Mutual Separation of American and Chinese Terms in “Mrs. Spring Fragrance”
In this passage of “Mrs. Spring Fragrance” by Sui Sin Far, the young American man and Mr. Spring Fragrance interact in a way that maintains a separation between American and Chinese terms. In the passage, the young man attempts to bring up qualities that he feels is American. In doing this, he is attempting to make a distinction between his world and that of Mr. Spring Fragrance, excluding him from it. Mr. Spring Fragrance challenges the examples of “American” qualities the young man presents in a variety of levels, through both a direct confrontation as well as a subtler opposition portrayed in his tone. Through these deconstructions, he shows his likewise unwillingness …show more content…
Spring Fragrance replies to the young man in a mocking and sarcastic tone that further destabilizes the the young man’s ideals and exhibits his distancing. Mr. Spring Fragrance answers, “I offer the real Americans my consolations that they should be compelled to do what is against their principles” (12-13). In this, his tone is sarcastic as seen by the way he mimics the young man’s use of the phrase, “real American.” Rather than a sincere consolation, his answer seems to be more of a demonstration of his disagreement. Additionally, the continual use of the third person, “they” and “their,” reinforces the separation that the young man made between real Americans and Mr. Spring Fragrance. Mr. Spring Fragrance likewise sees himself as being apart from them. The mocking tone was established even in the beginning of the passage when Mr. Spring Fragrance says, “Everything is ‘high-class’ in America” (12). The repetition of the phrase the young man used previously to describe the stag party and especially the quotations around “high-class” cause his remark to appear like a mockery of the young man’s use of that word. By subtly mocking the American ideals and qualities presented, he keeps himself apart from them. He shows that he does not believe in them