Gish Jen’s novel Typical American Essay - 1278 Words

Gish Jen’s novel Typical American A mother drives her three kids to soccer practice in a Ford minivan while her husband stays at the office, rushing to finish a report. Meanwhile, a young woman prays her son makes his way home from the local grocery without getting held up at knife point by the local gang. Nearby, an immigrant finishes another 14-hour shift at the auto parts factory, trying to provide for his wife and child, struggling to make way in a new land. Later, a city girl hails a cab to meet her girlfriends at their favorite club to celebrate her new promotion over cosmopolitans. These people – the suburban soccer mom, the tired immigrant, the worried mother from the hood, and the successful city girl – each represent the†¦show more content†¦For Ralph and many young Americans, this fantasy quickly proves false as they grow up and experience life. In the novel, Ralph’s perception of New York City and America changes almost as quickly as it was originally formed. He is immediately confronted with a language barrier, leaving him lost and disconnected from his new world. Soon enough, Ralph was beginning to know what was what. He was lonely still†¦New York lost its gleam. He drifted through its streets as if through an exhausted, dusty land, no detail of which has changed in a thousand years (Jen 13–14). Ralph’s hardships clearly show that coming and surviving in America as an immigrant is not what most perceives it to be. Instead, the everyday realities of life in America quickly lose that idealistic gleam which has been polished and revered over so many years, held in the minds of Americans across the country. Ralph sees the truth of these things and turns to a new path on the road to the American dream. After the disillusionment of Ralphs initial foray into American culture, he decides the next best thing is for him to marry and begin a new life – a new reality. Again, Ralph is d elighted with his new wife, Helen, and the life they wereShow MoreRelatedAmerican Prose Project1624 Words   |  7 Pages332-02 14 April 2013 Gish Jen: â€Å"In the American Society† American Prose Project â€Å"In the American Society† is a short story wrote by Gish Jen. It was first published in 1986 in The Southern Review (Hunter,†MELUS Interview† 6). The short story â€Å"In the American Society† was the spring board for her novel Typical American. The author Gish Jen was born Lillian Jen in 1955 in New York. Her pen name Gish was her nickname in high school. Gish is a second generation Chinese American. She is one of five