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Francesca Basile

Professor Allen

ENG 2103C

10 February 2023

The Repercussions of the Cultural Differences Between the Chinese and American Women in

Sui Sin Far’s Mrs. Spring Fragrance

There are many things that make cultures around the world different from one another;

one of those things is the way in which women are treated. The collection of short stories, Mrs.

Spring Fragrance by Sui Sin Far offers a unique view of what life was like for Chinese

immigrants in America during the late nineteenth century. Far was half-English, half-Chinese,

which allowed her to tell her stories from contrasting perspectives. Each of the stories in Mrs.

Spring Fragrance assert some kind of lesson regarding the treatment of Chinese immigrants in

North America. In most, if not all, of Far’s short stories, a misunderstanding occurs between the

characters because of cultural differences. One issue that causes these misunderstandings is the

perception and treatment of Chinese women versus American women. Women have more

freedom in America than women do in China; this causes confusion for the Chinese women in

the short stories who arrive to America and are not aware of nor understand these freedoms. The

duties and roles that women are expected to perform in their relationships with their husbands

differ between the Americans and the Chinese; the duties which Chinese women are accustomed

to are questioned when they are pressed into Americanisation. Because the education and

liberation of women in China is many years behind that of women in America, the Chinese

women in these short stories are assumed to be naïve and incompetent; this creates conflict

between the Chinese women and their husbands who seem to favor the American women. These
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phenomena represent one of the many repercussions that can arise when two different cultures

converge.

The Americanisation of the Chinese characters in Sui Sin Far’s short stories is not an easy

nor pleasant process. In order to become “Americanised”, these characters have to surrender

many of their cultural values. For the female characters in Far’s stories, part of their

Americanisation includes much more freedom than they were accustomed to in China. One

example of this newfound freedom which is especially highlighted in several of Far’s stories is

the friendships that occur between men and women. In China, during the period these short

stories take place, friendships scarcely existed between women and men. For that reason, it is

off-putting for the Chinese characters in Far’s stories to see women enjoying entirely platonic

relationships with several men. In the short story “The Wisdom of the New”, a Chinese woman

who has been living in America for many years is described as “as bold and free in her ways as

are the white women, and her name is on all the men’s tongues” (67). This woman is being

looked down upon by the Chinese folk who are discussing her because they still hold the

traditional Chinese idea that a woman should only give her attention to one man and that man

should be her husband. In “The Wisdom of the New” Wou Sankwei’s wife, Pau Lin, is not

familiar with friendships between men and women as she has recently arrived in America when

the story takes place. The friendship between her husband and the white women, Adah Charlton,

confuses Pau Lin and makes her wonder if her husband has romantic feelings for the white

woman. Wou Sankwei, having lived in America for many years and having been friends with

Adah for so long, does not realize what the cause of his wife’s discontentment is. This

misunderstanding causes tension between the married couple. The opposite situation occurs in

the short story “Mrs. Spring Fragrance”. Rather than the woman being suspicious of the man,
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Mr. Spring Fragrance worries that his wife will stray from him and fall in love with another man.

This worry begins when Mr. Spring Fragrance learns that love in America is free; it is something

that people choose. It is made clear throughout the story by the comments other characters make

and her actions that Mrs. Spring Fragrance is as Americanised as can be. The combination of Mr.

Spring Fragrance’s recent American discovery and the developing Americanisation of his wife

make him wonder “If his wife was becoming as an American woman, would it not be possible

for her to love as an American woman…?” (43), by which he means freely since their marriage

was arranged. Even though he knows his wife loves him, his concern is understandable because

his wife is experiencing more freedom than she could ever ask for when they were living in

China. In China, such a worry would be senseless since it would not be possible, but Mr. Spring

Fragrance cannot be certain that she would not seek another man to be her lover since his wife is

now behaving as the American women do. Sui Sin Far portrays the freedom that American

women indulge in, especially in their relationships with their husbands.

It was expected of Chinese women to be obedient to their husbands. They were taught to

prioritize their husbands’ happiness above all else. In America, the same expectations were

applied; the American women, however, were able to live for more than just their husbands. In

the story “The Wisdom of the New” Adah Charlton explains to Wou Sankwei that “the white

woman reads, plays, paints…thinks of and cares for a great many people. She has much to make

her happy besides her husband. The Chinese woman has him only” (77). When the Chinese

women in Sui Sin Far’s stories arrive to America, they keep up the tradition of putting their

husband’s needs before their own; Pau Lin, for example, eats all of her meals after her husband

has eaten. However, most of these women’s husbands have been Americanised. Therefore, their

wives’ dutifulness goes somewhat unappreciated. Rather than caring about how obedient their
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wives are, the Chinese men in Far’s short stories desire their wives to dress and act like the

American women. This causes a disconnect between the married couples in the short stories. The

Chinese women do not know how to live without validation from their husbands, but their

husbands are asking them to become something they are not. In “The Americanizing of Pau Tsu”,

Pau Tsu feels incapable of giving her husband, Lin Fo, what he wants. In a letter she writes to

him, she says: “she [Pau Tsu] has left you…so that you may be happy with the Beautiful One

[the white woman], who is so much your Pau Tsu’s superior. Else, why should you have your

Pau Tsu follow in her footsteps?” (118). In reality, Lin Fo is not in love with the white woman;

however, it seems that way to Pau Tsu who is being told to change herself completely. The

Chinese wives who join their Americanised husbands must abandon what they know about being

a good wife and mimic the white women’s behaviour; this results in a sense of incompetency and

resentment towards the American women.

One’s culture can dictate their behaviour, mindset, and even their demeanor. Even though

everyone is different, regardless of where they were raised, the culture which they belong to can

impose certain traits unto them. Chinese women were seen as meek, complacent, and delicate

whereas American women were known to be more stubborn, resistant, and audacious. Sui Sin

Far emphasizes these differences between Chinese and American women in her stories by their

actions, other characters’ observations, and her word choice. All of the white characters in the

short stories use the same three words when referring to the Chinese female characters: “little

Chinese woman”. The word “little” has many connotations but most are negative; it can mean

insignificant or narrow-minded. Repetitively being referred to in this way can be detrimental to

one’s self-esteem. It is no wonder why several of the female Chinese characters in Sui Sin Far’s

short stories feel incompetent. Because Chinese women were less formally educated, many of
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the white female characters assume that the Chinese women are ignorant. Furthermore, many do

not understand the Chinese women’s refusal to be Americanised; The American women have

never had to adapt to an entirely different culture. In the story “The Wisdom of the New”, for

example, after hearing the news that Wou Sankwei’s wife does not wish to send her son to an

American school, Mrs. Dean, a white women who is a good friend of Wou Sankwei’s thinks

“here was a man…anxious to have his son receive the benefits of a Western education – and here

was this man’s wife opposing him with her ignorance and unreasonable jealously” (72). Mrs.

Dean is completely inconsiderate of Pau Lin’s experience as a recent immigrant. Because

Chinese women are said to be compliant, it is possible that the fact that Pau Lin would resist her

husband’s wishes is shocking to the American women. The “little” Chinese woman should just

do as she’s told, she doesn’t know what’s best for her. Another example which displays the

opposite circumstance is in “The Americanizing of Pau Tsu” when Pau Tsu protests against being

examined by a male doctor but gives in when her husband reprimands her. Adah Charlton, who is

observing the whole scene, later describes Pau Tsu as “a lamb for slaughter…the examination

was worse than death to that little Chinese woman” (116). Adah Charlton sees firsthand the

lengths Chinese women are willing to go in order to obey their husbands. Still, she is puzzled as

to why the Chinese women could let themselves be treated in such a way; Adah would have

stood up for herself in that situation. By calling Pau Tsu a “little lamb”, it is as if she sees Pau

Tsu as beneath her.

Through her short stories, Sui Sin Far portrays the cultural differences that existed between

Chinese immigrants and white Americans in the nineteenth century in many different ways. A

cultural difference that is especially evident in these stories is the ways Chinese women were

viewed and treated in comparison to American women. Chinese women felt pressured to
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conform to the American lifestyle and this created tension between the characters in Sui Sin Far’s

short stories.
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Works Cited

Far, Sui Sin, and Hsuan L. Hsu. Mrs. Spring Fragrance. Broadview Press, 2011.