In her 2010 publication of Shanghai Girls, Lisa See provides her readers with a tale based on the perfect combination of two themes: immigration and culture. Pearl and May, two Chinese sisters residing in Shanghai, “the Paris of Asia,” create the center of the storyline that sees them move from China to the United States amidst a lot of political turmoil that wrecks havoc in both countries. Now, at the commencement of the novel, Pearl, the narrator, and her sister May enjoy the life of calendar models in Shanghai, but they lose their apparent autonomy when their father forces them to enter arranged marriages. It is at this point that one Old Man Louie arrives in the women’s home to purchase them as wives for his American sons and with that single move, a Chinese tradition paves the way for a series of problems for See’s lead characters. After all, the arranged marriages allow Pearl and May to make their way to the United States as spouses of Chinese American citizens when the Japanese invade China in the first signs of the Second World War. Subsequently, their arrival on American soil spells misery that revolves around the isolation of the persons of Chinese ancestry and restrictive laws imposed by the federal government. Case in point the State’s prohibition of property ownership by the Chinese and the fact that as long as they were not in Chinatown, beauty parlors “[did not] cut Chinese hair.”
At a personal level, Lisa See’s use of historical evidence to portray the lives of her fictitious characters creates the grounds on which Shanghai Girls gains its appeal. With interest in the fact that the two decades [1937-1957] captured the start, period, and outcomes of World War II, See’s depiction of the experiences of Asian immigrants demands a close read of her work. That applies in particular when one realizes the vulnerability of her two protagonists who face hardships for not only being female but also possessing the physical traits of a Chinese. Sure, they are Shanghai Girls who take pride in their home country; however, Pearl and May’s account takes place in the United States where white supremacists are not shy about voicing their bias against non-whites. Pride among immigrants is a luxury that none could afford. As one would expect, the novel represents twenty years of personal reevaluation for the sisters as they deal with multiple culture shocks that force them to redefine their identities and create new homes in a land that does not want their persons. A perfect illustration of a correlation between Lisa See’s story and American history is evident in the scene where May and Pearl go to the American Consulate to get visas after their respective marriages to Old Man Louie’s sons. Apparently, the women had to check boxes indicating that they are not “professional beggars, prostitutes, idiots, [or] imbeciles.” The same clause appears in the Immigration Act of 1924.
According to Lisa See’s Official Website, the author grew up in Los Angeles, where she spent time with her father’s family in Chinatown while living with her mother. As a writer, She went on to write multiple pieces that ranged from her novels and articles for Vogue to details about the “Chinese-American experience” while serving as a guest curator at the Autry Museum of Western Heritage. Today, Lisa See is a member of the board of Los Angeles Opera and will receive this year’s “the Golden Spike Award” from the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California. Evidently, Lisa See has had a connection with California from her childhood.
Bibliography
Lisa See's Official Website. About Lisa See. Accessed January 22, 2017. http://www.lisasee.com/about-lisa-see/.
United States Department of State. "The Immigration Act of 1924 (The Johnson-Reed Act)." Office of the Historian: Bureau of Public Affairs. Accessed January 22, 2017. https://history.state.gov/milestones/1921-1936/immigration-act.
