Accumulated Passages (w/ Questions), pg. 206 - 237

Passage 1: (Surya)

On page 221 there is a conversation between Mona and her mom Helen because Mona had sex with Seth. When Mona brings up the fact genuinely that at least she wasn't sleeping with Alfred and Helen said she would have killed herself if that happened. Then Mona called her mother a racist and Helen's reply I thought was thought-provoking:
"Racist!" Helen springs suddenly back to life, as if it is not night at all, day, day, day! "Only an American girl would think about her mother killing herself and say oh that's so racist. A Chinese girl would think whether she should kill herself too. Because that is how much she thinks about her poor mother who worked so hard and suffered so much. She wants to do everything to make the mother happy." And with that, she leaps up as if she's overslept and it's way past time to get going.

Some of the questions that occurred to me were:
1. Why does her mom feel that Mona should go to the extent of thinking to kill herself just for her mother?
2. Why does she feel Chinese girls would think this way only and American girls would think that way?
3. Is this reaction a boiling up of the things that Mona has said to her mother? Regarding her change of religion etc. 

Passage 2: (Harry)

Alfred and Mona believe that Alfred's dismissal was caused by racism: Alfred says, "Somebody's going to take the heat, it's gotta be the Negroes, right? Who else gets burnt up and keeps walking?" (p.219) while Mona, talking to Ralph, says "It doesn't matter so long as he is Chinese" (p.210).

Are the Changs racist? Is Alfred getting fired a result of racism and Chinese preference?

Ralph denies this, stating that a new cook "could be any color. 'He could be blue. He could be green. He could be striped like the zebra in the zoo.'" and affirms what Mona says, that "'It doesn't matter as long as you know you can trust him. It doesn't matter as long as you know who the person is.'" (p.210) Furthermore, he claims that the true reason is Alfred's inconsistencies: "Alfred is one day, he care very much what is happen in the restaurant. The next day, for no reason, look like he do not care anymore" "Unreliable like crazy" (p.210)

Is Ralph correct: is Alfred being laid off his own fault (or Mona's in partying with him)?


In summary, I would like to take a look at the racism passages, which are numerous and spread throughout the text, to analyze the Changs' outlook on other cultures and races.

Passage 3: (Amiya)

 "If people lived in houses with no walls between rooms there would have to be a lot of rules. I don't think you would like it. You can't have no walls and also have everyone in touch with their feelings. People would have to have manners. They would have to have a public face and a private face.'... 'I was naive...This is why you don't want to be a freethinker. You've had enough of being an original." (208)

1) What does it mean in Seth's terms to be a "freethinker"?
2) Is this a way of Seth telling Mona that she shouldn't try to be independent by herself, that she shouldn't follow his ways for living?