Have you ever felt mistreated due to the differences in people everyday living in society? In the play, The Merchant of Venice, written by William Shakespeare and the novel, Midnight at the Dragon Cafe, written by Judy Fong Bates, the theme of social inequality is prevalent. To begin, the experiences of Lancelot vs Antonio show that Lancelot struggles to be financially stable. Furthermore, the experiences of Su-Jen’s family vs the Chongs portrays the struggle of Su-Jen’s family and their differences. Finally, the experiences of Charlotte’s family vs Debbie’s family displays the difference between Charlotte’s poor family and Debbie’s wealthy family. Therefore, the theme of social inequality is present through Lancelot’s experience vs Antonio’s, Sujens families experience vs the Chongs, and Charlotte’s families experience vs Debbie’s to show the struggle of the poor and that society should end the inequality.
Firstly, the theme of social inequality is present through the experiences between Lancelot and Antonio. Lancelot displays how poor he is when he takes his father to Bassanio and Gratiano, and starts to complain about his master being a Jew. Lancelot shows this when he says, “My master’s a very Jew. Give him a present? Give him a halter! I am famished in is service; you may tell every finger I have with my ribs” (2.2.98-100). This shows, Lancelot is very poor because he has to work under a Jew and the only reason to work under a Jew is if you are fortuneless. Lancelot also talks about every finger represents his ribs because due to him being poor, he barely gets food to eat while serving a Jew. However, this differs from Antonio. Antonio is a wealthy merchant in comparison to Lancelot who is a servant of a Jew. Antonio is a wealthy man in the way when Antonio is in talk with a Jewish man regarding a bond and talking about him getting three times more money than the bonds actual value. Antonio displays this when he says, “Why, fear not, man, I will not forfeit it. Within these two months, that’s a month before this bond expires, I do expect return of thrice three times the value of this bond” (1.3.152-155). This displays the wealth of Antonio and how he will get three times the value of the bond he is signing this shows how confident Antonio is with his money. Thus, this shows the social differences between Lancelot and Antonio because one is poor who is Lancelot and one is rich who is Antonio. These differences display the inequality in society and differences between the rich people and the poor people. Although these social inequalities are seen with these two characters, it is also seen with Su-Jens family and the Chong’s Family.
Secondly, the experiences between Sujen’s family and the Chong family differ due to Sujen’s family being poor while the Chongs are rich. Sujen’s family displays their lack of wealth as they are leaving the Chong’s restaurant. They show this when the Sujen says, “Ah, said Mr.Chong, unable to keep the surprise from his face” (Bates 160). This shows that Mr.Chong was surprised that Sujen’s family did not own a car and are poor while his family does own a car. However, this differs from the Chong family. They are a wealthy East Asian family compared to Sujen’s family. The Chong family is rich from the way Mr.Chong talked about his restaurant and having employees. This is evident from when Mr.Chong says, “I have only two cooks and one waiter. The waiter is off today. Sunday not so busy” (Bates 157). Not only do they have a car, but they also have enough money to hire two cooks and a waiter, unlike Sujen’s family where Hing Wun, Lai Jing and Lee Kung run their restaurant. Thus, showing that the Chong’s had more opportunities than Sujen’s family, even though both families are East Asian, due to the financial difference between the two families which gives more opportunities to the wealthier family than the other, which is also similar to the families of Charlotte and Debbie.
Lastly, the theme of social inequality is present through the experiences between Charlotte and Debbie. Su-Jen displays how poor Charlotte is when they speak with Debbie by the bridge. Su-Jen shows this when she says “Almost all her clothes were from an older cousin in Toronto.” (Bates 57). This proves that Charlotte’s lifestyle is about saving money because her family is poor, which is why Charlotte always wears her older cousins hand-me-downs. However, this differs from Debbies experiences growing up in a wealthy family. Su-Jen displays how wealthy Debbie is when she saw her getting attention for her hair, clothes, and toys. Su-Jen shows this when she says “I knew that she didn’t have to sleep in the same bed with her parents in a room upstairs from a restaurant, that she lived in a real house with a living room and a dining room.” (Bates 54). This proves that Debbies life style is much more comfortable and happier. Therefore the theme of social inequality is present between the differences of Debbie and Charlotte.
In conclusion, this shows that social inequality is present in modern day, which also occurs between Antonio and Lancelot, Su-Jens family and the Chong’s family, and finally Charlotte and Debbie. The theme of social inequality is present between these characters as the one wealthy person mistreats the poor person because of their financial differences. Today social inequality is present, but society should learn to treat those around them as equals. No matter the differences.
Works Cited
Bates, Judy Fong. Midnight At The Dragon Cafe. Perseus Books Group, 2004.
Wiesel, Eliezer. Night. New York: Les Editions de Minuit, 2017.
2019-6-10-1560183529