"Those Americans always saying it. Smart guys thinking in advance."
Mr. Chang is the father of the narrator. The story is about a Chinese-American family that has moved up a level in the American economic sphere after buying a pancake house. This quote is found in the opening paragraph, indicating its significance. One key element in the quote is the somewhat broken English expressed by Mr. Chang. The grammatical flaws in this statement are indicative of the assimilation of immigrant families in America through the generations. His lack of properly formal grammar situates him as being both inside and outside American society. He speaks the language, but not quite naturally. The language is situated as parallel to his assertion of what it takes to become a financial success in the United States. He understands the alleged pathway to attaining the American Dream in a general way but is missing the specifics. This is reflected in his understanding of English generally while missing some of the grammatical rules.
"Your father doesn't believe in joining the American society. He wants to have his own society."
This is one of the key quotes in the story. It is a story about the immigrant experience in America. Assimilation into American culture by immigrant families is more complicated than it may seem. It is not simply an either/or proposition. Mr. Change seeks assimilation in one way—through business and the pursuit of the American Dream. His wife, Mrs. Chang, seeks assimilation in a more social way—by becoming a member of the local country club. Both paths—work and social life—present the same difficulties associated with being outsiders. This quote by Mrs. Chang speaks to the particulars of assimilation being sought by both her and her husband. She is willing—if hesitant—to play by the rules required for entry into the upper class. Mr. Chang wants to be a successful businessman by thinking like an American while still clinging to his Chinese traditions. Both will ultimately be disappointed, suggesting there is no one single "right" pathway to cultural assimilation.
"Dear Mr. Chang
You are the grat boss. But, we do not like to trial, so will runing away now. Plese to excus us. People saying the law in America is fears like dragon."
Booker and Cedric are two of Mr. Chang's workers. He hired them despite knowing they were still in America illegally. This quote is an excerpt from a letter that they leave for Mr. Chang when they decide to become fugitives from American immigration services rather than trust the American judicial system to be fair. The English used in this letter represents another stage of assimilation just the way that the language used by the first-person narrator—one of the Chang daughters—represents another. The spelling mistakes and more plentiful grammatical mistakes point to Booker and Cedric symbolizing the first stage of immigrant assimilation. They are the immigrant class itself. The narrator represents the stage that follows Mr. and Mrs. Chang. The Chang children are already fully assimilated into American culture even if they remain outsiders to a lesser degree than Booker and Cedric.
