In the American Society by Gish Jen is, on the surface, a fun look at the workings of a Chinese American family making their way in America. The reader is introduced to the life of an American Chinese restaurant owner and his family through the eyes of his American-born daughter. When we examine the work in depth, however, we find that Jen is addressing how traditional Chinese values ​​function in American culture. It touches on the difference in gender roles, the generation gaps between immigrants and their American-born children, and the hesitation of these immigrants to conform to the American way of life. To truly understand multicultural literature, one must first try to understand the cultural background. of the author. In the case of this piece, we are examining Chinese culture and Jen's experiences that have shaped her writing. Gish Jen is a second generation American. His parents emigrated separately in the 1940s. His mother came to America to attend graduate school and his father came as part of the war efforts during World War II. With the rise of communism in China, they were both forced to stay here and ended up building a life together and raising their 5 children as Americans. Because they arrived in the second of three “waves” of Chinese immigration, their reasons for arriving and the process of assimilating into the American way of life were very different from those of other Chinese immigrants. During the first wave, from 1849 to 1882, the reasons for immigrants were primarily economic. Thousands of poor young males came from China to work in America. In 1882, however, the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed, causing the second wave of immigrants to include only diplomats, merchants, and students. Chinese immigrants were segregated from mainstream America and lived in Chinatowns without diplomatic rights until the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Along with this act came the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, which allowed more Chinese to come to America to be with their families. This was also the time when equality was being called for by many young Chinese Americans. We are currently in the third wave of Chinese immigration. At this point, most of the people arriving are select, well-educated Chinese or those seeking to escape repression and political instability in their homeland. Chinese culture is rich in tradition and values, which… half of paper… Into the water, Mr. Chang put that pride above his better judgment by throwing both his shirt and coat into the water. This story is an allegory of life for many Chinese Americans. Many came to America for the opportunity to lead a better life. Entrepreneurship is an important part of the American dream. The Changs' ownership of a pancake house represents many Chinese owning their own restaurants when they come to America. Mr. Chang's hesitation to Americanize and his idea that "embracing what he embraced was love" also represents the views of many Chinese immigrants. Jen's own parents held onto some of their own ideas about how she should live her life. They did not believe that writing was an honorable thing for a woman to do and did not support her in her decision until her photo and story were published on the front page of a Chinese newspaper and “their people” accepted it. Immigration to the United States. Accessed 03/27/2005.Lauter, Paul. The health anthology of American literature. Accessed 03/20/2005.Moyers, Bill. Public Affairs Television "Becoming American: Personal Journeys" Interview with 03/23/2005.