Regentz 1

Steve M. Regentz Jr

Professor Pumphrey

LIT1000

February 20th, 2017

In the American Society: Sociological Criticism

Sociological criticism is a literary criticism designed to connect literature to a larger social context. Using sociological criticism can help us understand an author’s cultural or societal background and how it influences their work. The short story In the American Society, by Gish Jen, can be analyzed from a sociological criticism perspective.

The narrator is a Chinese American girl whose family is trying to adapt to American culture. Her father, Mr. Chang, has opened a pancake house as a means of making a living for his family. While Mr. Chang works at his business, Mrs. Chang is often contemplating joining the town country club and socializing with other Americans. The narrator’s mother states, “Your father doesn’t believe in joining the American society; he wants to have his own society” (731). Mr. Chang’s apparent reluctance to conform to American society, and how the family’s cultural background is affecting their present lives, is in line with a sociological critique as it focuses on the cultural assimilation of characters in narratives. Mr. Chang’s family can see that he wants to hold on to his traditional Chinese values and remain in his comfort zone which is to take charge of the pancake house. At the end of the story, when the family is leaving a party at the country club, Mr. Chang throws his suit coat into the swimming pool with the keys still inside. He tells his daughters they will have to go back and get his jacket and states, “You girls are good swimmers…Not like me” (741). Mr. Chang acknowledging that his girls are adapting to American culture much easier than himself. From a sociological perspective, the reader is able to gain a better understanding of not only the narrator’s life but also those of other immigrants coming to America and the struggles they may face trying to acclimate to a new culture.

Tony Ardizzone’s My Mother’s Stories is another short story centered around family. In this piece, the narrator is recalling his mother’s stories as she is nearing the end of her life in the hospital. The story begins as the narrator states, “They were going to throw her away when she was a baby” (117). Despite his mother being deemed too small and too weak to survive, her father was not going to give up on her. He took her home and against all odds, she began to thrive, living a full and courageous life. This mirrors Jen’s work in that she also culls her family life for characters in her writings. As he recalls his mother’s stories, the narrator states, “I am not used to speaking about things that are so close to me” (124). He further describes how he tends to “mask” his stories, whereas his mother always shared her stories openly about love, children, crisis, disease, and day-to-day happenings. We can all recall family stories: these types of stories help us feel more connected to the people in our lives and can be passed on through generations. As they did for Ardizzone, family stories and memories can help us cope with difficult times. Both Ardizzone and Jen have likely dealt with and illuminated their own family history through their writings.

References

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