29 pages • 58 minutes read
Edith Maude EatonIn the Land of the Free
Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1912A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Literary Devices
Juxtaposition
Juxtaposition is a comparison of two elements to highlight their differences. “In the Land of the Free” juxtaposes law and reason with emotion and sentiment to enhance the text’s focus on the value of motherhood and maternal instincts. In the first scene, for example, the customs officials continually emphasize that they are merely doing their job and adhering to the law of the land. Their objective detachment from the highly charged situation makes Hom Hing and Lae Choo’s emotional pleas even more palpable. The use of juxtaposition also illustrates how the law itself causes this situation, as the law lacks the necessary sentiment and sympathy that would prevent this family from being separated. With this, the story’s title, “In the Land of the Free,” stands in contrast with the story’s content, emphasizing The Limits of Freedom.
Tone
“In the Land of the Free” relies on a tone that combines journalistic observation with emotional intensity. Likely drawing on her background as a journalist, Eaton often conveys the situation of Hom Hing and Lae Choo in a very matter-of-fact way, such as when she states, “Thus was the law of the land complied with” (5). At the same time, the text also foregrounds the feelings of its characters, particularly Lae Choo. The reader often experiences events directly from her perspective, as with the story’s final scene. Upon seeing her son for the first time in months, Lae Choo exclaims and then “[falls] on her knees and stretche[s] her hungry arms toward her son” (11). This highly emotional depiction heightens the drama of the story’s final moments and makes the outcome of the reunion—Lae Choo’s rejection—particularly painful to read. These two tones are often juxtaposed with each other within scenes to highlight the legal system’s cruelty.
Foreshadowing
Eaton’s story utilizes foreshadowing several times to point the reader toward the eventual, less-than-happy ending for this Chinese immigrant family. The opening line of the text ironically signals Little One’s fate, for his mother notes, “There is thy home for years to come. It is very beautiful and thou wilt be very happy there” (3). Indeed, Little One does come to call America home, and his experiences with the white women in the mission are described as happy and joyful. However, his home in America is certainly not what Lae Choo had imagined for him. Similarly, when Little One is initially taken from his parents, the continual reassurance that it will only be for “a little while” suggests that the separation will actually be much longer. As the reader comes to learn, Little One is separated from his parents for nearly a year. Thus, the story guides the reader to anticipate the worst possible outcome in each of Hom Hing and Lae Choo’s experiences.
Realism
Even while relying on sympathetic, sometimes sentimental character portrayals, Eaton’s story is situated in the literary style of realism. Rather than fantastic and unlikely encounters, Hom Hing and Lae Choo’s life is quotidian, if also marked by misfortune and heartbreak. Eaton sets her story in the real city of San Francisco, which she describes in detail, from the wharf “lined with ships and steamers” (4) to Chinatown, which is full of lively businesses and “resplendent with gay colored lanterns and the sounds of music” (6). The narrator references the initials “U.S.C.” on the officer’s caps, which stands for US Customs, a real law enforcement agency. Through details like these, the narrative makes it clear that while the events may be fictional, they draw on factual circumstances. They reflect the day-to-day lives of the characters and the lives of the many Chinese immigrants in the historical moment when Eaton was writing.
