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Ezgi BURUMOĞLU

On Sui Sin Far’s ‘‘In the Land of the Free’’

“In the Land of the Free” gave me the idea about the insensitivity of the laws,

degenerated humanity and the struggle many immigrants faced while attempting to assimilate

into American culture while still holding, embracing their native, old cultural values,

traditions and customs.

Hom Hing was a merchant in San Francisco. Like many other Chinese immigrants and

the others, he struggled to come to the United States hoping that he could find have a better

life and wealth with his family. Hom Hing and Lae Choo were attempting to build a family in

the land of freedom where the United States welcomed all the immigrants all over the world.

Because at that time, people thought that ‘‘America is city upon a hill’’, ‘‘God’s country’’

where all people live in harmony and peace, all doors are open to everyone regardless of their

language, ethnicity, race, nation, color, age, or education.

They asked where the child was born and they learned that little one was born in China

and there was no paperwork to verify that he was Hom Hing's and Lae Choo's son. The baby

was taken away by the armed U.S.C. customer, causing Lae Choo to go into a depression,

spend bad days. White Americans split their family like many other immigrant family with

the m was the right thing to do. The officers gave the family empty promises from the

beginning of the story till the end. They were the victims of U.S. immigration law. The

American anti-Chinese or anti-immigrant idea was so strong that it had resulted in the former

years in the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1888 forbidding any Chinese from coming into the U.S.

So Chinese men that came to America for work, money were unable to send money for their

families or relatives. Imprisonment or deportation was the penalties for those who failed to

have the required papers or witnesses for the acceptance of the country. Like the little one,
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many immigrants had to wait days or months for several reasons. For example, they had to

wait for documents of licenses, birth and criminal reports, for health controls, identification

and occupation controls.

They asked a lawyer named James Clancy to send a letter to Washington so they could

get their son back. He would do it but everything has a price. They had not had such huge

sums of money like all other immigrant who came to the U.S. to make a fortune with

American Dream. He stated this situation:

‘‘I tell you I have net to nothing left and my friends are not rich.’’

The man was tricky and wanted them to give all their Money. However it was not necessary.

Chinaman was seen always heathen, unskilled laborers, dirty. But actually they are smart,

hard workers. They were discriminated and so called nonassimilable people, viewed as

competitors economically. They were subject to harassment. They overcame all bad things

they faced during their immigration or post immigration process like bad live or working

conditions. They were enduring people who lived in poverty line. However, the ones who

induce, who are heathens, who show hostility, who use the despair of the immigrants are

actually the white people of land of freedom.

Throughout the story Sui Sin Far goes, she presents us some pictures showing Chinese

culture. For example, celebration of a baby's first month, strict family ties, Chinese

handshaking; bowing, description of food; rice steaming in the bowl (perfect example of

Chinese Cuisine). White people think that Chinese men are the most difficult one to

assimilate. But this information is not true. They, like many other immigrants all over the

world, try to continue their old customs but assimilation is hard to resist. In the end of the

story, we see assimilation issue more clearly and more touching. When she finally sees her
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son again after months, he is dressed in American clothes with a name ‘Kim’, an American

name, and now he speaks English, meaning that he is Americanized Chinese boy.

“the Little One shrunk from her and tried to hide himself in the folds of the white

woman’s skirt. ‘go’way, go’way!’ he bade his mother”

The last scene that the boy hides in the folds of a white woman’s skirt, shows that he feels

much more comfortable in the presence of white Americans than his own Chinese parents, a

sign of his assimilation even at this young age. They alienated the child from his parents like

that the alienation to their own old culture, their own identity and heritage. The whites show

themselves safe, confidential to the all of the world, all of the immigrants.

Finally I want to say that after observing the struggles and hardships that the Chinese

immigrants faced during the migration to America, I realize that to move from one's

homeland and slowly assimilate into a new culture, new language, new habits, and new

neighborhood while holding traditional customs, ethnicity, and culture is not an easy thing to

practice. This requires patience and endurance. Most importantly, the Chinese overcame all of

hardships, hostility and discrimination and contributed to the history and culture of the United

States in times. Today, I can see many marks of Chinese own traditions, customs, and cuisine

on the culture which is formed by many cultures in the land of freedom.

Works Cited

Far, Sui Sin (Pseud. of Edith Maud Eaton.) ‘’In the Land of the Free’’ Independent, 1909.