In the Land of the Free

“‘He is my son.’ reiterated Hom Hing slowly and solemnly. ‘I am a Chinese merchant and have been in business in San Francisco for many years. When my wife told to me one morning that she dreamed of a green tree with spreading branches and one beautiful red flower growing thereon, I answer her that I wished my son to be born in our country, and for her to prepare to go to China.’”

This quote from Hom Hing is significant for several reasons. First, by matter-of-factly stating his position and his relationship with Little One, he is attempting to assert his place in American society. In his mind, having lived in San Francisco for many years should serve as enough evidence to validate their existence in American society. Likewise, he believes his parentage should be self-evident, and his word as a member of American society should be taken seriously. This quote also introduces the symbol of the tree with the red flower, which signifies Lae Choo and Hom Hing’s growing family, with Little One represented by the new red flower.

“The Little One protested lustily against the transfer; but his mother covered her face with her sleeve and his father silently led her away. Thus was the law of the land complied with.”

This quote offers an example of juxtaposition in the text. The readers are first confronted by the scene’s emotional intensity, with Little One crying at being taken from his parents while they turn away despondently. Then, by subsequently ending the scene with the statement that the “law of the land was complied with,” readers acknowledge the stark contrast between the reason of the written law with its deep emotional impact on affected individuals.

“‘Tis not yet time,’ said he, laying his head down again.

‘Not yet time. Ah, all the time that I lived before yesterday is not so much as the time that has been since my little one was taken from me.’”

This selection emphasizes how integral time is to the story’s framing. Hom Hing tells his wife that they must wait longer, that not enough time has elapsed since their son was taken for them to receive any news. By contrast, Lae Choo utilizes hyperbole to explain that for her, the past day has felt longer than all of the years she’s been alive.

“‘Slept!’ she echoed weepingly. ‘Ah, how could I close my eyes with my arms empty of the little body that has filled them every night for more than twenty moons! You do not know—man—what it is to miss the feel of the little fingers and the little toes and the soft round limbs of your little one…’”

Lae Choo’s identity as a mother first and foremost is made especially clear in this selection. The loss of her son, even if temporary, has created an almost bodily absence for her. She also emphasizes to her husband that as a man, he cannot fully comprehend the loss of their son in the same way. Their experiences also differ in that this is the first time Lae Choo has ever been separated from Little One.

“‘Now! Now! Now!’ consoled Hom Hing, patting his wife’s shoulder reassuringly; ‘there is no need to grieve so; he will soon gladden you again. There cannot be any law that would keep a child from its mother.’”

This selection sheds further light on Hom Hing’s character and his relationship with his wife. He reassures his wife that they will soon be reunited with Little One, demonstrating that he trusts the laws and legal system despite all evidence that suggests he should not. He comforts his wife but is also lightly dismissive of her emotions, which shows that he believes his view of the situation is more reasonable and correct.

“A roly-poly woman in black sateen, with long pendant earrings in her ears, looked up from the street below and waved her a smiling greeting. It was her old neighbor, Kuie Hoe, the wife of the gold embosser Mark Sing. With her was a little boy in yellow jacket and lavender pantaloons. Lae Choo remembered him as a baby. She used to like to play with him in those days when she had no child of her own. What a long time ago that seemed! She caught her breath in a sigh and laughed instead.”

Lae Choo observes this woman, an acquaintance and fellow mother, in a moment when she feels the greatest sorrow about her situation. The sight of another mother and her happy son, grown from a baby into a young boy, gives her some measure of hope. She fondly remembers playing with the young boy as an infant, prompting her to think about Little One and happily imagine their own future together.

“Not for one moment had Lae Choo paused to rest during the morning hours; her activity had been ceaseless. Every now and again, however, she had raised her eyes to the clock on the curiously carved mantelpiece.”

Time is an essential motif in “In the Land of the Free,” and this quotation places a heavy emphasis on how the passage of time affects Lae Choo. Wishing for time to pass more quickly, she busies herself with all manner of activities throughout the morning hours. She occasionally glances at the clock but tries not to fixate on it. She knows that the more she watches the clock, the more slowly time will crawl, extending the length of the separation between her and Little One.

“White women were caring for him, and though for one full moon he had pined for his mother and refused to be comforted, he was now apparently happy and contented.”

In another example of foreshadowing, Hom Hing and Lae Choo learn that despite an unhappy transition, Little One has become accustomed to his life at the mission under the care of white women. He is not only comfortable but also described as content. The reader starts to anticipate that a reunion with Little One will not be as simple as returning him to his mother. Indeed, the white women at the mission have become surrogate mothers in her absence.

“Hom Hing returned the letter, and without a word continued his manipulation of the counting machine. ‘Have you anything to say?’ asked the young man. ‘Nothing. They have sent the same letter fifteen times before. Have you not yourself showed it to me?’”

This selection highlights another angle of Hom Hing’s character: his resignation to the limits and processes of the legal system. Upon receiving the letter from the government on the subject of his son, he offers barely any response. To him, these letters no longer offer any real hope. Hom Hing does everything within his power to regain custody, such as giving Clancy money to represent him, but he lacks Lae Choo’s drive and passion. Their different reactions in this juxtapose masculine rationality and feminine emotion, and Eaton consistently subverts her era’s gender tropes by elevating Lae Choo’s actions and thoughts.

“‘Well, we must get your boy for you,’ he responded. ‘Of course’—turning to Hom Hing—‘it will cost a little money. You can’t get fellows to hurry the Government for you without a little gold in your pocket.’”

James Clancy shows his true colors in this quotation, demonstrating that he is a complicated but mostly self-serving character. While he does genuinely sympathize with Hom Hing and Lae Choo and believes that they should be reunited with their son, he will only help if it is advantageous to him. In this way, Clancy also represents legal and government systems as a whole. One must have access to resources and power if they want to affect the system in any meaningful way.

“For a moment Lae Choo gazed wonderingly from one face to the other; then, comprehension dawning upon her, with swift anger, pointing to the lawyer, she cried: ‘You not one hundred man good; you just common white man.’”

This quotation showcases a moment in which the otherwise docile Lae Choo asserts herself. She recognizes that Clancy is exploiting their situation and their emotional desperation. Crucially, she tells him that he is just a “common white man,” illustrating that Lae Choo has become rightfully mistrustful of white patriarchal society.

“Hom Hing laid a restraining hand upon her shoulder. ‘Not all, my wife,’ he said in Chinese. He selected a ring—his gift to Lae Choo when she dreamed of the tree with the red flower. The rest of the jewels he pushed toward the white man.”

Hom Hing displays a moment of sentimental attachment in this scene. Although he and Lae Choo are desperate to fund Clancy’s trip to Washington with any means they have, he refuses to let Lae Choo give up the ring he gave her upon learning she was pregnant with Little One. The ring is directly connected to the symbol of the tree with the red flower, and as such, it is connected to their son. Its meaning makes it invaluable for Hom Hing, so he refuses to part with it.

“The mission woman walked as she talked. She told Lae Choo that little Kim, as he had been named by the school, was the pet of the place, and that his little tricks and ways amused and delighted every one. He had been rather difficult to manage at first and had cried much for his mother; ‘but children so soon forget, and after a month he seemed quite at home and played around as bright and happy as a bird.’”

This passage calls back to the opening lines of the story in which Lae Choo told Little One that they were about to return to his “home.” The white woman who cares for Little One notes that the mission feels like home to him, so much so that he seems to have forgotten his mother, his name, and his kindred connections. In this moment, the reader can see that the law has deconstructed Little One’s identity and family, and, at least from the perspective of white society, he seems to be happier for it.