Diana Chang is a renowned Asian writer whose work mostly focuses on self-acceptance of people from multiple backgrounds and culture. In her story “The Oriental Contingent” Chang addresses the identity crisis faced by people of the same ethnicity. The short story follows two young Asian-American women who avoid discussing their Chinese background because they both fear that the other one is more Chinese and more authentically tied to their original culture. The story pursues the hyper-vigilant process of the narrator, Connie, who is obsessed with “figuring out” other Asians in America. Connie attends a lot of ceremonies in America and she exhibits a tendency to over-examine people especially the Asians in attendance. The stories of both Connie and Lisa outline how people from the Asian community judge each other before getting to know one other. The short story also shows the misconceptions existing between the Asian American immigrants in their daily lives. Therefore, this paper will address why and how immigrant Asian women perceive each other in America in the context of immigrants and those native to America. I will argue that Connie continually tries to compare herself to other Asians she meets in America because she feels obligated to measure up to the original Chinese heritage even when she is in a foreign land and so she critically observes other Asian-Americans in an attempt to understand how “Chinese” she is as compared to the other Chinese people.
I will use a comprehensive argument to examine and explore the theme of identity crisis that takes place in the Asian-American community as presented in the short story. I will critically examine the behavior and personalities of Connie and Lisa to understand why they both interact with other Asian-Americans as they do. Finally, I will explore the form of the short story and assess major themes and literary styles used by the author to demonstrate the concept of transracial abductees in the American society.
Connie the narrator is a Chinese American violinist who spends a lot of time trying to figure out her friend Lisa. The story follows the two women and how they relate to one another. Connie feels jealous of Lisa because she seems more authentically Chinese. Lisa tactfully refuses to talk about her background because she does not want to embarrass Connie. Hence, Connie assumes that Lisa avoids talking about her background because it was more Chinese than Connie’s and thus of a higher order (Huang, 46). As Connie observes Lisa’s behavior on the many social gatherings they attend, she feels like “a failed Chinese.” Lisa goes out of her way to avoid the topic in a manner that Connie views as characteristically original Chinese because her assurance is upper-crust, she has no self-doubt and her offhand didactics. As a result, Connie makes up assumptions about Lisa and her Chinese background.
The story has a lot of identity misunderstandings that an Asian-American experiences and participates in on the daily basis. At the party, Connie meets a white woman who automatically assumes that she knows Lisa because they are both Asian. The first impression of Lisa that Connie has is that she notices Lisa has a "Chinese face," and although she is wearing a "one-of-a-kind kimono dress," it doesn't "make her look Japanese at all" (40). Connie feels frustrated that Lisa is not giving her enough clues so as to decipher her. She is obsessed with fathoming just how Asian Lisa is. Connie meets Eric Li and immediately she observes that he "looked Chinese from the Shantung area, or perhaps from Beijing," and that he speaks "with an accent" (42). Eric Li’s first impression on Connie is totally different to that of Lisa. His personality, manner of speaking and laughter show him out to be more Chinese than Lisa. He speaks with a shade of contempt and his laughter is described as “cold as Chinese laughter can be” (43). Thus, the more Connie tries to understand her Chines friends, the more frustrated she gets because she still feels like she is less Chinese than them.
The portrayed theme is a personal obligation to become themselves fully and authentically despite their ethnicity. There are many ethnic hoops held up by different people especially Caucasian and Asians on the Chinese people (Nelson, 41). The conceptions and assumptions that lead to stereotypes can be very confusing to an individual trying to be their true self. For example, Connie confesses that it is harder for a Chinese to be two things, Chinese and American, because she does not know which culture to identify to. In the book, both Connie and Lisa experience identity conflict as they feel like “fake” Chinese. The theme is significant to the story because it outlines conflict and alienation that Asian-Americans feel in America due to their background. This central theme of the story is significant because it addresses modern-day problems whereby most people are multicultural. Therefore, the author puts emphasis on people taking pride in their multiple backgrounds without having to conform to the customs of one culture.
The author depicts the internal battle Chinese-Americans go through as they try to incorporate their Chinese heritage into their American lives. Both characters in the story display Chinese behavior and manners, Lisa exhibits no self-doubt and Connie has a habit of noting the way people talk, dress and act. Connie’s and Lisa’s personalities are a lot like most Chinese people but they do not feel Chinese because they have never been to China nor do they know anything about the Chinese culture. Connie wishes she could speak Mandarin or Cantonese or even have a sense of the culture. The feeling of alienation seems to hinder Connie’s self-confidence as she feels inferior. As a result, Lisa and Connie start to compare each other’s histories, such as backgrounds, hometowns and even jobs so as to try and understand who is more Chinese.
The story uses a relationship between women from the same generation who have internalized a cultural definition of being Chinese as pure and fixed and any deviations is shameful and lower (Lowe, 64). Connie feels ashamed because she is a failed Chinese who has never visited China and cannot speak their language. She visualizes that Lisa was born in China and she visits there quite often. However, the truth is revealed when they start having a conversation and Lisa proves to be even more critical of herself than Connie for “not being genuine” (45) because she was born in Buffalo and her parents are white. Due to her background, Lisa feels that she lacks a direct connection her Chinese culture and even confesses to Connie at the end of the story that the only time she feels Chinese is when she is embarrassed she is not more Chinese (45). Ultimately, Lisa and Connie reduce each other’s guilt of not being Chinese enough as they find a common frame of reference (Lowe, 64).
The plot of the story is definitive. The author follows a certain route. First, she introduces the characters and the setting providing the necessary information about them to the reader. Second, the main character introduces her dilemma as a Chinese-America who feels like a fake Chinese in America. The main character, Connie, also encounters Lisa and she spends most of the story trying to figure her out with little success. Third, the story reaches a climax when Connie is introduced to Eric Li and she discloses her confusion and her self-doubt when she is around Lisa who is more “Chinese”. The conversation with Eric allows her to finally question Lisa on her background. Fourth, as a result of the climax, Connie and Lisa finally talk about being Chinese-American and the identity crisis they both face. Therefore, the author clearly outlines her story to follow a certain plot until a resolution is reached. As a result, the reader easily follows and understands the story as the author intended.
The author uses a lot of repetition throughout the text to develop her theme. The story is about two women experiencing a cultural identity crisis. Chang constantly reminds the reader that the main character Connie and her friend are Chinese living in America. Connie experiences a lot of self-doubts which is portrayed in the different contexts that she doubts whether she is a “real Chinese”. The repetition aims at informing the reader of the alienation the characters feel in their environment. The theme of identity crisis keeps cropping up in the story. For example, Connie says that “felt less sure of herself when she was with real Chinese” and “I’m a failed Chinese”. Additionally, when talking about Lisa to Eric Li she states that “she makes me feel less Chinese”. The repetition is directly related to the theme and serves to prepare the reader for the final part of the story where the characters accept their situation.
The story does not use a lot of symbolism and imagery. However, the author symbolizes the alienation that multi-cultural people feel through the characters of Connie and Lisa who are both American and Chinese. Chang symbolically uses the two characters to address the double alienation that Asian-Americans feel. Connie and Lisa are born of Chinese parents and as such, they expect to feel more Chinese even when living in America. On the other hand, their Caucasian friends treat them as oriental and only see them as being Chinese despite also being Americans. Therefore, the theme of double alienation is symbolically evident as the two characters are not sure where they fit in the Chinese-American society.
In conclusion, Lisa and Connie are caught up in an identity crisis as they try to measure up to what is expected of them. They feel obligated to identify and act as original Chinese despite being Chinese-Americans. The whole theme of the story centers on identity crisis and the author tries to question and challenge the way Asians try to compare and rate each other like Connie was doing to Lisa. True identities remain a secret because different characters assume things about other characters based on what they portray. For example, Connie looks for signs so that she can fathom Lisa. The author wraps up the story in an ironic twist as the two characters finally accept their respective places as fake Chinese and thus, ultimately reinforcing the myth of "real Asian-ness".
References
Huang, Guiyon. Asian American Short Story Writers: An A-to-Z Guide. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2003.
Lowe, Lisa. Immigrant Acts: On Asian American Cultural Politics. Durham: Duke Univ. Press, 2004.
Nelson, Emmanuel S. Asian American Novelists: A Bio-Bibliographical Critical Sourcebook. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 2000.
