditional Chinese belief in such that family is the most important object in the world, over things such as material objects and wealth while the American culture does not rest on family as such an important aspect but values wealth and expensive materials greater. In terms of social hierarchy, Lin Yutang depicts that within the Chinese culture, one may only succeed and achieve great success by fully devoting oneself to a life of work, and specifically hard work, not slacking off and doing a sub-par job. Lin Yutang also comments and critiques the American culture by writing that Americans do not live up to the ideals of working hard in order to succeed, foreshadowing that she believes that the American cultures are not as devoted as the Chinese in terms of working hard in order to succeed and prosper. With regards to wealth, Lin Yutang simply puts it that the Chinese culture does not value and idealize objects that hold great value in terms of material wealth and that wealth is not a priority but family, education, and prosperity is of more value, but the opposite is true within America and with the American culture. Ms. Yutang states that within America, the American culture has a burgeoning desire for material wealth and this seeps onto the inhabitants living within America as well because as seen with the Fong family we begin to see how different members like, one of the Fong family members became interested by a nightclub dancer and because of her, gave material objects great admiration and grew a desire for them. The novel depicts that within the Chinese culture, confrontation and fighting, specifically within the family, should never ever happen because fighting and confrontation is of no necessity and could avoid unnecessary problems and dilemmas. Lin Yutang depicts this when Flora gets welcomed into the Fong family, the father, Tom Sr. complements Flora for being like a Chinese woman because she is a hard worker and “have no quarrels with your husband and the parents.” Throughout reading this novel, I continuously saw Lin Yutang comment on traits of family, devotion to work, and importance of material wealth; and what I took away from this book is that one shouldn’t focus greatly on expensive objects or on wealth and money and rather appreciate the small important things in life like the love within family because you could lose that in a second, just how the Fong family lost their father when out of the blue, Tom Sr. was hit by a car when crossing the street.
November 4, 2017 at 10:09 pm
In the novel “Chinatown Family”, by Lin Yutang, the author tells the story of a Chinese American family and their journey of assimilation into American culture of the United States in the early 20th century. Tom Sr., the patriarch of the family, owns a laundry service on the Upper East Side. His two children, Eva and Tom Jr., and his wife, known as Mother Fong, have immigrated to the United States to live with Tom Sr., and have established themselves as a traditional Chinese family with conventional and traditional values. The most prominent theme of the novel is the concept of Family vs. Wealth. As an immigrant family, the Fongs are unaccustomed to the heavily commercialist and capitalists agendas that surround them in their new society. With pursuit of wealth and capitalist venture being one of the central pillars of American life, the Fongs battle to deflect the infusion of American culture into their Chinese standarad of living. This battle is one that is heavily ushered by Tom Sr., and his intense value for family. A Chinese value that exceeds all others is the value of family. Along with family comes the moral that success is derived from hard work, determination, effort, and never by easy means. Upon their arrival in New York, the Fong family begins to experience the alternate perspective, and learns that in America, those who work the hardest do not always reap the greatest benefits. Hard work and devotion are concepts that are heavily instilled in Chinese culture, but are not necessarily valued to the same degree in America as they are in eastern culture.
When the characters Flora is introduced, and Italian American woman who is a new daughter in law to the family, she is received well by the Fongs. It is said about her that she is “like a Chinese woman” because she “work[s] hard all day and has no quarrels with your husband and the parents.” These two ideas reflect the greatest values of Chinese culture as illustrated by the Fongs, which are that devotion to family and integrity in your work are the most important things in life. However, in America we often see that integrity is not always involved when it comes to path that leads to success. Lin Yuang illustrates this in the novel when the character Tom Jr. becomes infatuated with a nightclub dancer, a popularly disapproved of avenue to make money. The dancer is a cherisher of material objects, and influences Tom Jr. to question his traditional Chinese values of the rejection of materialism. Ultimately, the value of family is always to come before material objects or selfish pursuit, and is a value that continues to navigate Tom Jr. throughout the rest of the story.
When it comes to the value of hard work, and taking pride in your work, the character Tom Jr. illustrates this in his learning of the American language. Tom Jr., a native Chinese speaker, outperforms American students who do not value their own language, going on to master it fluently. Tom Jr. accurately paraphrases the Declaration of Independence, and proves to his peers and his society that not only is it possible for an immigrant to assimilate themselves into the American culture, but that it is greater to appreciate what is offered to you rather than to be ignorant to its knowledge.
The final message of the story is driven home when Tom Sr. is tragically struck by a car while crossing the street. He dies what is considered an “American Death”, and leaves his family hoping that they will continue to honor family as he taught them to do when he was alive. His death is a symbol for family, and the idea that if you don’t treasure the ones you love, they could be gone in an instant. Appreciate the gifts life gives to you, such as family and love, and pursue those over material and capitalist ventures. Love what matters, before it is gone forever.
November 5, 2017 at 1:35 am
The novel, “Chinatown Family” by Lin Yutang focuses on a Chinese family’s assimilation into American culture during the early 20th century. Tom Sr. along with his sons Loy and Yiko live in New York, while the rest of the family (mother and children) are still in China. Tom Sr. and Yiko, who gives his father 500 dollars, finance the trip that allows the rest of the family to join them in New York. Unfortunately, due to strict laws against Chinese immigrants, Tom Fong has to go to great lengths, like joint owning Uncle Chan’s grocery store, in order to help his wife and children gain access to the States. The rest of story revolves around the family adapting to their new environment and learning the American traditions and beliefs. As the father and the two eldest brothers have already integrated into the American society, mother Fong has a hard time doing the same. Lin Yutang clearly depicts similarities and differences in the American and Chinese cultures.
One of the major differences between the two cultures is wealth. In the first chapter, the father is quick to say, “Children, stop playing with the light. It is electricity” (2). Then, throughout the rest of the novel there are remarks like “Water costs money” (18). These small actions of turning off the water and electricity are disregarded in American homes and often times taken for granted. Whereas, this family realizes the financial worth money and electricity have and they do not misuse it. Mother Fong is also quick to point out the amount of waste in the streets of New York, she says, “There was enough food dumped into garbage cans in a small section of the city to feed a Chinese village” (31). She realized that Americans do not know how to reduce food waste and make use of leftovers. For instance, at one point, Flora threw away paper bags and a box, but Fong quickly rushed to pick up the “litter” and used the box as a sewing case for two years. The difference Yutang points out is that Americans and Chinese have a different perception of wealth. Americans are obsessed with materialistic objects and ways their wealth ensures their place in society. While the Chinese culture is more money conscious and focused on hard work. Even though it seems like wealth is not as important in the Chinese culture as education is, the two seem to go hand in hand when Tom Sr. is talking to his son about his future. The father does not want his son to grow up working in the laundromat, instead he wants him to get a proper education and a better job; The job implies more money. But it is how Tom Jr. will spend the money that ties back to his Chinese culture. He will unlikely spend it on useless materialistic objects, instead he will use it for his family. Flora (Loy’s Italian wife) on the other hand, had a hard time understanding why she had to share her wealth with the rest of her in-laws.
Both cultures value family and children, however, they have a different way of showing that. The Fong family demonstrates very different cultural beliefs and traditions than that of the Americans. When Frederick A.T Fong saw mother Fong, he embraced and kissed her while having a photographer capture the moment. The mother felt uncomfortable with the “unclassical embrace” (14). She found it disturbing that he wanted to share this embarrassing picture in the Chinatown paper the next day. In the American culture this action would not be considered so embarrassing. Instead cameras would be everywhere, capturing every moment. It is ignorant to say that mother Fong is reserved and does not understand emotion. Instead it is her culture and the way she was raised. To the mother there are other potential ways of showing love and embrace in a family other than kissing. To add on, there are also differences and similarities in how people within families are addressed. For instance, in the novel Lin Yutang mentions how younger ones have to show respect to their superior. For instance, instead of calling Flora by her name, they need to call her “Daisow” because she is the eldest sister in law. Same goes for Lyo who is called “Daiko” because he is the eldest brother. This shows respect in the family while at the same time creating some sort of hierarchy within it. It is almost similar in the American culture, where children have to respect their elders by speaking formally and never raising their voice at them. Same goes for using “Uncle” and “Aunt” when talking to in-laws in order to show respect. However, there are no distinct rules set in place, like the Chinese culture seems to have.
From the several different cultural differences and similarities, family stands out the most to me throughout the novel. Despite the monetary difficulties, Tom Sr. is able to finance the rest of his family’s trip to America, showing how he did not give up on his family. Also, the frequent caring gestures from everyone in the household shows how family is the number one priority.
November 5, 2017 at 11:19 pm
The novel “Chinatown Family” by Lin Yutang revolves around a Chinese family’s experience of integrating into American society throughout the first half of the 20th century. The protagonist, Tom Fong, moves to New York after he loses his job and was left penniless. He worked long hours at a laundry in the Upper East Side and eventually earns enough to provide visas for his family. The story begins with the family finally reuniting and realizing that the immigrating to America was not their great obstacle, it was assimilating to the American culture.
One of the Fong family’s essential values is family and the idea of providing for each other through moral and financial support. However, being a part of the lower class of society has led them to question the reality of their values. Wealth vs family is a prominent yet conflicting theme that has been their primary struggle throughout the novel. In American society, wealth is a materialistic concept that contradicts with inherent values like family. It is commonly believed that wealth will ultimately bring happiness. Unlike wealth, family is an inherent and intrinsic value because it directly brings one happiness. This belief that valuing family over wealth will bring more satisfaction has been held in high regard by the Fong family and Chinese culture in general. However, their situation is forcing them to see this in a different perspective. Having to raise four children with only earnings from a laundromat, they struggle to evade the reality of the situation. In the first few pages of the novel, it is clear that they are struggling to pay bills. Without sufficient financial support, Tom is failing to provide any happiness for his family.
The family has confronted the idea of materialistic wealth through their efforts to prioritize family, but has also confronted the use of violence. Tom Junior, the brother of Mother Fong, realizes that the “American way” of solving problems is to use violence. While he supports this idea, Tom Senior disagrees with him and explains that they should meet violence with nonviolence. In other words, any conflict that can be avoided, should be avoided. This idea of pacifism has been another central theme of both this novel and Chinese culture as a whole. However, American culture is portrayed as a dominant and oppressive force which neglects all but money. Consequently, pacifism only proves to be a weakness rather than a strength in character.
Although this novel focused on the Fong family, the ideas depicted throughout the novel is accurately representative of the situation in America throughout the 1900s. Even today, Lin’s portrayal of American Society remains true. Materialistic wealth and individualism, for instance, definitely exists today as the capitalist economy drives this nation. It is the mindset of wealth defining the concept of success that has made materialism and individualism prevalent in today’s society.
Using violence as the answer to all problems has been another common theme in both the novel and in reality. In the novel, it was advocated by Tom Junior. In reality, violence is often used to protest against police brutality. There are many instances of violence in the United States, but the Baltimore riots in 2015 is probably one of the most indisputable examples of using violence as an answer. During the riots, protesters looted and destroyed stores, harming innocent citizens along the way. The other side of this coin, using pacifism as a way to meet violence, is also evident in today’s society. Specifically, In Chinese families, children are taught to use kindness to meet violence. There’s a popular phrase in Chinese that loosely translates to “hold in the anger for one moment and the world around you will seem much bigger”. Basically, if one were to not respond with violence, he/she would be able to feel emotions other than hatred. Personally, I was taught this phrase many times, and many of my Chinese friends recognize this phrase when I mention it to them. Lin’s novel has successfully portrayed both the American and Chinese cultures in society.
November 6, 2017 at 6:14 pm
Wealth and social hierarchy are two themes that go hand in hand as they are emphasized in the novel Chinatown Family. The Fong family represents the typical immigrant family as they come to the United States to engage in the land of opportunities and provide their children with a better lifestyle. However, what is not advertised on dreamy travel catalogs is the hardwork and determination needed to fight against an unkind society when immigrants first arrive in the united States. Immigrants aren’t aware of the hierarchical social systems that are in place and immensely difficult to break. Some differences between the American and Chinese cultural values as portrayed in the novel include the importance of education. American children who have been born and raised in the United States take for granted their educational opportunities, and thus sometimes fail to reach their true potential because of the lack of hard work. Contrastingly, immigrant children, such as the character of Tom Jr., put in extra effort and diligence into their education in order to succeed because they are well aware of the sacrifices their parents had to make to arrive in the United States. While his classmates slack off, Tom Jr. is successful in mastering English and Mandarin in order to impress a girl. I can relate to Tom Jr.’s journey as I also have immigrant parents and realize how much they have sacrificed to provide me with these opportunities. They had to sacrifice familiar roads and educational degrees to move across the world from India and start again just so that I could have a better future. They had to work overtime to climb the social hierarchy in the United States as the Fong family attempts to do and earn every penny.
Furthermore, the theme of wealth is portrayed in the novel towards the end when Tom Sr. gets killed in a car accident. The mother of the driver offers consolation in the form of money-once again highlighting the power that money and wealth hold in our society. However, what she does not realize is that no amount of money could actually replace the loss of a father figure in the lives of the children. However, the money is beneficial to the Fong family in helping them financially as it sends Tom Jr. to college. Additionally, the money helps the Fong family open up their Chinese family restaurant which allows them to bring a piece of their culture to the United States.
The book comments that although family and support are emotionally important in order to succeed, wealth is ultimately of greatest value as it makes the world go round. Although the loss of Tom Sr. can never be filled, the money received from the mother of the driver facilitated Tom Jr.’s bright future. Moreover, I believe that the portrayal of the immigrant experience in the novel is very true as it portrays the difficulties that every immigrant family faces as soon as they step foot in the United States Some basic difficulties are language barriers and unfamiliar roads. However, there are more subtle barriers when one examines the situation closely such as cultural values and the ignorant attitudes of many towards foreign cultures.
November 6, 2017 at 6:58 pm
Chinatown Family is a novel written by Lin Yutang in 1948, set in New York City’s Chinatown in the 1920’s and 1930’s. The novel tells the story of the family of Tom Sr, an immigrant from China who operates a laundromat on Manhattan’s upper east side. He is eventually able to bring his younger daughter, Eva, and his son, Tom Jr, to the United States, to live alongside him and his wife. The family initially holds very firmly onto the values ingrained into Chinese culture – a collectivist mindset that views family, diligence, hard work, and honesty above all. However, the family faces ethnical and racial discrimination in the United States, where they are often looked down upon as unwanted foreigners that are only there to steal already incredibly scarce jobs away from “real,” “deserving” Americans. The family also realizes that, in the United States, hard work does not always correlate with respect and success, and the importance of honesty is often overlooked in the interest of making a profit. Reluctantly, the members of the Fong family are forced to embrace Capitalistic values and come to terms with the fact that they may have to focus their attention on plainly increasing their income if they want to make it in New York City.
This shift in mentality, from a culture in which financial matters were rarely up for discussion and “work harder” was always the answer to financial troubled is shown when Tom Sr begins to monetize things his children were used to taking for granted, for instance saying “Don’t play with the light! It’s electricity!” or “Water is money!” However, although the family is willing to accept that they must place greater attention on obtaining and maintaining financial stability, they never cease to value integrity, hard work, and family ties. For instance, when Tom Jr becomes infatuated with a nightclub dancer who has only material interests and has no doubt betrayed the values of her family and her parents, he is shamed by the Fongs. It is also clear that the family continues to view diligent work and treasuring of family as inherently Chinese, or at least Taoist and un-American traits; when accepting an Italian daughter-in-law, Flora, into the family, it is stated that she is “like a Chinese woman” because she works hard every day and doesn’t quarrel with her father or her husband.
It is, however, important to note that the novel does not solely view American values critically. The novel praises many values of American society, such as education and the pursuit of freedom; however, Lin suggests that immigrants often value and internalize these values more than do native-born Americans. For instance, Tom Jr’s passion and enthusiasm for studying the English language so greatly surpasses that of his “American” classmates that it leads to his teacher, Miss Cartwright, having a revelation about the value of educating immigrants. Tom Jr also translates the Declaration of Independence into simple English to allow more people to understand its importance.
On a final note, Tom Sr’s death at the end of the novel (he is struck by a car while crossing the street) highlights two ideas presented by Lin in the novel. Firstly, the sudden death of Tom Sr makes readers realize that, unlike long-accumulated wealth family can be destroyed in minutes, with absolutely zero warning. Thus, someone who lives their life valuing only material goods may simply be robbed of his family before he has had a chance to appropriately appreciate its importance. Lastly, the mother of the man driving the car that struck Tom Sr comes to the family with enough money to send Tom Jr to college and for the family to open a Chinese restaurant. While this is a kind gesture, and a gift of education and opportunity, it does comment on the fact that the value of a life, in this case that of Tom Sr, can be defined as a fairly concrete sum of money. This demonstrates the importance society places on money, and the extent to which financial values are now intertwined with personal morals.
November 6, 2017 at 7:02 pm
The novel Chinatown Family by Lin Yutang depicts the life of a family of Chinese immigrants living in New York City during the 1930s. Through the plot line and the family’s interactions with Native New Yorkers, the author is able to comment on the differences and similarities between Chinese and American culture. Two major themes that Yutang compared in this work are family and wealth.
By observing the Fong family, the reader is able to see that Chinese culture places a tremendous amount of importance on the family. An example of this being seen in the novel is when the Fongs meet Flora are immediately take a liking to her because they say she is like a Chinese woman in that she works diligently and does not get into fights with her husband or parents. Another example in the story that shows the significance the Chinese place in family is in Tom Sr.’s tireless effort to get his wife and other children to America. Tom Sr. not only had to raise enough money to fund his wife’s trip but he also had to go through the logistics of having them legally immigrate. This amount of family value may seem at odds with the value americans place in value because they place more importance in material possessions.
By observing the Fong family’s interactions, we can also get some insight into how a traditional Chinese family might value wealth. After reading the novel, we can see that Chinese tradition does not place an emphasis on material possessions but instead on things like family or education. Since the Fong family never had too much money, they always relied more on each other and hard work to earn their livings. There are a number of times in the novel where the family comments on the wastefulness of Americans. An example of this would be when Tom Sr.’s wife comments on the amount of waste in the streets. In this novel, the reader is also given the idea that Americans place more emphasis on material possessions than the average traditional Chinese family.
Through my interactions with Chinese exchange students, I can see that this standard of wealth among traditional Chinese people may have changed. After observing the types of luxury clothes many of them wear and talking to them about the things they spend money on, it seems that many Chinese people have begun taking a greater liking to material goods instead of familial values. However, I do not think my perspective can be representative of the entire Chinese population since most of my interactions with people from China were with students that were able to come to study in America. Nevertheless, it is interesting that this novel shows how Chinese families of the 1930s placed such an emphasis on family over wealth and now there is a whole generation of young people of Chinese decent leaving their families to study in America.
November 6, 2017 at 9:19 pm
In Chinatown Family, by Lin Yutang tells the story of an immigrant, working-class Chinese American family that settled in New York City during the 1930s and 1940s. The story takes place in the Fong’s family economic and social struggle of being deemed as illegal in America. Like many other stories about immigration, Chinatown Family is a novel of assimilation dealing. Lin depicts a dialectical tension between the dream of material wealth and the Confucian Chinese ideal of family. The Confucian and Chinese ideal of family describes the family as the root of Chinese society in which they are a family system of respect for the elders.
At the beginning, Fong is separated from his beloved family to live in America. The price that Fong has to pay to maintain his Chinese family ideal is that Fong is “mobbed, robbed…and…drive out of the West” (chapter 1). He eventually sets up a hand laundry in the basement on 80th Street and Third Avenue. Afterward, Fong begins to transplant his family onto American soil, circumventing the legal structure. Freddie, Fong’s second son, makes good passage money to his money and two younger children, they gain entry to the United States, but Fong resorts to falsifying his social status to reunite with his family. Loy, the eldest son, follows after his father’s hard-working example and then departs from this traditional culture by marrying Flora, a Catholic Italian American. At first, the elder Fongs were apprehensive about Christianity, a region “hated” in China, however they later learn to accept to the new region and adapt to living in a new environment. There is a form of rebellion to traditional Chinese culture and an assimilation to more liberal western influence. this can be seen when Freddie, rejects the familial chain by addressing Flora by her first name rather than calling her “Daisow” and marries Sing Toy, a nightclub entertainer, and occasional prostitute. Although Freddie is the fastest to achieve the American Dream of wealth and social status, he falls far short of the Chinese family ideal.
Tom, the third son, is the most rounded character in the book and becomes a student at the Brooklyn Technological Institute. Freddie urges Tom to be more aggressive:”Americans like fighters, they don’t respect you if you don’t fight back” (chapter 6). Asian families are seen as being close-knit and successful, so people don’t think that Asian communities need resources and support, while they do need the help, like any communities. Asian Americans are viewed as the model minorities and they must live up to the high model standard of academic grades: “are you depressed because you didn’t get the A+ on the math test?” These stereotypes categorize the entire Asian American community and partially announces those who do not achieve those high grades are a failure to the normal customary. On the other hand, Fong encourages Tom in a Taoist metaphor to flow” like water…seeking the low places and penetrating everywhere” (chapter 12). Chinatown Family ends with the engagement of Tom and Elsie, who said that Laotse is “much better” than Confucius. The coming union of Tom and Elsie also illustrates the synthesis of the positive aspect of Western opportunity and Asian ideal.
America is a country created by a diverse group of immigrants from all over the world. We need to embrace those differences of culture, race, religion, and beliefs, in order to treat everyone equally. The ideal American Dream is the superlative culture of Americans to sustain a thriving life by graduating from a renowned college, earning the career of their dream and striving for the happiest family. America is a country of freedom, prosperity and a “paved road of gold”.
November 6, 2017 at 10:12 pm
In the novel, “Chinatown Family” written by Lin Yutang, there is a clear contrast displayed between the Chinese and American cultures in the 1920s and the 1930s. The novel takes place in New York City’s Chinatown and follows the Fong family, a Chinese-American family that has recently made their way to America. “Chinatown Family” deals with the Fong family’s struggle to blending in with the culture of New York, which may sometimes be unwelcoming. Their hardships, endurance, and perseverance allow the Fong family to become successful in America.
The novel displays similarities and differences between Chinese and American ideals with regards to how each culture values family, social hierarchy, wealth, and confrontation. To begin, in terms of family, the Fong family greatly accepts that it is their duty to respect their elders and put family over everything. In most situations, on the other hand, Americans are displayed as having little to no family duty. They frequently disregard their families in favor of work or social groups. This relates to the next point: social hierarchy. The social hierarchy displayed within a Chinese community or culture is predominately patriarchal and has a lot to deal with family, with one’s elders placing higher than themselves. In American culture, these social hierarchies are less defined somewhat, but when they are present, it normally has to do with the amount of money an individual makes rather than some other merit. In terms of wealth in the novel “Chinatown Family,” a typical Chinese family does not measure success based on wealth but rather based on hard work. Lin Yutang also comments on the fact that Americans do not normally seek to properly work hard but would rather slack off and get whatever work they might have done as soon as possible. This leads to a lack of devotion and thus portrays the American culture as lazy, which is contrasted by Chinese ideals of working hard to achieve success. Americans are also depicted as being more concerned with their wealth and material objects as being the centerpiece for their motivation. Rather than this material objectification, the Chinese, in “Chinatown Family,” believe education to be more valuable than any object, unlike in American culture where being smart is not as valued and therefore is not as sought after. This is shown very specifically in the novel by Lin Yutang when Tom Jr. shows his diligence while learning the English language. In fact, he proves to be much more diligent than his American counterparts, who do not bother to master their own language, which is representative of their culture.
As for confrontation, it is displayed throughout “Chinatown Family” that family is one of the most important things in the Chinese culture. Therefore, confrontation is something the Fong family usually tries to avoid. However, when the family is in dismay and confrontation is necessary, it is taken care of responsibly. This is somewhat different to the American culture, where the family is not as important and therefore confrontations are frequent and when they happen, they are not always resolved.
November 6, 2017 at 11:23 pm
In Chinatown Family by Lin Yutang, he discusses the story of a Chinese family who has come to America to live a better life. Although they face many challenges, they overcome them in hopes of living a prosperous life. There were many differences and similarities between Chinese and American themes of social hierarchy and family throughout the book.
Chinese and American culture view social hierarchy in different ways. As seen throughout the story, the father is the main figure in the household and everything revolves around him. He is the one who supports the family and provides income for them to survive. In the beginning of the story, Tom Senior was attempting to earn enough money to bring the rest of his family to the United States. However, due to the collapse of his bank, the event was delayed. When his son, Yiko provided him with five hundred dollars, Tom Sr. was astonished and moved by Yiko’s actions. However, he did not express his gratitude towards Yiko with words. He only showed it through his facial expression and tears. Tom Sr. had to maintain his reputation as a fatherly figure that his son could rely on instead of having his son provide for him. Another example is shown when women are not given as many opportunities as men are. Tom Jr. was allowed to pursue any career path he wanted when he started school. However, Eva only had the option of marrying someone and following her husband’s career path. Although Eva expected America to be different because it was the land of the free where dreams can be achieved, she still had to follow tradition and what her father told her to do. However, Americans do not care for formalities and there is little to no social hierarchy in their families. This is shown when Tom Jr. wants to just call Flora by her name instead of daisow. When Tom Jr. asks to call her that, she responds with “Please do. Why not?”. This shows that Flora does not care about the formalities. However, when Tom Jr. asks his family for approval to do so, they reject and tell Tom Jr. to follow the Chinese tradition of maintaining respect to the elders.
Family is an important theme that is present in both Chinese and American culture. When Tom Sr. first came to the United States, his first goal was to gain wealth and send it to his family to help them survive. Additionally, he desperately wanted them to come to the U.S. with him. This is shown by his 10-year attempt to save money and get his family to be with him. As a father, he will do anything to help his family survive and prosper. He also wanted his son to get a proper education to pursue a career that would benefit his son’s future. American culture also focuses on family culture. When the rest of Tom Jr.’s family came to the United States, Flora was nervous at first at how they would perceive her. Flora would spend time with Yiko’s mother to get to know her better and establish better relations since she would become her daughter in law. They were able to connect well in the kitchen when cooking and this improves the relationship that they have with each other. Both cultures want to maintain family and it is seen as an important factor to create unity and happiness.
November 7, 2017 at 4:55 am
Lin Yutang’s novel Chinatown Family follows the story of a Chinese family, the Fong family, learning to assimilate to American culture in the early 1900s. The family’s journey in the novel begins with the struggle for the family to unite in America, due to strict immigration laws of the time. Tom Sr., the father of the Fong family, came to America with his children where he helped build the transcontinental railroad. After the completion of that task, he was unemployed until he moved to New York where he worked in a laundromat. Meanwhile, his wife and two remaining children still lived in China, as they wait for the funds necessary to make the move to America. Tom Sr. finally raises enough money, enabling his youngest daughter Eva, son Tom Jr., and the mother of the Fong family to come join the rest of the family in New York. When the family is reunited in America, the novel describes the ways in which the characters react to American society. The Chinese work ethic is depicted through the women in the family, who work endlessly to help meet the needs of the family. In America, Tom Jr. learns the English language and gains a special appreciation for his new home as a foreigner, while American born citizens lack the same admiration because they know nothing else. This perspective allows the reader t compare the differing education values in America and China; the Chinese immigrants in the novel value the importance of expanding one’s knowledge capacity through reading and studying while Americans are deemed as quick paced workers, always looking to move on to the next task. American society in the time of the novel compares to the current nature in our age of social media and internet exploration- we rarely stop long enough to appreciate the world and breadth of information around us.
The Fong family faces the similar struggle that most immigrants must tackle- learning how to get accustomed to American society without forgetting their culture and heritage. This is particularly evident when the Fong family is exposed to the highly materialistic American society that contrasts with their life in China. The Family is the symbol of utmost importance in Chinese culture, yet Americans are much less family oriented and prioritize wealth above all, evident particularly in capitalist New York City. Additionally, the Fong family gains positive attributes of American society as they assimilate to their environment. They learn the essential democratic way of life, which includes freedom and merit based success. Tom Sr. can make an earning if he works hard enough, which he is propelled to do in order to help his family join him in America. At the same time, the family is exposed to the prevalent racism and social hierarchy in America; throughout the 20th century, immigrants were deemed as inferior, and strict regulations were enforced which determined quotas for how many immigrants could move to America. Americans were fearful for their jobs, especially from new Chinese immigrants that were somewhat skilled and willing to work for extremely low wages. As a daughter of two immigrant parents, I have witnessed the struggle of American immigrants trying to balance their traditional values with the modern way of life in New York. Every generation loses more of what their ancestors brought here with them, which is why through religion and family involvement, families such as the Fong family try to preserve their culture. Lin Yutang drives home the message that above all else, respect for the family is the utmost important value, even as Tom Sr. dies in a car crash, an “American death”. Ultimately, the family may live in America, and die American, but they can never lose their bond to their Chinese background.
November 7, 2017 at 12:08 pm
Chinatown Family is a novel written by Lin Yutang and published in 1948. This novel depicts the life of a Chinese family known as the Fong family assimilating into American culture. The leading character, Tom Sr. moves to New York and works at a laundry on the Upper East Side. He is eventually able to earn enough to bring his family to America where he could provide a better future for his children, Eva and Tom Jr., along with his wife. The reader can see what value family holds in Chinese traditions. Tom Sr. works hard to earn an honest living, while his wife does the same when taking care of the household. The story starts off by showing that immigrating into America was not as hard as assimilating to the American culture, and all the while the author points out several similarities and differences between the Chinese and American cultures during that time period.
Social hierarchy is a theme that is emphasized greatly in this novel. Tom Jr. works hard to learn English and gain an education, whereas American children born in the United States take this education for granted, not appreciating it or working hard to master it. Tom Jr. is shown to learn English with a diligence which American children do not have. He also learns Mandarin Chinese in order to get a girl, Elsie. He is also shown to study literature and works much harder than American children which are proved when he translates the meaning of the Declaration of Independence into simpler English to reveal its importance. Although immigrants are judged as inferior, he works hard to climb the social hierarchy in the United States and overcomes several obstacles.
The theme of wealth can also be clearly seen throughout this novel. Several times we come across the idea that Americans are wasteful and they place a huge importance on material possessions. Chinese traditions are unlike this and instead, the reader can see through several characters in this novel that these traditions place a huge importance on family and education. Towards the end of this novel, we again see the theme of wealth when Tom Sr. is hit by a car while crossing the street, dying a typically American death according to the novel. The mother of the driver offers compensation to the family, enough to send Tom Jr. to college and to finance the family’s restaurant opening. This gesture, although thoughtful, shows how money is valued. Tom Sr. is put a price on and this incident reveals the power money and wealth hold in society. The novel stresses the importance of family for success but also reveals that wealth is what eventually matters to survive.
November 7, 2017 at 12:38 pm
The novel Chinatown Family written by Lin Yutang in 1948 is set in New York City during the 1920’s and 30’s and revolves around the Fong family. The Fongs are a Chinese-American family that is trying to be successful in America with the false hope it provides. At this time America is not a very welcoming place for Chinese immigrants and the novel expresses the cultural differences that the Fongs face in their challenges with trying to adapt as well. Tom Sr. is the father in the Fond family and he travels to America first in order to make enough money to send for the rest of his family and get them visas. To do this he runs a laundry place on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. The novel shows how immigrating to America from China is easier in some aspects than it is to assimilate to American culture for the Fong family. The stereotype of American culture is that Americans put more value on material items rather than on the relationships between people, in particular, the relationships within the family and that they don’t work hard. The Fong family still carries their values with them to America and it is also seen that Tom Sr. works very hard at his job to provide a better life for his family than what they had in China. This loyalty to family versus the appeal to money and wealth in the cultural differences is one of the major themes of the novel. One of the few exceptions that the Fong family meets is a girl named Flora. Flora is an Italian-American who becomes a daughter in-law to the family and defies the previous connotation that comes with being American. The family tells her that she is practically Chinese in the way in which she doesn’t fight with her husband or parents and she works constantly. Flora responds with, “A padre is a padre,” meaning a father is a father. It was typical in Italian culture for the woman to be subservient to the man and so this idea that she doesn’t start arguments with her husband or family is more rooted in her cultural background rather than assimilating to the Fong’s. This is contrasted with the fact that Tom Jr. falls in love with a nightclub dancer, Elise, who is the opposite of Flora. She is more interested in material things than family. The audience can see that in order to win her over, Tom Jr. learns English and Mandarin in order to have an opportunity to date Elise, however, Elise eventually leaves to return back to her home to help in their war effort. Tom Jr. continually has to choose between his family’s values and the ones of Elise. Without even realizing it, the audience can see by the diligent work that Tom Jr. does to learn English and even exceeds the skill of native speakers, that his family’s values are more prominent than his desire to date Elise. The theme of the value of family versus that of money is evident until the very end of the novel. Tom Sr. gets hit by a car and dies what is considered an “American death” and the family of the driver pays the Fong family enough to have Tom Jr. go to college and for them to open a restaurant in Chinatown. This shows not only the struggle between wealth versus family because of the amount of money they got from Tom Sr.’s death, but the fact that anyone could be taken away from the world at any moment and that family is more important than anything else.
November 7, 2017 at 12:59 pm
In the novel Chinatown Family by Lin Yutang, there is a palpable sociocultural dissonance that is described throughout the novel. The relationship between Chinese and American culture is set up in the first few chapters of the book. The cultural disconnect that we see is represented to the reader by the connections and interactions between different parts of the family. The oldest two sons of the family are shown to be somewhat Americanized figures whereas the father is Chinese at heart but American in the sense that he lives here and he has grown somewhat accustomed to the way things are here. The rest of the family is exclusively Chinese. The Asian way of family is deeply ingrained in the novel with the decisions being ultimately made by the parents even if the younger members of the family may not sit well with those decisions. At the very start of the family’s reconnection in America, Freddy, one of the Americanized sons of the family, brings a cameraman unannounced to the port. When he kisses his mother lightly on the cheek, he has the cameraman take a picture that can be put in the local papers. However, his mother in a gesture of Chinese virtue, doesn’t want a photograph of her son kissing his mother in the papers. This already sets up the idea that Freddy has assimilated somewhat to the opportunist state of mind that comes with living in New York. In the end, Freddy’s Chinese values show when he allows he gives in to his mother’s unhappiness about the photo. The ease with which confrontation is avoided when it comes to the issue of the photograph goes to show that the ideal conflict within a Chinese is no conflict at all and the way for this level of no conflict to be reached is that the younger individual back down and allow the views of his parents to overturn his own feelings. Freddy is also further distanced from the family in that he wears something completely different from the rest of the family. He comes all dressed up in an outfit that is distinctly American while his parents and the rest of the family are of a humbler garb. This also shows that Freddy is very in tune with the importance of embellishment of social status through suits and other clothes as well as the importance of showing wealth even when it is not necessarily available in abundance. This may never have been true in the village Freddy’s family were originally from. Even Freddy’s name, which is not Freddy at all but rather Ah-Tong, shows how Freddy seeks to become even more Americanized and how he wants to remove himself from his Chinese background.
Even though I am not Chinese, I was born in a village in Pakistan and moved to England when I was 4 or 5 and then moved to New York City in 2011. As such, I resonate somewhat with Freddy. I feel that Yutang’s portrayal of the sociocultural dissonance that arises when an immigrant, and specifically Asian, family moves to America is somewhat true. Tom Senior describes there being no laws against working more hours to be a blessing because it allows him to make more money for his family. This type of ideology is something my parents also adhere to. If there is ever some extra time, it is not for entertainment; it is for involving yourself with work. The dissonance between the oldest son’s wishes to marry an Italian girl and his parent’s wary eye over the nature of that connection, which I did not explicate much on here, also resonates with me in that my mother specifically wants me to marry “a nice Pakistani girl” and is somewhat in the process of finding one for my brother who is two years older. Yikes. The sociocultural dissonance described in the novel is indeed very real, even today.
November 7, 2017 at 1:24 pm
Lin Yutang beautifully writes about the struggles of a Chinese immigrant family in the 1930s, depicting how American culture clashes with those different than it. Tom Fong, a determined father and main breadwinner of his family, leaves China in hopes of establishing a better life for his family in America. After years of backbreaking work, he finally sees an opportunity to transport his family to America. Once reunited, all the family members experience a multitude of culture shocks and disillusions, revealing to them the true nature of the “land of the free.”
Family, wealth, and religion are among some of the main principles discussed in the book. Yutang uses the Fong family to provide insight on the stark contrasts and hardships of adapting to American culture. This battle between cultures rocks the family, affecting some more than others. For Freddie, assimilating was not an issue. He believed in the aggressive nature that pushed American society, using it to propel himself in life. In his wake, he left behind the principles that mean the most to his family; respect, hard work, and complaisance. He embraced American culture, pursuing wealth above all, but at the same time abandoned his roots. Wealth is viewed as secondary in Chinese culture. Material items and excess wealth are not held in such high regard, in comparison to American culture. Chinese culture does not agree with the cutthroat nature of America’s ways of attaining wealth, but rather values modesty and communal sense of welfare, such as providing first for the family than for one’s self. This non-confrontational nature of Chinese culture is in stark contrast with the American culture of aggression. It’s still evident today, in which a widely held stereotype of not only Chinese, but Asian people is that they are submissive and weak.
Religion plays a major role in the beliefs that the Fong family holds. It’s these Confucian values that make American culture seem so foreign to them. In America, where religion is free for all to practice, it is not held to such importance in society. Ideals like respect for elders is highly practiced and recognized in Chinese culture than in American culture. Proper and formal names are to be used for elders in a respectful way. When Freddie asks Flora if he could call her by her first name, she’s completely ok with it, as if that’s what he should call her. She is unaware and unfamiliar with this Chinese value of respect that Freddie was trying to address, since she is an Italian American. Whereas on the other hand, his family reprimanded him for calling her by her first name, and continued to advise him of their traditional cultural ways even in America.
Family roles in both American and Chinese culture are mostly the same. Patriarchy is a universal trait amongst the world, at this time. The Fong family depends on Tom, the father, to provide for them. This is the whole premise on which he ventured on his own, just to provide for his family. This idea of male dominance in the family is a cultural norm in both American and Chinese culture.
November 8, 2017 at 12:01 am
Author Lin Yutang presents the similarities and differences between Chinese and American culture through his depiction of the Fong family in his novel Chinatown Family. The Fongs present how families in both American and Chinese culture strive to build a better life for their children and achieve success. In the novel, Tom Fong Sr. is separated from his family for 10 years working hard to make money so that they too can move to America. This presents the hope of achieving the “American dream” that is shared by many families in American culture that value hard work and perseverance. However, the Fongs also present how Chinese culture values respect and honor more than American culture. This is evident from how Mrs. Fong tells Tom that he can not call her by her first name because it shows disrespect for his “superior”, and how she is opposed to doing anything that would disrespect her family.
Lin Yutang also presents differences between Chinese and American culture in the novel through social hierarchy, and specifically through gender roles. Chinatown Family presents how Chinese culture is more patriarchal than American culture. In the novel, Mrs. Fong and the children show great respect to Mr. Fong by doing things such as bringing him his slippers, bringing him water, and giving him massages. Mrs. Fong performs duties of a housewife that are required of women in Chinese culture. In addition, Mr. Fong explains to his daughter Eva that she is free to marry but not free to be what she wants to be, while her brother Tom is free to be whatever he wants to be. This presents a lack of freedom and opportunity for women in Chinese culture that differs from American culture in which there is less gender inequality and more opportunity for women.
Through its plot, the novel Chinatown Family presents how the close bonds and love of family are most important, especially for immigrant families. Although it presents the importance of money and material wealth as well, the bonds of family are most important when finding comfort in a new home.
November 13, 2017 at 10:38 pm
It is evident to begin that the family begins identical to the American Dream. Coming to America looking for opportunity, and somewhat achieving them through hard work and dedication, the same dream that any American dreams of as well.
In regards to Tom, I found interest in his passion for language (mostly English). I felt that this was a bit of a stereotype on Americans and how they may not be the most sensitive of people (like “the American gun-toting idiots” and “burger-eating bums”). Although not explicitly shown, the novel does portray that the other American students did not show a sincere appreciation for their language the way Tom did. While this could be reasonable, I found two things uncomfortable to grasp. One, the native language can easily be taken for granted. Yes one can find the delicate beauty of their native tongue, but it’s not something that’s often done. And even if you can’t find beauty in your own language because you just grew up with it, does not mean that you are culturally insensitive. The novel stresses how hardworking Chinese people are, and it made it evident that it was Tom’s passion and hard work to learn the language that granted him this profound appreciation. True and I am in agreeance, but Americans during this time period and even now work very hard today. Social equity and fairness in the adult world is often up for debate. And while there are true injustices based on racism and classism, a lot of people seem to forget that assuming all Americans have it easy is the kind same stereotyping. While the novel focuses on the Chinese family, I feel like it intentionally directed the reader to assume that Americans were these insensitive, privileged beings all living the good life (perhaps in the perspective of immigrants, that’s what Americans seem like…).
This concept of hard work is what I believe is crucial in the novel. The very thing that is to lead to the American Dream, as we know, doesn’t work for everyone (like Tom Sr.). This view on where hard work leads you for Americans compared to those who are in minorities or have disadvantaged statuses seems to exist today, and is a continuing debate.
November 19, 2017 at 12:15 am
The 1948 novel, Chinatown Family, written by Lin Yutang, follows the experiences of the Fongs, the Chinese-American family living in New York City’s Chinatown. Throughout the novel, it is shown that the Fongs are pursuing the American Dream through hard work and determination in spite of the obstacles in their way. The novel portrays many similarities and differences between Chinese and American culture. To start, the Chinese value the importance of the family more than Americans do. Tom Senior had fought to bring his wife and children from China to the United States. The Chinese put their families first and they make sure to stay together by providing whatever they have to support the family, even if it’s their own money. To Americans, however, wealth and power are valued more because they see materialistic gains as more important. In addition, in the Chinese social hierarchy, the elders must be respected and the youth must be obedient. They hold the notion that the elders are wiser and that the millennials should be respectful. On the other hand, to Americans, age isn’t a major differentiator in the social hierarchy. Furthermore, in the Chinese family system, direct confrontation is avoided among the members of the family. The adults try to be more subtle in dealing with their issues. In contrast, the Americans don’t hold back, but rather, they directly confront others over their issues. Moreover, the Chinese believe in hard work in both their careers and education. Tom Junior had worked hard to learn English and had even become better than his fellow classmates. For Americans, they don’t appreciate their native language because they take learning English for granted. As a Chinese-American, I can relate to many of these differences as my parents were immigrants. Their values and American values often conflicted and I had a lot of trouble appeasing both sides. I think that many of Yutang’s portrayals of Chinese-immigrant families do remain true to this day.
December 10, 2017 at 8:55 pm
Lin Yutang’s novel Chinatown Family captures the fundamental principles of living as Chinese-Americans in New York City during the 1930s and 1940s. The clash of cultures is highlighted by the family members’ contrasting attitudes toward assimilation, and their ways of life experience a divergence. Family, more so than any other aspect of their lives, is prioritized and the Fongs attempt to make their way through life in America without abandoning the Chinese values with which they were raised. The father, Tom, initially arrives in the supposed land of the free for the gold rush, and he works to earn enough money from the laundromat to reunite the rest of his family. However, the immigration laws work against him, and he only manages to bring the other members to the United States after twisting his status in the eyes of the law.
The mother, despite preferring to remain in China, relents to the move for the sake of her children’s future. The extent to which Tom and the mother work and make sacrifices is representative of the value he places on them. Their son Freddie, embodies the American spirit of independence in that he separates himself from the family more than the other members, as he neither works nor resides with them. His act of gifting his Chinese-American wife, Sing Toy, a car before they were legally wed goes against his family’s frugal nature.
The Fongs seem to be open to religions outside of theirs, as evidenced by their acceptance of Catholicism, which is practiced by the Italian-American Flora, despite their primary devotion to Confucianism and Taoism. They are particularly supportive of her religion with Flora’s pregnancy, and they even accompany her to church in order to pray for the baby’s good health. The Italian culture prioritizes family as well, so both Flora and the Fongs place great emphasis on similar values, which is integral to their compatibility.
Through the plot of the novel, Lin Yutang appears to imply that the prioritization of family is the most important aspect of Chinese culture, given that nearly every significant action is done with the thought of the family members’ wellbeing in mind. Sacrifices were made and tolerance arose for the sake of maintaining as well as strengthening family ties, indicating that the values with which individuals are raised should not be abandoned when adapting to a changing environment.
December 18, 2017 at 12:13 pm
Lin Yutang’s Chinatown Family tells the story of a universal immigrant experience, of sacrifice and perseverance that marks the lives of many immigrants. Centered around the family’s patriarch Tom Sr., the novel details the many tribulations him and his family were faced with as immigrant in America during the great depression. Having come to America for the same reason many do, to make money and provide his children with opportunities for success, Tom finds himself disillusioned with the reality he encountered. This is quite common among the immigrant experience, as often we build up very high expectations of places seen as an escape from the often bad situations we are in.
Tom Sr. was faced with this as he struggle to earn enough money to bring his family to the U.S.. This idea of wealth is very heavily emphasized in immigrant culture, as often it is not the money earned in the short term but rather those investments made with long-term returns that have more value to the family. The restaurant the family opens in the end is an example of one such long-term investment, which can be seen as a firm establishment of roots that tie the family to America. In this way Chinese culture, and largely immigrant culture differ. Immigrants often look for more permanent ways to cement their lives in the U.S., perhaps for fear that without this anchor they are too vulnerable.
Chinatown Family also exemplifies the “American” ideas of hard work. The family at the center of the story chides American’s for their laziness, even though Americans often consider a strong work ethic a key trait of theirs. The novel suggests that this hard work and persistence is in fact the most valuable trait, as the family values this trait in their own children as well in Flora. In this way, the family is more attached to the american culture than they realize.