Typical American

“You think you’re different, but you’re exactly the same!”

Cammy rejects Ralph with a cry that he is exactly like all the other men who romantically proposition her. Ralph does not quite grasp the extent of what he is being told, so he cannot understand the subtle ironic compliment that he is being paid. Ralph is a perpetual outsider in New York. He is a Chinese man with broken English who struggles to come to grips with the culture, but Cammy views him as being just like every other man. For better or worse, Ralph has absorbed enough American cultural knowledge to fit into a mold of American masculinity. Ralph does not see himself as being like every other man and does not understand what he is being told. Cammy’s accusation illustrates that Ralph is learning more about America, though he is not necessarily learning the right lessons.

“He gave himself up to the country, and dreamt.” 

Ralph throws himself at the mercy of America. He wants to stay in the country, and he wants to adhere to the rules he laid out for himself, but the world seems to work against him. Ralph sinks into a deep depression and even considers suicide. His depression stems from his inability to grasp the forces working against him. The universe seems to conspire against him, throwing distractions in the form of Cammy or immigration officials. Ralph still wants to finish his doctorate, but his attempt to befriend Pinkus comes across as threatening behavior. The gap between Ralph and everyone else is not only cultural. His behavior is idiosyncratic and strange, though benign. He has stopped trying to understand America and has instead given himself up to the country he does not understand.

“And pretty soon, no one knew quite how, ‘typical Pete’ turned ‘typical American’ turned typical American this, typical American that.” 

Pete the superintendent provides the three Chinese immigrants with a lens through which they can understand American culture. Pete’s lazy behavior becomes an in-joke among the family, but they soon start seeing aspects of Pete’s personality in all walks of life. Pete is not alone: Typical Pete behavior is actually typical American behavior. The phrase “typical American” becomes a refrain, something to repeat whenever the three immigrants notice something strange and different about their adopted home. The phrase—which is also the title of the book—encapsulates the sense of wonder and confusion that comes with experiencing a new culture.

“She was the hidden double stitching that kept armholes from tearing out.” 

Helen’s newfound self-reliance gives her strength. Her relationship with Ralph is strained, but her ability to cook, repair household items, and support her husband and friend gives her a sense of security that she is contributing and that she is essential. Helen was spoiled as a child and never wanted for anything. America changes her. Her strength is subtle but it forms the bedrock of the family’s attempts to succeed in America. Helen knows this and derives pleasure from the positive change in her life.

“Even as they stood there, Ralph suspected him of secretly prospering.” 

Ralph constantly struggles to hide his jealousy. He is jealousy of friends, family members, and even his wife. Anyone who succeeds is viewed with suspicion. Ralph is an intelligent and ambitious young man, but he is undermined by his desperate need to measure himself against others. He cannot enjoy Theresa or Henry Chao’s success because he feels he has not succeeded enough in comparison and he feels entitled to their success. Henry makes no secret of his success, but Ralph views that same success as a closely hidden shame. Ralph projects a shame and an agenda on Henry due to his own inner neuroses.

“You can sell anything if it smells right.”

Grover’s ideology is built on deceit and sleight of hand. He will repackage and resell anything to make money. His big break came from taking old cooking grease and turning it into “nice, white soap” (73). The business is a metaphor for Grover’s conception of the world. Everything can be manipulated in the pursuit of personal gain. Nothing is fixed, and nothing is real. The soap may smell nice, but its origins are suspect. Likewise, Grover might appear charming and friendly, but his ulterior motives have the potential to harm Ralph.

“As it was, they had their hands full just learning how to fuss.” 

The arrival of baby Callie encourages Helen and Ralph to default to their natural state. Past arguments and tensions are put aside as they focus on raising their child. They are cut off from their extended family and the typical support networks they would have depended on in China. Ralph draws on his many years as a student, studying the small details. Even something as simple as fussing over a newborn must be learned and done correctly. The lack of extended family in America and the recent loss of Janis’s baby remind the couple of the importance of raising Callie correctly.

“There were things they did not know how to say in Chinese.” (

The characters discover how language colors the experience of a culture. Helen, Theresa, and Ralph were all raised in China, where they spoke Chinese exclusively. As they grow older, they discover that the language of their childhood is not ideal for vocalizing the experience of their adulthood. Parenthood, changing technology, and their embrace of American culture all force them to confront the extent to which they are becoming naturalized. They are no longer Chinese people living in America: They are wholly part of the American system, which extends to the language they use to express their experience of life.

“The one time they went to an actual game, people had called them names and told them to go back to their laundry.” 

The Chang family willfully embraces American culture. Baseball is seen as a quintessential American pastime, so the family loves to watch baseball games as a bonding activity. They are forced to enjoy this most American of activities at home because their one trip to the stadium resulted in racist abuse. This reminds family that no matter how much they try to embrace America, there will always be something that keeps them separate. They will be targeted and abused because of their race, regardless of how willingly they embrace the country’s culture or how much they love America. Even the little girls—born and raised in the United States—will endure this problem.

“His touch was warm and firm, his reaching out somehow extraordinary.” 

The irony of the relationship between Henry Chao and Theresa is that they spend so much time thinking about how to help Ralph and how to guard his family against sadness. Theresa and Henry plot how to help Ralph and Helen afford a mortgage while drifting ever closer to an affair that has the potential to destroy Henry’s marriage. They fall into the pattern almost unwittingly. Henry’s hand on Theresa’s is a small, casual gesture that is nevertheless extraordinary. Theresa is a quiet, reserved woman who has prioritized her career and family over everything. She is naive and stunned by the gesture, but she still cannot help but think about how to help Ralph.

“Chinese people don’t do such things.” 

Helen and Ralph are integrated into American society but still occasionally differentiate themselves from native-born Americans. Ralph reveals that he has seen Henry Chao with another woman, and Helen’s first instinct is to insist that Chinese people do not have affairs. Infidelity is an American trait. The comment is off-the-cuff and irreverent enough that it seems to emerge from her subconscious. Even after all these years in America, Helen still instinctively compartmentalizes people based on cultural stereotypes.

“Though she did believe he loved her, that he found her a doctor for his many ailments, both those he could name and those he could not.”

Henry first visits Theresa in her capacity as a doctor. They knew each other briefly before this visit, but it is this coincidental appointment that alerts Henry to Theresa’s ability to heal. He does not ask her to examine his bleeding hemorrhoids, but he does seek out her presence to mend another hurt in his life: Henry is unhappy in his marriage and seeks another person to help heal this wound. Theresa, a doctor and a person naturally inclined toward healing, assumes this mantle. The dynamic of their relationship is as much patient and healer as it is married man and unmarried woman.

“Do they talk about me?”

While talking to Grover, Ralph realizes that people gossip. He hears stories about Henry and becomes terrified that people might have stories about him. The question he asks Grover encapsulates this fear. Ralph is worried about his appearance and whether people perceive him as weak or pathetic. The answer is worse than that, as no one thinks enough about Ralph to talk about him at all. He is insignificant. This insignificance fuels Ralph’s desire to become a businessman and make himself noteworthy.

“Yet her choice seemed like someone else’s choice.” 

Theresa must come to terms with her choices. Ralph’s constant bullying has pushed her over the edge and forced her to separate herself from the family she truly loves. Such a deliberate, forceful move is unexpected from the quiet, unassuming, inscrutable Theresa. Most of her actions are carefully planned; the situations in which she reacts emotionally often leave her with regret. Her affair with Henry Chao and her decision to move into her own apartment are both regretful incidents when she made an emotional decision. Theresa learns to distrust her emotions because they always complicate her life.

“Theresa’s room bothered even Ralph.” 

Theresa’s departure affects everyone in the house. The emptiness of her room is not the key issue, but the emptiness represents the void in the family’s life now that Theresa is gone. She leaves behind an emotional vacuum that is soon filled with Grover and his schemes. These schemes leave everyone deeply unhappy, and they wish they could reserve time and bring back Theresa. The empty room is a constant reminder of what they have lost.

“Three pages in, she wondered if they couldn’t start all over.”

Helen’s worries over her bank accounts reflect her worries over her marriage and her relationship with Theresa. The more she looks at the details, the more she is filled with regret. She has allowed her fascination with Grover to endanger her marriage and fracture her relationship with her sister-in-law. She wants to “start all over” (151) with Theresa just as much as she wants to start all over looking at the accounts. Much like the projected numbers, the experience with Grover will soon leave Helen with a bitter taste in her mouth, feeling sadness and regret.

“It was the sort of thing that occurred to smart guys.” 

Ralph is so lost in the details of the business that he has forgotten who he is. Ralph has a doctorate in mechanical engineering and was once a tenured professor. He is a smart man with the credentials to prove his intelligence. But his self-identity has slipped so far into the world of business that he views himself as a regular fool. He does not believe himself clever enough to see the schemes and cons that are implemented by men like Grover. He is correct in this evaluation, but the way he dismisses his own intelligence indicates his changing personality. He once viewed himself as the smartest man in the room who was entitled to a tenured position. Now, he is out of his depth and beset by worries.

“Ralph burst with pride when Grover was paper-trained.” 

The puppy named Grover provides Ralph a way to regain control of his life. The human Grover tricked and emasculated Ralph, and the family is now in dire straits. Ralph feels as though he is losing control, but training the puppy provides a way to assert authority over a being named Grover. The name is petty revenge, but the obedience training provides Ralph the opportunity to teach Grover a lesson about how to behave in society. Though Ralph is only teaching the puppy how to behave, he can imagine the lessons extending to the actual Grover. Ralph does not have the means to put the actual Grover in his place, but the dog provides him an analogous opportunity to regain control and impose order.

“Still the room spun before he came to his senses and shoved her back away from himself, out of his murderous hands.” 

The escalation of the fight between Ralph and Helen transforms them into entirely different people. The recounting of how Helen fell through the window is ruminative and slow. Everything happens as though in a dream. The two characters see themselves hurtling toward a terrible conclusion but they cannot stop. Ralph begins to strangle Helen and only realizes what he is doing when his hands are already on her neck. He pushes Helen away from him, disgusted with himself, but the push is too hard and Helen falls through the window. Ralph’s realization of the terrible person he has become ironically makes his actions even worse. He is a bystander as the consequences of all his decisions push his wife through the bedroom window.

“No place in the house; and now, with Grover Ding returning, no place outside of it either.” 

Ralph’s various schemes and jealousies have left him in an ever-contracting position. His family’s dream home no longer feels like it belongs to him, while the plot of land where he walked his dog now belongs to the man who helped ruin his life. Ralph is caught outside with the dog. The house encroaches while Grover’s schemes loom on the horizon. Ralph stands on an island of paranoia, jealousy, and bitterness, and his position is as shaky and as untenable as the rudimentary dog house in the yard.

“Everything was all right!”

This is one of Theresa’s final thoughts before she is hit by Ralph’s car, and it is heavy with irony. She spots her brother and sister-in-law arriving home and sees this as a sign of salvation. They will be able to save her from the mad dog, and she will be able to keep her promise to the children that their parents will be OK. Theresa hopes that everything will be all right—and then the car hits her. The incident puts her in a coma for a long time, and the happiness of her final thought juxtaposes against the seriousness of her condition.

“He sat alone that he might pray.” 

Ralph is left with no recourse but prayer. His sister’s coma is a direct result of his actions. He was at the wheel of the car that hit her, and he trained the aggressive dog that chased her. The weight of his guilt leaves him with nothing to fill his thoughts but religion. Religion is all Ralph has left, but he does not particularly believe in anything. Christianity, Confucianism, Buddhism, and consumerism have all played important roles in his life. Ralph appeals to all of them in his desperate search for meaning and atonement. He does not receive a reply.

“Had Theresa taken up residence in herself?” 

The idea of home plays an important role in the novel. The family searches for a home and hopes that a building will provide meaning. America is a home, the apartment is a home, and the suburban house in Connecticut is a home. All these residences have personal meaning to the characters, so Theresa’s recovery is expressed in similar terms. When she does not wake up, she is taking “residence in herself” (180). The idea of Theresa returning from the brink of death and being welcomed back into the family is conveyed through the idea of residency. In the book’s last chapters, the family realizes that the sense of home emerges from the people and the emotions inside the house, not the house itself.