Why do you think the author selected the title?
The title puzzled me. When Lily was in China and met Ping he remarked, “You’re very American,” “A real American.” Was he referring to Lily’s lack of knowledge about China, her mother and father’s stories, as well as not speaking a Chinese language? Given her heritage, was this Ping’s questioning how she was raised?
Then again I wonder what is a real American? One born in this country? Even this seemingly automatic citizenship is currently being challenged.
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I think she is wanting all to know that real Americans are not just people born in America but people from all over. My maternal grandparents immigrated from Slovakia with four of their children, three more including my mother were born in America. My grandfather and uncles were all hard working men. Farmers that raised milking cows and chickens. Very important for the small town of Lake Stevens and Everett Wa. They were definitely real Americans!
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I think it is based on self identity, throughout the book characters who immigrated to America and those born in America are struggling to know themselves. Through race and class we see Lilly struggling with her relationship with Matthew. she often feels alienated and doesn’t think she fits into his world.Then there is Nick who struggles with his dual cultural identity and how he is perceived as he looks nothing like his mother and knows nothing about his western father or his family from China. Then there is May whose trauma from expiring the Chinese cultural revolution has propelled her to become a successful “Real American “ for her future security yet regrets her personal sacrifices along the way.
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Both Lily and Nick are continually confronted with being both Chinese and America. Are they true Americans? How does their Chinese heritage impact on their American identity. I find these questions most interesting to Nick whose appearance, blond and blue-eyed, disguise his Chinese genes.
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The title is a bit unexpected, but I think it is showing the many characters in the book who are all American. A major theme in the book is about identity, and each person being American binds them together, despite all the differences.
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Very interesting timing in the current state of things in our country. “Real Americans” cannot be explained so easily. Being a real American does not fall into one category and can be such an individualistic and personal experience.
What is a real American? As someone else stated, this is a good question given the current state of politics. Assimilation has always been a question for people coming to the USA.
I think it’s a perfect title for the book. More than one character questioned if they could be considered a Real American because they felt they lived between two cultures.
Also it was a perfect book to read during this turbulent political period. This book forces you to examine what you think/feel an real American is…and has your definition changed during this political upheaval.
I wonder who really is a “real” American. So many years ago I remember the Unites States being called a melting pot, which it still is. However, there is still an us and them mentality. In the 1930 part, May talks about her fear of walking down the street because she is/“looks” Chinese and Chinese are blamed for so much. In her reflection of her and Charles’ time just coming to the United States, she finally does what she needs to “look” like an “american”- wear lipstick, dress elegantly, speak correctly and it was only then that she felt she was a “real american” and Charles got hjs house and television and child- a “real american”
I think that the author is pointing out that being American isn’t just one thing. Legally, anyone born in the United States or to a US citizen is automatically a citizen. However, there is no one “American” sensibility. Depending on which state a person lives in can influence the habits, attitudes and tastes a person develops. Being an American does not mean having a specific skin or hair color or ancestral nationality. Unless one is a pureblood native, one’s background has to come from somewhere else. Speaking English is now the norm, but that hasn’t always been the case various parts of the country.
That challenge is generally coming from a segment of the population who would like to exclude anyone who doesn’t look, speak, or think like they do. To be an American citizen is a legal definition. To have been Americanized, implies accepting certain behaviors or attitudes that are attributed to persons living in the United States although they rarely encompass everyone. The old notion of being “as American as baseball or apple pie” is just a myth. So, just because Lily looked Chinese due to heritage, she wasn’t any more Chinese than any other tourist from the US.
I thought this was a great title! Who are the real Americans? America is a melting pot. It is not possible to tell an American by looks. The America that immigrants expect is not necessarily what they experience.
I think the title leads into the various “ways” someone is considered to be “American”. Being American for mixed races such as Nick can lead to internal conflicts regarding their ethnicity and trying to stay true to both identifies equally
Melissa, I compliment you on your reply. I could not have said it better. Being a real American is individualistic and does mean where you were born!