Jian Jun - China Men (part 2)

In the Grandfather of the Sierra Neveda Mountains part, Ah Goong is the main character, this part focuses on the life of Ah Goong, especial in America. He helps to build the railroad in United States and earns only one dollar per day after 1863. He has earned some money and spent half of them for the American citizen paper. Though he came and back three times between China and America, he finally died by the San Francisco Earthquake and Fire.

Ah Goong’s life is toilsome. He also bore all the difficulty when he was in US. He makes money for his family and follows what his wife has told him. Kingston says, “Grandmother forced him to leave both places, ‘Make money’, she said, ‘Don’t stay here eating.’ ‘Come home,’ she said.”(127) These words show that Ah Goong looks like a tool to earn money in grandmother’s heart. At that time, the life in China was not good enough, especial for common people. “Make money”, “Don’t stay here eating” indicate that Grandmother wants to let his husband go outside to earn the money, as she think America is the gold mountain. When Ah Goong has earned some money, she forces him to come back China and she can use his money, that’s the “Come home”. So this is the reason why Ah Goong comes and leaves US for three times.

To tell the truth, the life for Ah Goong and Chinese people in America at 19 century is hard, especial for those railroad workers. They use their own hands to build the railroad. They have long time work per day. Although they work eight hours and rest 8 hours, the amount of their work is so huge. Also, their living condition in America is poor, Ah Goong calls the people who in charge “demons”. “Demons” force them to work fast for their own benefit. Every month there are some people dead of that. They think those workers are cheap labors, so they treat workers so badly. Kingston writes, “The workers discussed the ten-hour shift, swearing their China Man obscenities. ‘Two extra hours a day—sixty hours a month for four dollars.’ ‘Pig catcher demons.’ ‘Snakes.’ ‘Turtles.’ ‘Dead demons.’ ‘A human body can’t work like that.’ ‘The demons don’t believe this is a human body. This is a chinaman’s body.’”(140) Chinese people use their thoughts and actions to do the work well, but they have a very low status in America at that time.

Ah Goong spends half of the gold which he has earned on the citizenship paper of America. Finally he died in California, lonely. Kingston indicates, “he was a homeless wanderer, a shiftless, dirty, jobless man with matted hair, ragged clothes, and fleas all over his body. He ate out of garbage cans. He was a louse eaten by lice. A fleaman.”(151) This is the result of Ah Goong.

My question is, how do Chinamen struggle for their benefits during the railroad construction? (140-144)