Leslie Lum Old Age Gold

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Leslie LumOld Age Gold

• Immigration in Canada
• By Meike Gaul and Julia Verleger

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Thesis Old Age Gold
Immigration
Unable to return live their old lives
result
their Goal to earn money and return home
IDENTITY CRISIS
Immigrants underwent changes in new country
Believes and behaviour changed too much!
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Leslie Lum

• 1952 in Vancouver (Canada)
• studied Social Work ( M.S.W.)
• wrote Old Age Gold during that time
• Further education
• - M.B.A. B.F.A.
• wrote poetry, plays, novels, short stories
  professional books
• writes for the Northwest Asien Weekly
• until March 2003 Visiting Scholar at BEDP

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Immigration to Canada

• since the 1970s most immigrants from Asia
• wave of immigration ( late 19th early 20th
  century)
• trend still continues
• ? reason why Canada still has significant
  immigration programs
• about half of all immigrants (1981 to 1991) came
  from Asia
• 8 to 10 percent of population Asian origin
• Chinese fastest-growing mother tongue
• immigration important to maintain Canadas
  population.

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Summary
Receives citizenship
China
Realization Cant return to China!
Canada/ present ltgt China/ past
Guy Mo Chiang
Immigration to Canada
inner thoughts
memories
Wish to return ( 30 years later)
Citizenship hearing
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Structure

• Narrative Techniques
• mostly third person and selective omniscient
  narrator (Guy Mo Chiang)
• through main character mostly short
  sentences no euphemism gt only a touch of
  emotions

• Language
• no dialects
• language only in its meaning for citizenship
  important

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• Plot and setting
• one main plot sub plots ( underline the main
  plot by contrast)
• question-response plot ? open end
• repeating contrasts Judge/Canada vs.
  Chiang/China
• no real beginning action ? no real climax
• no euphemism
• one main setting (court room) several realistic
  backview settings

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The Characters Overview
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Guy Mo Chiang

• 69 years old ( by Chinese calendar 70 years)
• immigrated from China 30 years ago
• has never been at school before ? speaks hardly
  any English
• husband 2 children
• lives in a rooming house (Chinatown)
• works as a babysitter
• does not like the western way

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• Mr. Chiang
• came to Canada five years earlier than Guy Mo
• does not want to return to China

• relationship between Mr. Mrs. Chiang
• she thinks depreciatively about him
• ? the old board
• she doesn't need him
• disappointment from both sides
• he is not supporting her in any way
• ?its just a waste of money
• he still cares about her, exp. when she is sick

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• Her son
• lives in San Francisco with his wife and 4
  children
• sends sometimes money to his parents writes
  them often
• cannot visit them because of his restaurant

• Her daughter
• remained in China with husband and 2 children
• parents are sending her money
• lives a poor life

• Their relationship to Guy Mo Chiang
• stayed in touch with each other, Guy Mo misses
  them
• she wants to return to China ?so daughter can
  take care of her
• she loves her grandchildren

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Her Sponsors

• Mrs. Chin
• Canadian-born
• job to help immigrants get the Canadian
  citizenship
• very successful knows meaning of money
• Guy Mo Chiangs sponsor
• gave her English lessons

• Relationship between Guy Mo Chiang Mrs.Chin
• Guy Mo trusts, depends has confidence in them
• only when they nod does she have the feeling
  she did a good job
• they campaign for her try to convince the judge

• Mr. Louie
• Guy Mos second sponsor

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• relationship between Mrs.Chiang and Judge
• distance between them ? but she likes him
• cannot understand that such a young man sits in
  front of her with all those papers
• The only one who can stop her !!!
• he would understand her fright
• she admires his life his family
• so lovely, so young, so pretty

• The Judge
• kind man with white bear
• wears a brown suit and glasses
• ca. 40 years old (young man)
• has wife 2 children

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The citizenship hearing
?

• Question Answer Interpretation

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• What is your name?

?Guy Mo Chiang (Canadian name)

• The first question was always the easiest after
  the shock of arrival.
• They always gave chances, these Canadians.
• Surname last, these funny westerners, surname
  last as if it did not matter at all, ().
• How very contrived, a mystery, these westerners
  and their logic were.
• The judge, he might notice (), something that
  was not Canadian.

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When did you come to Canada?

• ? 30 years ago

• One had to attempt all means in those days ().
• Actually the fault fell completely on her
  husband.
• he () bought the papers using the assumed name.
  Such a name too, so far from his own, especially
  from hers.
• It was necessary to make ones fortune and
  return. The return was beginning.
• No one in China had papers. Papers were not
  necessary.
• They had no relatives who had immigrated.

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Do you speak English?

• ? Yes.

• She wasnt of course.What possible use could she
  find for English?
• Everybody in the neighbourhood spoke Chinese.
• English language of the babarians, for
  Canadian-borns and Westerners. English not needed
  in the her neighboorhood.
• And now when the return was beginning she
  finally needed it.

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Where do you live?

• ? rooming house near Chinatown

• Now there were westerners in the neighbour hood.
  Bad westerners.
• Only the poorer ones remained.
• The government gave grants to improve the
  neighbourhood, to preserve the Chinese culture,
  probably an apology for having moved in the
  Westerners.
• There was the red sofa bought by her husband in
  one of his weak moments.
• It bothered her, all the newness, the shiny
  freezers, the shelves with everything arranged
  just so Western.

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Do you work?

• ? no exact answer, babysitter, etc.

• she had worked all her life, all her life
• () money was sacred.
• She had worked in a restaurant cleaning dishes
  (...). / () she took to farm-labour (...)
  every season for years and years.
• () the years had bend her back.
• She did babysit for () two younger women.
• She wished they were her own grandchildren.
• That was success, to have grandchildren.

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What is your husbands name?
? She gives no answer!

• weak man/ old board
• he always made life difficult
• Disappointment she had more expectations
• Regrets that she came over wants to go back
• why bring him into this ordeal?
• She worked hard for him but it would all end
  now
• at least he did not the same Mr. Kwan did (But
  no woman would have him with his bent back, the
  old board)
• He did not thing of returning. He was content
  to spent his time playing card. He would die
  there alone. He would never change.

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How many children do you have?

• ? 2 children daughter son (third son died in
  China)

• Guy Mo is sad about her son his family not
  visiting them
• They sent money to China often and wondered how
  much went to her and how much the Communists
  took
• grandchildren play an important role in her life
  ?but the old board said there was not enought
  money.
• Guy Mo misses her children.
• The Communists. They said China had changed now.
  They said it was different. It was not China like
  before. Perhaps that was just the north, near
  Peking.

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Who represents the Queen in Canada? (twice)

• ?She does not know the answer.

• There were so many obstacles ().
• Queen. It was of some importance.
• They said China was different now, ()stories
  of improvements of conditions, revolution.
• (hospial situation)She did not have to face the
  westerners./ She had a Chinese body and a
  Chinese sickness.? She must return home.
• Husband He would die there alone. He would
  never change.
• She worked very hard. It is difficult for older
  people to learn.
• All the facts about Canada ran through her mind
  and arranged themselves in logical western
  sequence. At the end of the path was China.
• () books about Canada, Bibles and Old Age Gold
  cheques.

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Where does the Queen live? (twice)

• ? She does not know the answer.

• He was stopping her from returning to where she
  did belong. ltgt It is her greatest wish to
  become Canadian, to belong to Canada.
• She would have to travel alone. Back to China.
  Alone.
• The new immigrants laughed at the old ones. They
  said they kept the customs of old China.? There
  was no such China now.
• Canada is a place for all. Equal opportunities
  for all races, cultures and ages.
• She looked as if she had no place in the world.
• Guy Mo Chiang watched China disappear.It was
  better this way.
• The red and white flag ()they all said
  something about Canada. They were all smiling.
• China was so far away.

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Conclusion
Other immigrants experienced the same
Inner conflict
Unknowingly edged away from their old life
Identity crisis
Realization Canada has changed her too much!!
Caught between 2 cultures countries!!!
Old Life in China is not possible anymore!!
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Sources

• Lum, Leslie Old Age Gold
• http//www.facweb.bcc.ctc.edu/llum/
• http//www.encarta.msn.com/encnet/features/home.as
  px