Project 2, Week 10, Female Character: Lae Choo

Topic 3: From a piece of fiction choose a female character on whom to focus, and create a project.

Lae Choo, is a female from the passage, In the Land of the Free, by Edith Maud Easton. I will be focusing on her as a female character and creating a project that will show what the author’s and my attitude are towards her. The project will also discuss two other character’s views of Lae Choo. Lastly, the project will discuss how Lae Choo views herself and give quotes from the passage to support the different views.

In the passage, Lae Choo is a Chinese woman, who was married to her husband, Hom Hing, they lived in San Francisco together. Lae Choo, returned to China to give birth to their child, the Little One. Her husband, Hom Hing stayed in San Francisco and continued to work as a merchant, he owned a store and they lived above it. Lae Choo and her son had stayed in China longer than they expected because Hom Hing’s parents were ill and she needed to take care of them. Hom Hing had never met his son, who was 20 months old. Lae Choo and the Little One arrived under the Golden Gate bridge aboard, Easter Queen. On this day, Hom Hing met his son for the first time and as they were leaving the ship the family was stopped by two men with the initials U.S.C. on their caps. The Little One did not have any papers from Washington allowing him to enter and none of the papers regarding Lae Choo had mentioned anything about a child, because he was not born when they were filed and approved. Against the parents will, they had to hand their son over to the men, until they could get approval from the government to let the child in to the US. It took the couple 10 months to get their son back.

The author’s attitude towards Lae Choo, is that she is a fighter and very strong, however she is also shown to be a victim. “”You, too,” reproached Law Choo in a voice eloquent with pain. But accustomed to obedience she yieled the boy to her husband, who in turned delivered him to the first officer.” (323) In this passage, the image of Lae Choo is of her being a victim of the law, although they had all of the required papers to return from China, no one informed them that they needed approval for the child. Lae Choo is described in the story has a strong woman because her child was taken away, although she was very sad, scared and depressed, she continued to live for her child and do everything she could to get him back in her arms.

My attitude towards Law Choo, is that she loves her son with all of her heart and he is everything to her. The love she has is what helps her through one of the toughest times in her life. “Ah, how could I close my eyes with my arms empty of the little body that has filled them every night for the more than twenty moons! You do not know – man – what it is to miss the feel of the little finger and the little toes… Even in the darkness his darling eyes used to shine up to mine..” (324) “She fell on her knees and stretch her hungry arms towards her son.” (329) Both of these quotes from the passage describe the love Lae Choo has for her son, the Little One. The following quote describes Lae Choo’s love for her child.

A mother’s love for her child is like nothing else in the world. It knows no law, no pity, it dares all things, and crushed down remorselessly all that stand in its path..

-Agatha Christie

The passage describes Hom Hing’s view of his wife as weak and heart broken. This is shown in the story with the following quote. “Her food she takes only when I bed her and her tears fall continually. She finds no pleasure in dress or flowers and cares not to see her friends. He eyes stare all night. I think before another moon she will pass into the land of spirits.” (326). Hom Hing describes his wife as a woman that has lost her reason for living and if she does not get her son, she will die of a broken heart.

The passage describes, James Clancy, the young white lawyer’s, view of Lae Choo as

feeling sad for her and wanting to help, but then he uses his position to take advantage of the couple and the love she has for her son. “It’s not right,” cried the young man indignantly. Then he made his proposition.” (326) “Well, I will need at least five hundred to start with.” (327) “Stop, white man, Stop!” Lae Choo, panting and terrified, had started forward and not stood beside him, clutching his sleeve excitedly.” (327) This quotes from the passage reveal, James Clancy acting like he is set that the couple has not gotten their son back but then he see an opportunity to use take advantage of them and charge them a large amount of money to help get their son back. If he truly and selfishly wanted to help the couple, he could have charged less or nothing at all, or allow them to make payments, instead he had already taken all of their money for the previous letters he wrote to Washington and now he accepted all of Lae Choo’s jewelry as payment. James Clancy is a perfect example of a person that can help another person, however he sees an opportunity and takes advantage of the situation.

Lae Choo views herself as a scared and strong woman, and knows that the love for her child will bring him back to her. The passage started with Lae Choo being scared to hand her son over to the men on the boat because she did not know what was going to happen and how her son was going to be taken care of, but the idea that it would only be for a night and obeying the law is why she let him go. The next day he did not come home and for the 10 months he was away she was scare she would never see him again. However, the love for her child keep her pushing and being willing to give up anything that she had to get him back.

Lae Choo can be viewed in many different ways by many different people and depending on who the person is, they can each see her differently. 

References:
The Literature of California, Volume 1, Hicks, Houston, Kingston, Young, In the Land of the Free, by Edith Maud Easton pg 321-329
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