Chapter 11 - by Intikhab Amir

‘First-generation immigrant: roots intact,’ ‘second-generation immigrants: integration brings progress.’
‘Dai Goh – First Brother Kiam – had won a prize in science at King Edward High School.’ As the second generation immigrants integrate, they make progress and start leaving an impression. Over a period of time, the first generation immigrants start acknowledging the reality and accept the change. ‘New ways’ become acceptable for them.
“I knew, if I had said, ‘Grandmama told me, Old Way, best way,’ the family would laugh at me. Father and Kiam had been saying how we must all change, be modern, move forward, throw away the old. After all the dirty wars are finished,’ Father lectured to Third Uncle,’ those who understand the new ways will survive’.” Even the first generation starts realizing that to survive they have to adopt the new ways: they have to adopt Canadian way of life.
Even old fashioned from among the women immigrants accept the change. Mrs. Lim told Mrs. Chang she thought she saw Grandmama, after her death. Mrs. Chang reported this to Stepmother, whose spontaneous reaction to that was, “Just old-fashioned talk.”
While everybody in the Chinese immigrant’s family (in Choy’s novel) favoured new ways over the old, they shed their initial rejection to the new culture. They willingly wanted to adopt the new way, the children learned English, they excelled in studies, but they couldn’t improve their financial condition, which hampers the family’s integration. Without attaining economic stability, integration remains a far cry.
Even after living for years in their adopted country, immigrants find difficult to detach from their roots. Their native country remains high always in their thoughts. People left peaceful Canada to fight Japanese forces and defend China. “The war changed a lot of things. Now such back-to-Chine bone shipments were discouraged. Overseas shipping space was restricted to war munitions and emergency supplies, and to transport of living men for the purpose of killing other men.”