THE RESPONSES OF CHINESE IMMIGRANT WOMEN IN
AMERICA IN THE MID 20
THCENTURY TOWARD THE
DEMANDS OF THE SOCIETY
IN LISA SEE’S
SHANGHAI GIRLS
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
EMEILYA KUMALA SARI Student Number: 074214002
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA 2011
i
THE RESPONSES OF CHINESE IMMIGRANT WOMEN IN
AMERICA IN THE MID 20
THCENTURY TOWARD THE
DEMANDS OF THE SOCIETY
IN LISA SEE’S
SHANGHAI GIRLS
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
EMEILYA KUMALA SARI Student Number: 074214002
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA 2011
ii
iv
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN
PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIK
Yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma: Nama : Emeilya Kumala Sari
Nomor Mahasiswa : 074214002
Demi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul:
The Responses of Chinese Immigrant Women in America in the Mid 20th Century toward the Demands of the Society in Lisa See’s Shanghai Girls
beserta perangkat yang diperlukan (bila ada). Dengan demikian saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma hak untuk menyimpan, mengalihkan dalam bentuk media lain, mengelolanya dalam bentuk pangkalan data, mendistribusikan secara terbatas, dan mempublikasikannya di Internet atau media lain untuk kepentingan akademis tanpa perlu meminta ijin dari saya maupun memberikan royalti kepada saya selama tetap mencantumkan nama saya sebagai penulis.
Demikian pernyataan ini yang saya buat dengan sebenarnya. Dibuat di Yogyakarta
Pada tanggal : 31 Mei 2011
Yang menyatakan
(Emeilya Kumala Sari)
v
The future starts today, not tomorrow
(Pope John Paul II)
Face your deficiencies and acknowledge them, but do not let them
master you. Let them teach you patience, sweetness, insight
(Helen Keller)
We're told that men are strong and brave, but I think women know
how to endure, accept, defeat and bear physical and mental agony much
better than men
(Lisa See - Shanghai Girls)
Life must be lived forward, but it can only be understood backward
(Sorren Kierkegaard)
Hoping for the best, prepared for the worst, and unsurprised by
anything in between
(Maya Angelou - I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings)
vi
This thesis is dedicated to
My Beloved and Caring Mother,
My Family,
and Sanata Dharma University
vii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First of all, I thank Jesus Christ for His great blessings and everlasting love for me. I also thank Him for never leaving me in my good and bad times. Without His guidance I would never be able to face my weaknesses and problems.
I thank my advisor, Dewi Widyastuti, S.Pd., M.Hum., for the guidance and helps during my thesis writing. I would like to thank her for her willingness to read, and reread my thesis and then give suggestions to improve it every week. Then, I thank my co-advisor, Elisa Dwi Wardani, S.S., M.Hum., and my main examiner, Dr. Fransiskus Xaverius Siswadi, M.A., for their suggestions and corrections to improve my thesis. I would also thank all of the lecturers and academic staff in English Letters Department of Sanata Dharma University. Without their helps, I would not be able to finish my study on time.
Then, I thank my beloved mother, Yap Siok Lin, for her everlasting love and support during my study in USD. I thank her for being the best mother ever. I also would like to thank my best aunt, Yap Siok Hwa, for her love and support. Then, I thank my beloved brothers, Eddy Prasetia and Yustian Prasetyo, for their encouragement during my study in USD.
I thank Milka, Jopie, Putra, Reli, Yudha, and Yona for being my best friends in English Letters. I also thank Mas Greg for his help during my thesis writing. Then, I thank my Surya 6 family, especially C Linda, Mira, Wiwid, Boti, and Cintya for all of their encouragement in finishing my thesis. Besides, I would also thank those whose names I could not mention one by one for the help so far.
LEMBAR PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH ... iv
MOTTO PAGE ... v
CHAPTER II: THEORETICAL REVIEWS ... 7
A. Review of Related Studies ... 7
B. Review of Related Theories ... 9
1. Theories on Characters and Characterization ... 9
2. Theories on Gender Roles for Asian American Women .. 11
3. Theories on Traditional Values of Chinese Immigrant ... 12
in America 4. The Demands of the Society toward Women ... 16
5. Theory on Relation between Literature and Society ... 17
C. The Chinese Immigrant in America in the Mid 20th Century .... 18
D. Theoretical Framework ... 19
CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY ... 21
A. Object of the Study ... 21
B. Approach of the Study ... 22
C. Method of the Study ... 23
CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS ... 26
A. Characterization of Woman Major Characters ... 26
1. Pearl ... 31
2. May ... 36
B. The Demands of the Society toward Chinese Immigrant ... 39
Women 1. The Demands toward Women in the Family Life ... 39
ix toward Women
C. The Responses of Chinese Immigrant Women ... 47 toward the Demands
1. The Response of Pearl toward the Demands ... 48 of the Society
2. The Response of May toward the Demands ... 51 of the Society
x ABSTRACT
EMEILYA KUMALA SARI. The Responses of Chinese Immigrant Women in America in the Mid 20th Century toward the Demands of the Society in Lisa See’s Shanghai Girls. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2011.
Lisa See’s Shanghai Girls is a historical-fiction which talks about the lives of Chinese immigrant women in America in the mid 20th century. The women major characters in this novel grew up China, but then migrated and stayed in America. Since Chinese culture, their primary culture, placed Chinese women in such an inferior position, Chinese women were burdened by several demands of the society which subordinate them. However, living in America might influence their socio-cultural lives. Therefore, the writer intends to find out the gender consciousness of Chinese immigrant women at that time through the major characters’ responses toward the demands of the society.
There are three problems formulated in this thesis. The first problem is how the women major characters are characterized. The second is about the demands of the society attached to the woman major characters. The third is how the women major characters respond toward the demands of the society.
The approach applied in this thesis is socio-cultural-historical approach. The method used in this thesis is library research method. Therefore, the primary data were taken from the novel itself, Lisa See’s Shanghai Girls. Meanwhile, the secondary data were taken from several books, journals, reviews and reference dealing with this research.
The result of the study shows that Pearl is a beautiful, modern but preserving Chinese culture, smart, responsible, and obedient person. Similar to Pearl, May is also a beautiful, smart and modern person, but she is also a selfish and disobedient person. The demands of the society toward the major characters explained in this thesis are divided into two parts. The first is the demands in the family life, such as: being compliant wives, give birth to sons, and applying three obedience and four virtues. The second is the demand of the Chinese immigrant society toward women which is the demand to preserve Chinese culture in their lives. Then, the writer finds out that during that period there are two different responses of Chinese immigrant women toward the demands of the society. Some of them obey the demands of the society while the others start to disobey those gender-based demands. This indicates that during that period, the Chinese immigrant women in America start to have their gender consciousness. They start to realize the gender inequality. Therefore, they start to disobey the demands of the society.
xi ABSTRAK
EMEILYA KUMALA SARI. The Responses of Chinese Immigrant Women in America in the Mid 20th Century toward the Demands of the Society in Lisa See’s Shanghai Girls. Yogyakarta: Jurusan Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2011.
Shanghai Girls karya Lisa See adalah novel fiksi sejarah yang bercerita tentang kehidupan perempuan-perempuan imigran Cina di Amerika pada pertengahan abad ke dua puluh. Tokoh-tokoh utama perempuan dalam novel ini dibesarkan di Cina tetapi kemudian bermigrasi dan menetap di Amerika. Karena kebudayaan utama mereka, budaya Cina, memposisikan perempuan lebih rendah dari pada laki-laki, perempuan Cina dibebani oleh beberapa tuntutan masyarakat yang menomor-duakan posisi mereka. Namun demikian, hidup di Amerika dapat mempengaruhi kehidupan sosio-kultural mereka. Oleh karena itu, penulis ingin mengetahui kesadaran gender perempuan imigran Cina pada waktu itu melalui respon tokoh-tokoh utama terhadap tuntutan masyarakat.
Ada tiga rumusan masalah dalam skripsi ini. Rumusan masalah pertama ialah bagaimana tokoh utama perempuan dideskripsikan. Rumusan masalah kedua ialah tuntutan-tuntutan masyarakat terhadap tokoh utama perempuan. Rumusan masalah yang ketiga ialah bagaimana respon tokoh utama perempuan terhadap tuntutan masyarakat.
Pendekatan yang digunakan dalam penulisan skripsi ini adalah pendekatan sosio-kultural-histori. Metode yang digunakan dalam penulisan skripsi ini metode studi kepustakaan. Oleh karena itu, data-data utama diambil dari novel Shanghai Girls karya Lisa See itu sendiri. Sedangkan, data-data tambahannya diambil dari beberapa buku, jurnal, review, dan referensi-referensi yang menunjang lainnya.
1
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
Learning about culture is somehow interesting. Read in Webster’s Comprehensive Dictionary defines culture as enlightment or civilization (1996: 314). Therefore, it can be said that culture is a part of human beings’ civilization. It means that without a well-developed culture there will be no civilization as well. Besides, there are a lot of cultures in this world. Those cultures are really unique. They vary from one another although some might also still share some similarities with others too.
One of the most interesting cultures to learn is Chinese culture. Not only being famous as the most populated country in the world, China is also famous for its civilization as well. Gallin in his research “China: People and Way of Life” stated that “China has the oldest continuous surviving civilization in the world although it is not the first to have developed” (1978: 496). It means that China has a great and old culture. Its greatness even succeeds in making Chinese descendants all over the world proud of Chinese culture and still preserve it in their nowadays lives. As we can find in Indonesia, Chinese descendants in Indonesia also still hold on Chinese culture’s traditions- such as celebrating Chinese New Year, performing Lion Dance or Barongsai, and celebrating Moon Cake Festivals- although they no longer live in China.
The Chinese culture itself cannot be separated from the Chinese society. According to Bloomfield in her book The Book of Chinese Belief, Chinese people traditionally have a very role-oriented society. Everyone has his/her part to play and is supposed to play it properly. A child is supposed to obey his/her parents and respect his/her teacher; women are supposed to obey their husband, widows are supposed to obey their sons, etc. This arrangement creates an orderly but restricted society, in which certain emotions are literally unspeakable (1991: xvi).
In addition, Chinese culture also has a restricted classification in its gender roles. Similar to other old cultures, from its gender roles classification Chinese culture is classified as a patriarchal culture. Since the ancient time, Chinese women are placed in a lower position than men and they get certain gender-based demands to do.
According to the history of China, there was a westernization process occurred in China. As stated in Fitzgerald’s The Chinese View of their Place in the World, “This effort, sustained for the whole of the seventeenth century, brought the Chinese educated class, for the first time for centuries, into some contact with foreigners of education and deep learning” (Fitzgerald, 1964: 28). This contact might cause the Chinese way of thinking gradually changing. It might also stimulate cultural change in the Chinese’s lives.
3
from all over the world. Believing that they could get better lives, many Chinese people also migrated to America. In the late 19th century, a huge number of Chinese immigrants, both the legal and illegal ones, entered the United States of America. Since the American government was concerned about the huge number of Chinese immigrants in America which was increasing year by year, they created Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882. As stated in Pascoe’s journal for University of Oregon: “At America’s Gates: Chinese Immigration during the Exclusion Era 1882-1943,” Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was a limitation of immigration that was limited on the basis of race and class for Chinese people (http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2005/is_3_38/ai_n13684753/). During that period, the American government tried to stop Chinese migration to America. This action forced most of Chinese people who wanted to migrate to America in that period of time decided to enter America illegally.
After entering America, those illegal immigrants were faced up to various cultural problems again. America had a totally different culture from China. The demands of the society towards Chinese men and women were different from American men’s and women’s.
Chinese immigrants might adapt and mix their culture with the American one. Therefore, it might also stimulate cultural changes in those immigrants’ lives. These cultural changes might lead them to give different responses toward the demands of their society.
However, if we trace the history back, we could find that Chinese women were burdened by the unequal gender-based demands from the Chinese society and still after being immigrants in America, they had to live along with two dominant cultures. However, they took Chinese culture as their primary culture and American as the secondary one. Therefore, the writer finds it more interesting to see how the Chinese immigrant women in America in the mid 20th century respond toward the demands of the society and the writer decided to take it as this study’s topic. Besides, by seeing the responses of Chinese immigrant women in America in the mid 20th century toward the demands of the society, the writer can also find out about how Chinese immigrant women’s gender awareness was at that time.
In this study, the writer will focus on one of Lisa See’s novels. Lisa See is famous as the author of the New York Times’ bestseller Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. Since See is a Chinese American woman, she has a broad knowledge of Chinese culture. Therefore, most of her works talk about the lives of Chinese women which are burdened by the oppression of the Chinese patriarchal culture.
5
See’s other novels = On Gold Mountain (1995), Flower Net (1997), The Interior
(1999), Dragon Bones (2003), Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (2005) and Peony in Love (2007), Shanghai Girls also focuses on the story of the lives of Chinese women. However, in Shanghai Girls the main focus is about the lives of two Chinese immigrant sisters in America in the mid 20th century.
In Shanghai Girls, the major characters, Pearl and May, are Chinese immigrant women who lived in Chinatown in San Francisco during the mid 20th century. Therefore, they lived in a place which was surrounded by two dominant cultures, the Chinese and American culture. This condition might also lead them to do the assimilation process. However, these two dominant cultures also bring them different demands of the society. Based on this condition, the topic was chosen to see the responses of Chinese immigrant women in America in the mid 20th century toward the demands of the society as represented by descriptions of the two female major characters.
B. Problem Formulation
In order to understand this novel better, three questions are formulated as follows.
1. How are the women major characters characterized?
2. What are the demands of the society attached to the women major characters?
3. How do the women major characters respond towards the demands of the society?
C. Objectives of the Study
The objective of the study is to answer the questions stated before, which deal with the responses of Chinese immigrant women in America of the mid 20th century toward the demands of the society as represented by the women major characters. It is meant to find out the characterization of the women major characters, what the demands of the society toward the women majors characters are, to find out how the women major characters respond toward the demands of the society.
D. Definition of Terms
To make clear some terms which are used in the research title, some terms are defined as follows.
1. Demand
Read in Webster’s Comprehensive Dictionary defined demand as the act of demanding, or that which is demanded; requirement; claim; need. It is a desire to obtain; call (Read, 1996: 340). Therefore, based on this description, it can be said that demand means something claimed as due.
2. Society
Mayhew in International Encyclopedia of Social Sciences volume 14
7
CHAPTER II
THEORETICAL REVIEW
A. Review of Related Studies
As a Chinese American descent, Lisa See has a good basic understanding of Chinese American women’s lives. Although she lives in America, her way of thinking is influenced by the Chinese way of thinking. This fact is supported by See’s statement: “I am Chinese in my heart,” which See wrote in her family memoir On Gold Mountain. This way of thinking also influences her works of literature. She tends to use a typical theme especially about Chinese lives in her novel. This fact was stated by Nimura in her review “Too-Familiar Themes, History Threaten to Shanghai ‘Girls’” special to The Washington Post (July 11, 2009) as quoted in the following.
She is Chinese in her fiction, having mined her heritage for the vivid period details of foot binding, dowries and death rituals that boosted Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and Peony in Love to bestseller Dom. As the third installment in See’s women’s-Chinese-historical sub-genre, Shanghai Girls moves away from the mare remote and picturesque past and into the 20th century (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/ 2009/07/11AR2009071100347.html).
From the above quotation, Nimura shows that See has a typical theme of her fiction which is also influenced by her own background as a Chinese American descendant. See understands deeply about Chinese culture. Therefore, in Shanghai Girls we can easily find Chinese cultural aspects in the main characters’ daily lives.
In her latest fiction, See creates a strong bound between the major characters, Pearl and May Chin. She tells the readers about Chinese’s strong and complex relationship among family through the relation between those two characters. See clearly shows how Pearl always protects May although at the same time she keeps her jealousy toward her sister. This fact was stated by Wasserstrom, a professor of history at U.C. Irvine and the author of Global Shanghai, 1850-2010: A History in Fragments, in his article “A Tale of Two Sisters” as quoted in the following.
Now, with Shanghai Girls, she has produced an engrossing tale of two sisters (who become sisters-in-law, too, by marrying brothers) that has links to all her previous books. Its ties to Peony are strong, to Snow Flower
even stronger. Like both those works, Shanghai Girls is a work of historical fiction. And like Snow Flower, its emotional heart is a complex relationship between two women (sworn sisters in the earlier novel). They experience traumatic events that would put a strain on any psyche — and any relationship (http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,1908273,00. html).
From the above quotation, Wasserstrom observed that the relationship between the major characters in this novel is really complex. They are sisters but also being sisters-in-law at the same time. This condition creates such a deeper emotional bound between them.
The writer herself agrees with Nimura and Wasserstrom’s studies that in
9
Thus, in order to make this research different from the two previous studies, the writer would like to focus on finding the responses of Chinese immigrant women in America in the mid 20th century toward the demands of the society as represented by the descriptions of Shanghai Girls’ female major characters in order to see the gender awareness of Chinese immigrant women at that time.
B. Review of Related Theories
1. Theories on Character and Characterization
In fiction and play, character is usually the main subject. It can be a person or certain other animate thing which is endowed with moral and dispositional qualities. Abrams in A Glossary of Literary Terms stated that,
Characters are the persons presented in a dramatic or narrative work, who are interpreted by the reader as being endowed with moral, dispositional, and emotional qualities that are expressed in what they say—the dialogue—and what they do—the action (1985:23).
However, Gill in Mastering English Literature stated that characterization is the way in which a character is created. Here, we can learn that characterization is the way which is used by an author to tell readers about the character in a literary work. So, from the author’s characterization the reader can understand the characteristics of the character. Thus, characterization is the method to create the character while the character itself is the product of characterization (1995: 127).
According to Murphy in Understanding Unseens, there are nine ways that an author can use to make his characters understandable and come alive for his readers. These nine ways are explained in the following.
a. Personal Description
The first method is personal description. In this method, the characters can be described through his/her appearance and clothes as the author stated in the story (1972: 161).
b. Characters as Seen by Another
The second method is characters as seen by another. In this method, the author describes a character with the help of other character’s eyes and opinion instead of describing a character directly (1972: 162).
c. Speech
The third method is speech. In this method, the author can give us an insight into the character of one of the persons in the book through what that person says (1972: 164).
d. Past Life
The fourth method is past life. In this method, the readers can learn something about the characters through their past lives (1972: 166).
e. Conversations of Others
The fifth method is conversation of others. In this method, the author gives the readers clues to a character with the help of the other people’s conversation and their opinion made about him (1972: 167).
f. Reactions
11
specifically to various kinds of situations, occasions, and conflicts (1972: 168).
g. Direct Comment
The seventh is direct comment. In this method, the author can describe or comment on a person’s character directly (1972: 170).
h. Thought
The eighth is thought. Here, the author let the readers know what the characters think and undergo (1972: 171).
i. Mannerism
The last is mannerism. In this method, the author used mannerism, habits, unique feature which the character possesses with motivation behind them to help characterize the character (1972: 173).
Thus, it is clear that in order to give a description about the characteristics of a character, an author may apply several methods.
2. Theories on Gender Roles for Asian American Women
According to sociological perspective, as stated in Andersen’s Thinking about Women: Sociological Perspective on Sex and Gender, “Gender role is defined as the expectation for behavior and attitudes that the culture defines as appropriate for men and women. These roles are learned through the process of socialization” (1997: 31).
gender roles. As we know, there are a lot of cultures in the worlds. Some have similarities one with another and some others not. However, the focus of gender role is still the same. The main focus is the appropriate expectation toward men and women’s behavior and attitudes.
These gender roles were also attached to Asian American women. Esther Ngan-Ling Chow in her journal “The Development of Feminist Consciousness among Asian American Women” stated that Asian American women have defined roles in their families. This fact is supported by following quotation.
Domination by men is a commonly shared oppression for Asian American women. These women have been socialized to accept their devaluation, restricted roles for women, psychological reinforcement of gender stereotypes, and a subordinate position within Asian communities as well as in the society at large. Within Asian communities, the Asian family (especially the immigrant one) is characterized by a hierarchy of authority based on sex, age, and generation, with young women at the lowest level, subordinate to father-husband-brother-son (1991: 256).
The above quotation shows that Asian American women were placed in a subordinate position based on their gender roles. It can be said that the Asian family is also characterized by well-defined family roles. Usually, a father will be a breadwinner and decision-maker and a mother as a compliant wife and homemaker.
3. Theories on Traditional Values of Chinese Immigrants in America
13
adaptation and assimilation. This fact is supported by Kitano in his book Race Relation 3rd edition as quoted in following.
The changes in the structure and style of Chinese family life that the immigrants brought with them developed from acculturation, exposure to newer models, and challenges in the new country. It is the interaction of power, culture, and visibility of the ethnic community with the American culture that explains the development of the Asian family style in the United States (1985: 223).
Shibutani and Kwan in Kitano stated that assimilation is a phenomenon found in all cases of interethnic contact in which one group does not exterminate the other: “In the United States one needs only to review the history of various immigrant groups --- the Irish, the Poles, the Jews, the Italians, the Chinese, the Mexicans --- to see the regularity with which many of them have become incorporated into the mainstream of American life” (1985: 11). It means that assimilation makes a change of mental perspective in which the immigrant eventually perceives the world from an American point of view, rather than from that of his or her national background. This process also influences the development of Asian family style in the United States.
However, Gelber also stated that according to Confucius system, “The harmony would be displayed in the behavior of the superior man” (2008: 16). It means that to create harmony a community has to have a leader who has a self-respect to be seen as a superior, good manner, and good moral qualities. Since a family is the subordinate level of the community, a family must also have a leader. The description about the implementation of Confucius teaching in Chinese family life is explained by Gelber as quoted in the following.
Family unity, obedience to the head of the house hold, and mutual love were high priorities. The family should be governed in its patriarch. The father should have the authority over the son, the husband over the wife, and the elder over the younger brother (2008: 16).
Here, the writer can find out that the superior man of the family according to Gelber is the father, while the mother, sons, daughter-in-law and the other family members are the subordinates.
Gallin in her research “China: Social Life and Custom” explained the hierarchy of a Chinese family in the following.
The structure of this ideal family was hierarchical, according to generation, age, and sex. It was headed by the eldest male, who wielded complete power over all the family members. The headship usually passed to the eldest son, or sometimes to the son adjudged most worthy. Wives, brought into the husband’s joint household through family rather than individual decision, were subservient to the husband’s mother and to other family members (1978: 501).
15
In addition, one of the basic elements of Chinese family is holding the ceremonies to honor the ancestors. All of these ceremonies could only be done by male offspring since after marriage a female offspring is lost to the family which has been rearing her. Therefore, male offspring has been necessary if these were to be continued. For this reason, boys have been regarded as more valuable than girls.
Regarding the relation between men and women in Chinese culture, Latourette in The Chinese: Their History and Culture stated that
The centuries-old doctrine of the yin and yang has made for the higher status of men, because the yang, associated with good fortune and all that is desirable, has been identified with the male, and the yin, the element of darkness and evil, is female. Confucianism has tended in the same direction, for in addition to its emphasis upon the rites to ancestors its world has been one which men control (1951: 678).
The previous quotation shows that even the Chinese symbol of the harmony of life which is represented by the yin and yang also subordinating women in their relation with men.
Pfaelzer in her journal “Chinese American Women, A history of Resilience and Resistance: Confucianism and Women” which was uploaded in National Women’s History Museum’s website, stated that
For more than a thousand years the ethics of the “three obedience and four virtues” found in ancient Chinese Confucianism classics, were used as the common rules to educate Chinese women: the three obedience are obey her father as a daughter, obey her husband as a wife and obey her son in widowhood. Meanwhile the four virtues are moral (virtue), proper speech (carefully choosing one’s word), appearance (keeping clean and tidy) and diligent work (devoting in weaving and spinning) (http://www.nwhm.org/ chinese/10.html).
Here, Pfaelzer shows how Chinese women were discriminated according to Chinese traditional culture. This gender discrimination also really existed in the life of Chinese immigrant women. Therefore, Chinese immigrant women at that time had no power in the family. Since according to that primary principle, even as a mother they still had to obey and please their own son.
Weiss and Wong in Kitano (1985: 224) have described several types of Chinese families in America as quoted in following.
1. The traditional family—male-dominant, hierarchical in structure, traditional roles of parent and child, values from the old country. 2. The bicultural family—they are products of the exposure to both
cultures; although there may be instances of culture conflict and marginality, the majority have successfully integrated Chinese and American models.
3. The modern family—desire full acculturation and they think, speak, and are “American” so that they are more American than Chinese.
From the previous quotation, we can observe that there are three types of Chinese American family in relation with the acculturation that happened. The traditional one usually is kept by the first generation of immigrants. It means that mostly all first generation or Chinese immigrants in America are still holding the traditional family type. The bicultural family type is usually held by the second or third generation of immigrants. Meanwhile the third type may be held by the modern family type.
4. The Demands of the Society toward Women
17
China “asserted the superiority of men over women, supporting that perception with its ethical justifications, legal codes and customary practices” (1991: 95). Therefore, during the first half of 20th century, after communist leadership introduced equality between the sexes to China, Chinese women started to struggle for their rights.
The unequal state of woman was depicted through burdensome demands of the society that attached to Chinese women. Some of those burdensome demands are explained by Hook in the following quotation.
In villages, a woman still has little choice but to marry into the household of her spouse, leaving the familiarity of her own village and facing a potential conflict with her mother-in-law and the need to gain security through the birth of a son. The majority of marriages remain essentially arranged. Divorce rates are extremely low, and a woman who leaves her spouse’s household is likely to be left with neither custody of her children nor ownership of property (1991: 95).
As explained before, to gain security a Chinese woman had to give birth to a son. It means that by bearing a son a woman acquires greater importance. Latourette in The Chinese: Their History and Culture stated that “A woman without a son, however, is a reproach among her neighbors and to her husband, and often without honor or provision for support in her old age” (1951: 680). Therefore, it can be said that the greatest demand of the society attached to Chinese women is to produce a son.
5. Theory on Relation between Literature and Society
referential” (1984: 4). Therefore, it can be said that society in the literature, especially in the novel, is a concept and a construct. It refers to the society in the real world. It is supported by Langland in the following.
Society as an imitation of an outside world have tended to obscure the formal variety of social presentations in novels. Variety, in this framework, depended merely on the different societies writers inhabited or could imagine, rather than on the aesthetic demands of their art (1984: 4). From previous quotation, it is clear that society in the literature tends to imitate the society in the real world. Therefore, in the literature, the representation of the real world can be found.
C. The Chinese Immigrant Women in America in the Mid 20th Century Early Chinese immigrant women were “pushed” by the desperate wars in China, and “pulled” by family ties and the economic lure of the United States. In the early 20th century, a series of war between China and Japan happened. Japan attacked China territories. During 1937, many of China’s territories were taken over by Japan. This fact led a huge number of Chinese, both male and female, to migrate to America to look for better lives.
The struggle of Chinese women to enter and remain in the United States carried into the twentieth century. Pfaelzer in her research “Chinese American Women, A history of Resilience and Resistance: The Women of Angel Island” which was uploaded in National Women’s History Museum website, stated that
19
officials ferried Chinese immigrants to Angel Island for prolonged processing. Men and women were separated, then questioned and detained for up to two years (http://www.nwhm.org/chinese/7.html).
In Angel Island, immigration inspectors used grueling interrogations to verify Chinese immigrants’ legal status. Separated from their husbands and teenage sons, Chinese women waited from several weeks to several months to two years, anxiously preparing for their investigations and knowing they might well face deportation. A woman’s interview and testimony were required to prove that she was married to a legal resident. This long tiring process of investigation often drove them into depression. It is recorded that during 1910 to 1940, 75 percent of the Chinese who entered the United States through San Francisco were held at Angel Island.
D. Theoretical Framework
To support the analysis the writer will use some theories. In order to answer the first problem, the writer will apply theories on character and characterization. Based on these theories, the writer then will be able to reveal the characterizations of the women major characters.
In order to answer the second problem, the writer will use the theory of the demands of the society toward the Chinese and Chinese immigrant women, the theory on gender roles for Asian American women, and the theory of traditional value of Chinese immigrants in America to reveal the demands of the society attached to the women major characters.
21
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY
A. Object of the Study
Shanghai Girls is Lisa See’s latest novel. See is famous as the author of the New York Times bestseller Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (2005). Other Lisa See’s novels are On Gold Mountain (1995), Flower Net (1997), The Interior
(1999), Dragon Bones (2003),and Peony in Love (2007).
The novel which is used in this research is the large print version of
Shanghai Girls. It was published in New York by Random House Large Print in association with The Random House Publishing Group and distributed by Random House, Inc., in 2009. Shanghai Girls large print edition consists of 513 pages. It is divided into three chapters which are classified based on certain period of time in the lives of Pearl and May, the major characters of the novel. The first chapter is divided into ten sub-chapters. In which each of the sub-chapters talks about the major characters’ lives in Shanghai and their reasons and efforts for their migration to America. The second chapter is divided into five sub-chapters. Each of these five sub-chapters talks about Pearl and May’s earlier lives as immigrant women in America and the cultural-related problems that they have to face in America. The last chapter is divided into ten chapters. These ten sub-chapters mainly talk about the difficulties faced by Chinese immigrants in America, especially they who are illegal immigrants, during the period of Communist in China in the early and mid 1950s.
Shanghai Girls in addition, is a historical-fiction whose story talks about Chinese immigrant women’s lives in the mid 20th century. It depicts all details of a Chinese immigrant woman’s life including how she was treated and seen by her family, the Chinese American society and the Americans. It talks about every aspect of life of Chinese immigrant women in America in the mid 20th century clearly which is including their responses toward the demands of the society, the main focus of this research.
B. Approach of the Study
The approach which is used in this study is the socio-cultural-historical approach. According to Rohrberger and Woods in their book: Reading and Writing about Literature, the point of this approach is observing a literary work in relation to social history of certain time and place “since the only way to locate the real work is in reference to the civilization that produced it.” Rohrberger and Woods also stated that:
No one, of course, can deny the assertions: first, that literature is not created in a vacuum, and second, that literature embodies ideas significant to the culture that produced it (1971: 9).
The above quotation means that the civilization in which the literature was created surely influences the literature itself. Therefore, the cultural, social, and historical background in which a literary work is made or where it takes place will be significant for the work itself.
23
toward the demands of the society, which is conducted in this research. There are two reasons why this approach is chosen. The first reason why this approach is suitable to be applied is because actually Shanghai Girls is a historical-fiction therefore it portrays the history. The second reason is that to be able to find out the responses of Chinese immigrant women in America in the mid 20th century toward the demands of the society, this research must also observe the socio-cultural background of Chinese immigrant women in America at that time. Therefore, socio-cultural-historical approach is suitable for this research.
C. Method of the Study
In order to collect the data in this research, the writer used the library research method. The primary data were taken from the novel itself, Lisa See’s
Shanghai Girls. Meanwhile, the secondary data were taken from several encyclopedias, books, journals, reviews and reference dealing with this research. For instance, Andersen’s Thinking about Women: Sociological Perspective on Sex and Gender, Chow’s journal entitled “The Development of Feminist Consciousness among Asian American Women” and Kitano’s Race Relation 3rd edition.
Determining the topic and formulating the problem formulation were the next step done by the writer. Here the writer used the problem formulation to limit the analysis scope only of the chosen topic.
The third and fourth steps were finding the possible method that could be applied in conducting this research and choosing the suitable approach and supporting theories to be applied in this research. The writer then chose socio-cultural-historical approach of Rohrberger and Woods which was printed in
Reading and Writing about Literature as the approach of the study. Furthermore, the writer took some theories to be inserted in the Chapter II. For instance, some of those theories were theories on character and characterization, theories on gender roles for Asian American women, and theories on traditional values of Chinese immigrants in America. Then, in collecting some additional data related to the research which were not available in the library, Internet research was also done.
25
Finally, the writer drew a conclusion by summing up all the analysis into a general statement. This step was done to answer the problem formulation in the first chapter.
26
CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS
In this chapter, the writer intends to answer the questions which are stated in the problem formulation in Chapter I. This chapter consists of three parts. The first part is the discussion of characterization of the women major characters. The second part talks about the demands of the society towards Chinese immigrant women. The third part presents the responses of Chinese immigrant women towards the demands of the society.
A. Characterization of Women Major Characters
There are two women major characters in Lisa See’s Shanghai Girls. They are Pearl and May Chin. Both of them are siblings who were born in Shanghai in the early 20th century then migrated to America and became Chinese immigrant women since 1937. Pearl and May share some similar characteristics, such as: beautiful, modern, and smart.
27
Besides, through characters as seen by another method, the writer can also find their beauty. An author can describe characters with the help of other character’s eyes and opinion (Murphy, 1972: 162). Here, with the help of Sam, Pearl’s husband, the author shows Pearl and May’s nature of being beautiful. “’He’s painted both of you exactly as I see you,’ says Sam, forever the good husband and appreciative brother-in-law. ‘Always beautiful. Forever beautiful’” (See, 2009: 421).
Since Pearl and May grew up in a rich family in Shanghai after the era of Manchuria, both of them are modern. Their modernity can be seen by applying thought characterization method, which is already stated in Chapter II. In thought characterization method, the author lets the readers know what the characters think and undergo (Murphy, 1972: 171). “I consider myself to be a modern Shanghai girl. I don’t want to believe in all that obey, obey, obey stuff girls were taught in the past” (See, 2009: 7). Through Pearl’s thought which is quoted in the previous quotation, the writer finds that Pearl’s modernity leads her to have a modern life-style which is different from other traditional Chinese girls’.
Pearl and May’s family background also makes them more modern. Their rich parents let them free from the Chinese woman’s duties. Even their parents spoil May and Pearl by giving both of them liberty from those duties. It is supported by the following quotation.
My parents fell in love–total, besotted love–with their younger daughter. This allowed us to retain a certain amount of liberty, with the result that my sister’s spoiled ways are often ignored, as is our sometimes flagrant disregard for respect and duty. What others might call unfilial and disrespectful, we call modern and unbound (See, 2009: 8).
Since Pearl and May always disregard the past filial piety, it indicates that they are pertaining to the present or recent period. Pertaining to the present means they no longer holding on to the ancient time. Therefore, it is also clear that they are modern.
Besides, they are also strongly influenced by the Western values. “We are kaoteng Huajen --- superior Chinese --- who follow the religion of ch’ung yang: worshipping all things foreign, from westernization of our names to the love of movies, bacon, and cheese” (See, 2009: 17). From the quotation, the fact that they are influenced by Western values is clearly depicted. Pearl and May are westernized so they are western-minded. The strong influence of Western value in their lives also proves that they are modern.
29
Another method which is used in showing Pearl’s smartness is reaction. In reaction method, we can see the description of the characters from his/her reaction toward various kinds of situations, occasions, and conflicts (Murphy, 1972: 168). Through Pearl’s reaction when she is arguing with Old Louie about whether or not he should let Joy, Pearl’s daughter, work in the movie set, the writer can see her smartness.
At first Old Louie does not allow Joy to play in the non-speaking role in movie since he wants little Joy to stay at home so that Pearl could nurse her while she does the house works. Then, Pearl convinces him by directing him to think about the benefits he could get by letting her work. “You will never again pay for her food. You will never again pay one single penny for this Hope-for-a-Brother” (See, 2009: 293). The previous quotation is what Pearl said to Old Louie in order to convince him. Pearl knows clearly that raising a grand-daughter is like a burden for Old Louie so she reminds him that by letting Joy work she will have her own income. It means that Old Louie does not need to pay anything for her anymore. After getting the point, Old Louie allows Joy to work in the movie set. Here, Pearl’s smart reaction in dealing with this problem shows her smartness as well.
use of his affection to her by using her charm as a loving daughter to get rid of it. It is shown in the following quotation of the narration.
Instead, she just tilts her head and looks down at my father in such a way that he’s powerless before her. She learned this trick as a toddler and has perfected it as she’s gotten older. Her ease, her effortlessness, melts everyone. A slight smile comes to her lips. She pats her shoulder, and his eyes are drawn to her fingernails, which, like mine, have been painted and stained red by applying layers of red balsam blossom juice. Touching— even in families—isn’t completely taboo, but it certainly isn’t accepted. A good and proper family offer no kisses, no hugs, no pats of affection. So May knows exactly what she’s doing when she touches our father. In his distraction and repulsion, she spins away, and I hurry after her. We’ve taken a few steps when Baba calls out (See, 2009: 10-11).
Through the above quotation, it is clear that May reacts smartly in making her will comes true. She knows exactly that her father loves and spoils her, then she takes benefit on it. Therefore, she is also a smart person.
31
“You were already prepared to lie when the ship sailed into San Francisco,” I say finally. “That’s why you didn’t study the coaching book. You didn’t want to answer correctly. You wanted to end up here” (See, 2009: 169).
From the above quotation, it is clear that May’s plan to solve her pregnancy before marriage problem is well-prepared and even she could cover it from Pearl for a long time. Then, at the end she still managed to get away from her pregnancy succesfully by using her smart plan. Thus, May is surely also a smart woman.
Although both female major characters share some similar characteristics, Pearl has certain characteristics of her own and so does May. Therefore, the writer will separate the analysis of the characterizations of the women major characters into the characterization of Pearl and the characterization of May.
1. Pearl
promise makes her feel that May is dependant to her so that she has to take the responsibility on May. It is supported by the following quotation.
I don’t know what else to do or say. She’s my sister, my only living relative as far as I know, and I promised Mama I’d take care of her. And like that, I make a decision that will affect the rest of my life... and May’s too (See, 2009: 171).
The above quotation is Pearl’s reaction after May told her about her pregnancy. Although she is disappointed because of May’s effort to detain their immigration process, she later decides to help her sister since she feels that she is responsible of her. As May’s elder sister, she must still protect May whatever happened. Besides, since taking care of May is also one of her mother last wishes, Pearl thinks that she must fullfil it because it is her duty.
33
is as strong as the dragon, her sign. Therefore, she is still preserving Chinese culture even she no longer lives in China.
Pearl always longs for China. “I do all this because Shanghai and China never far from my heart” (See, 2009: 262). She longs for China and for the times when she was still able to live easily. Moreover, after arriving in America she has to face a long difficult period in the Angel Island Immigration Centre. Then after joining the Louies, she finds out that in fact she is not a legal citizen. Pearl’s husband, Sam, is only a paper-son. He came to America with a fake identity as an American’s son. It means that she is a paper-wife as well. Having the fear of being deported anytime leads her to keep preserving her old culture in her life. Therefore, although she is a modern Chinese immigrant woman, she is still preserving the Chinese culture in America.
The evidence that Pearl is preserving Chinese culture are shown in some ways. One of them is through her mannerism. As stated in the second chapter, the author sometimes used mannerism, habits, unique feature which the character possesses with motivation behind them to help characterize the character (Murphy, 1972: 173). The fact that Pearl is still preserving the Chinese culture is shown through her habit in life. Although she lives in America, she still lives her life in the Chinese way. When she is sick, she prefers Chinese medicine. When she is pregnant, she does it in the Chinese way as well. It is explained in the following quotation.
strangers, because Mama once told a neighbor woman this would cause her baby to be born with six fingers (See, 2009: 366).
The above quotation shows that Pearl still preserves the Chinese way of life in her habitual life although she no longer lives in China. Instead of adjusting with the American culture, Pearl believes in the old Chinese myth and custom like going to the herbalist and believes in the myth which forbids a pregnant woman to shake hands with stranger.
Through Murphy’s theory on conversation of others characterization method, the writer can also find the fact that Pearl is still preserving Chinese culture. “‘What does Pearl know about it?’ May asks, as though I’m not in the room.’She’s as old-fashioned as our mother’” (See, 2009: 294). The previous quotation is a part of May’s conversation with Yen-yen, Pearl and May’s mother-in-law. In that conversation, Yen-yen demands May to be a good wife, like Pearl. However, for May, what Pearl does as a wife is very old-fashioned because Pearl becomes the figure of wife that the Chinese society demanded them to be although they are no longer in China. It shows that Pearl preserves the Chinese culture.
From the Murphy’s theory on thought characterization method, the writer can see the fact that Pearl herself also admits that she is still preserving her Chinese culture although she is a Chinese immigrant woman in America. It is supported by the following quotation.
I admit that, in my longing for home, for the past, and for our parents, I’ve become like Mama in many ways. All those old ideas about the zodiac, food, and other traditions give me comfort, but I’m not the only one looking backward for consolation (See, 2009: 294-295).
35
culture one. She preserves her old culture in her life in America. Therefore, Pearl becomes the traditional type of Chinese immigrant woman in America.
Although she used to be a disobedient person in her early life in Shanghai, Pearl turns to be an obedient woman after she becomes a Chinese immigrant woman in America. Along with preserving her old culture in life, she changes her disobedient nature into an obedient one, like what a Chinese woman is always expected to be. She obeys Old Louie as the head of the family, Sam as her husband, and Yen-yen as the eldest woman in the family. “I have learned there’s no point in arguing with our in-laws” (See, 2009: 259). The previous quotation is what Pearl thinks about disobeying her father-in-law. Pearl understands that she has no power in the family and instead of rebelling she chooses to be an obedient wife.
Pearl’s obedient nature is also shown through her obedient wife figure. She always obeys her husband. “As a fu yen it’s not my place to ask where he goes” (See, 2009: 254). Through the previous quotation, the writer finds out that since she is obedient, she also becomes an obedient wife for her husband.
Since in the Louie family she is a daughter in law, Pearl becomes an obedient daughter in law in the family. It is supported by Yen-yen’s (the mother-in-law) question to May about Pearl as quoted in the following, “If your movies teach you to be romantic, then why is it that your sister, who stays with me every day, has done a much better job at this than you?” (See, 2009: 295) From the quotation we can observe that the mother-in-law likes Pearl better than May since Pearl is more obedient than May.
2. May
May is Pearl’s younger sister. She is tiny and beautiful. She is a high school graduate, but she has no interest in reading. May is more interested in beautifying her-self than in studying. During her life in Shanghai, her concerns are about her physical appearance and her job as a beautiful girl in calendar. Therefore she is a fashionable person. By applying Murphy’s theory on characterization: character as seen by another method, the writer can find the fact that May is fashionable. It is supported by the following quotation,
It’s May’s nature to spend hours at her toilette, choosing the right scarf to tie at her throat or purse to match her shoes, so she tells me what we should look for and I write it down (See, 2009: 79).
The above quotation is Pearl’s opinion about May. It shows that May is the typical of woman who likes to beautify herself. Therefore, she is fashionable.
May is also depicted as a selfish person. The fact about May’s selfishness is shown in some ways. It can be seen through Murphy’s theory on characterization: conversations of others method. Yen-yen, Pearl and May’s mother-in-law, once says that May is selfish. It is supported by the following quotation,
“That May thinks only of herself. Her beautiful face hides a devious heart. She has just one thing to do and she doesn’t do it. Pearl, Pearl, Pearl, you sit here and take care of a worthless girl all day. But where is your sister’s child? Why won’t she bring us a son? Why, Pearl, why? Because she’s selfish, because she doesn’t think of helping you or anyone else in the family” (See, 2009: 312).
37
only cares of her-self because she never help her mother-in-law and sister in doing a wife’s duty. Therefore, she is a selfish person.
May’s selfishness is also shown through another characterization method. It is shown through speech method. In speech method, the author can give us an insight into the character through what that person says (Murphy, 1972: 164). Through what May says the writer can find the fact that she is selfish. “When I look at May, I see not just jealousy but hate. ‘Let me have this part,’ she says. ‘I earned it’” (See, 2009: 327). The previous quotation is what May says when she knows that the director in the movie set offers Pearl a screaming role in the movie. May insists that she should be the one plays that screaming role since she is the one who deserve to play the speaking role, although in fact Pearl screams better than her and she would like to play it too. It shows that May is caring chiefly for her comfort and disregarding Pearl’s wishes. Therefore, it is clear that May is selfish.
May’s selfishness can also be seen through Murphy’s theory on characterization: characters as seen by another method. The writer can find the fact of May’s selfishness in the thought of Pearl. Pearl’s opinion on her also implies that she is selfish. It is supported by the following quotation.
“It did,” May says. “Our lives would have been very different it he’d saved our money instead of lost it, which is why I work so hard to make it now.” Make it and spend it on clothes and jewelry for yourself, I think but don’t say. Our differing attitudes about money are among many things that aggravate my sister (See, 2009: 417).
need as what others do. Since indeed May keeps her money and spends it just for herself and some for Joy, her one and only biological child. Thus, it is also clear that she is selfish.
Another characteristic of May is disobedient. After living her life as a modern Shanghai girl in China, May lives her life as a modern Chinese immigrant woman in America too. She loves to be freed from Chinese women’s duties. That is why she does not want to do what her mother-in-law asks her to. She prefers to work outside the house instead of doing the house-works with her mother-in-law. She doesn’t want to be a compliant housewife. The fact is supported by the quotation in the following, “While my mother-in-law teaches me how to be a wife and mother—jobs she does with a frustrating combination of ineptitude, good cheer, and fierce protectiveness—my sister learns where everything is” (See, 2009: 221). That quotation shows that when Pearl is learning how to be a good wife, May starts her adventures in America.
Besides, her disobedience is also seen through Murphy’s theory on speech characterization method. The way she says to counter the complaints from her-in-laws shows her disobedience. It is supported by the following quotation.
When May twirls through the main room in a sleeveless dress, stockingless legs, and open-toed sandals, Yen-yen complains, “You shouldn’t be seen in public like that.”
“Women in Los Angeles like bare legs and arms,” May counters. “But you aren’t lo fan,” Yen-yen points out (See, 2009: 293).
39
B. The Demands of the Society towards Chinese Immigrant Women
In explaining the demands of the society towards Chinese immigrant women, the writer separates it into two parts. The first is the demands of the society towards women in the family life. Since the position of the women major characters in the family is as the daughter-in-law so the demands of the society in the family life which are discussed here are the demands of the Chinese society towards daughter-in-law. The second part is the demands of the society toward Chinese immigrant women outside the family or their demands in their society. In this part, the writer is going to explain the demands of the Chinese immigrant society towards Chinese immigrant women.
1. The Demands towards Women in the Family Life
Chinese immigrants’ family, their family is still very influenced by the Chinese culture too.
However, the demands of the society are related to the gender roles. As stated in Chapter II, gender roles are the expectation for behavior and attitudes that the culture defines for men and women which are learned through socialization process (Andersen, 1997: 31). The gender-based demands of the society are similar to the gender roles, mostly the gender-based demands of the society are also the expectation of the society toward its people. Therefore, the demands of the society here are also related to the gender roles in the Chinese culture.
The first demand of the society towards women in their position in the family life is being a compliant wife. As stated in Chapter II, the main duty of a woman in Chinese culture based on their gender roles is to please her husband, his family and to provide sons (Hsu in Kitano, 1985: 223). The demand of the society toward a woman in their position inside the family is the same. The society expects that the married women can be compliant wives in their families.
41
of life would be displayed in the behavior of superior man (Gelber, 2008: 16), who is portrayed in the figure of father in the Chinese family.
The demand to be a compliant wife is also stated in the novel, it is implied in the following quotation.
For thousands of years, daughters-in-law have complained about the hardship of life in their husbands’ homes, living under the iron fists of their fathers-in-law and under the calloused thumbs of their mothers-in-law (See, 2009: 234).
The above quotation shows that the wives who join their husbands’ home and then become the daughters-in-law in the novel are depicted in such an inferior position in their families. According to Chinese culture, a daughter-in-law must obey her in-laws. As stated in Chapter II, in Chinese culture usually wives are expected to be subservient to the husband’s mother and to other family member (Gallin, 1978: 501).
The demand of the society to be compliant wives who obey their husbands is also seen in the novel especially in Yen-yen’s description about a wife’s duties. “She must obey her husband even when he is wrong” (See, 2009: 266). That quotation shows that no matter what kind of person her husband is, a wife still must obey her husband. The fact that a wife should always obey her husband is also supported by the following quotation.
I learned to be a wife from my mother and watching Yen-yen, and I know there’s nothing you can do if your husband wants to walk out on you. You don’t know where he goes. He comes back when he comes back, and that’s it (See, 2009: 254).
cannot do anything to stop her husband’s will. Therefore, it is clear that the demand of the society toward the Chinese immigrant women in relation to their position in the family life as daughter-in-laws is being compliant wives.
The second demand of the society towards daughters-in-law in relation with their position in the family life is to give birth to sons. As stated in Chapter II, the Confucianism emphasizes upon the ceremonies to honor ancestors, which can only be done by male offspring (Latourette, 1951: 678). Therefore, Chinese family which is strongly influenced by Confucian values also regards having sons is really important. This reason leads the Chinese society to place producing sons as one of the demands of the society attached to wives. This demand even becomes the most crucial one.
As mentioned before, the main duties of a wife is to please her husband, her husband’s family, and to produce sons (Hsu in Kitano, 1985: 223). Related to the Confucian values about the importance of having male offspring, giving birth to a son is needed by the wives to gain a secure position in their husbands’ family (Hook, 1991: 95). The position of a wife without a son in the family is really weak. “A woman without a son however, is reproach among her neighbors and to her husband, and often without honor or provision for support in her old age” (Latourette, 1951: 680).
43
“And then when I go to the kitchen in the morning,” May says, “Yen-yen asks, ‘Where’s your son? I need a grandson.’ When I came home from China City last week, she pulled me aside and said, ‘I see the visit from the little red sister has come again. Tomorrow you will eat sparrow kidneys and dried tangerine peel to strengthen your chi. The herbalist tells me this will make your womb welcome my son’s vital essence’” (See, 2009: 231). The previous quotation shows that since their family is concerned a lot about having a male offspring, they tried anything to get Pearl and May pregnant. Since Pearl has given them Joy, a female offspring, they think that Pearl is already fertile so that they should only wait for the male offspring they hoped for from her. On the other hand, because of not knowing that May is the real biological mother of Joy, their family thinks that May is not fertile enough so that she should be made more fertile to be able to give them a grandson.
In the novel, the writer can also find that giving birth to a son gains a wife a secure position in her husbands’ family. It is supported by what Edfred, one of Old Louie’s paper sons, promises to May. “You give the old man the grandson he wants, you’ll become his favorite,” promises Edfred (See, 2009: 214). The previous quotation shows that if she could give birth to a son, Old Louie would not treat her badly anymore and he would be so nice to her instead. So, it indicates that giving birth to sons is one of the demands of the society attached to them.
means that they will have a bigger chance to give her the grandson she wants. This indicates that giving birth to a son is a big demand of the society towards daughters-in-law.
The third demand of the society towards daughters-in-law related to their position in the family life is doing the “three obedience and four virtues”. “Three obedience and four virtues” is the Chinese women’s primary principle and it is also the primary principle applied in the lives of Chinese immigrants and Chinese American women too. As stated in Chapter II, “Three obedience and four virtues” were used as the common rules to educate Chinese women. The three obedience are obey her father as a daughter, obey her husband as a wife and obey her son in widowhood. Meanwhile the four virtues are moral virtue, proper speech, good appearance and diligent work (http://www.nwhm.org /chinese/10.html).
The writer also finds the fact about this demand in the novel. It is supported by the following quotation.
“You should marry the man. He sounds like a good match, and you have a duty to your father. When a girl, obey your father; when a wife obey your husband; when a widow, obey your son. We all know this is true” (See, 2009: 49).
45
The demand to apply the four virtues in their lives is reflected in the way Yen-yen complains about May’s appearance and attitudes. Yen-yen keeps complaining May about her too Americanized appearance, such as seen in public with sleeveless dress, stockingless legs, and open-toed sandals (See, 2009: 293). Since Chinese women and Chinese immigrant women at that time still regarded it bad. It is against the four virtues that they should keep in their lives. Thus, it is clear that doing the three obedience and four virtues is also one of the demands of the society attached to the woman major characters related to their position in family life.
2. The Demand of Chinese Immigrant Society towards women
The demand of the Chinese immigrant society toward the women in their position as Chinese immigrant women is to preserve the Chinese culture by applying Chinese culture in their daily lives. As stated previously, mostly the Chinese immigrants’ family is the typical of traditional family (Weiss and Wong in Kitano, 1985: 224). Their family keeps holding on the Chinese culture. They take the Chinese culture as the primary culture, while they take the American culture as their secondary one. This fact makes all Chinese immigrants in America makes preserving Chinese culture as the demand of the society.
