China Men: Language, Silence and America

How does language help to establish the otherness of the Chinese family in China Men?  First, the narrator identifies them as being "eccentric" (15).  Otherness is also described on pages 12. 273, 276.  Also, the mere fact that they did not speak English made them an other (45).  Indeed, many Chinese-Americans self-identified as others, calling whites "Americans" (53) and calling themselves "sojourners" (44-45).  Sometimes, it is the mere lack of language--silence itself--that makes a group an other.  It is the untold history and "rule of silence" that keeps us from recognizing the important role that marginalized groups play.  The rule of silence in the book is when the sugar can workers are forbidden from talking while working, but in the real world, it is an overall trend to silence and rob marginalized groups the opportunity to express themselves.

Appropriation vs. Assimilation.  To assimilate means to be similar, whereas appropriation means to make something one's own.  Appropriation is thus a transformation of meaning, whereas assimilation requires fitting into a pre-existing mold.  In this country, however, there is no such pre-existing mold.  What it is to be American has changed drastically in the last fifty, hundred and two hundred years.

Using language to appropriate meanings is one way to find and express power.  For example, choosing a name for yourself is a power (242).  Ed-Da-Son, for example, is a modification of the name for famous inventor Thomas Edison (71).  Lo Bun Sun is a modification of Robinson of Robinson Crusoe. Also, the title of the book itself "China Men", is an attempt to take an offensive, de-individualizing term for Chinese-Americans, "chinamen" (as if they cannot be told apart and are merely some homogeneous mass), and reappropriate the meaning of this term.  Her story is called China Men because she wants this word to represent very individual and personal stories rather than to represent the perceived anonymity of Chinese immigrants.  Also, it is important to note that the translation of "chinamen" into Chinese is perhaps more directly translated as "gold mountain warriors", a reference to their time in California.

Kingston wants us to see that not only American citizens but anybody who helps to make America is importantly "American" even if not in the legal sense.  These people are important contributors to American society and culture, even if they are not citizens.