Essay Questions

What does the narrator mean when she says, "The year I left home, my father and I would sit at the kitchen table in the evenings and pass the silence back and forth, like smoke?"

These words show that the connection between the father and daughter is a silent one but cordial. The narrator’s father is naturally a silent man but he loves his daughter because she is always available to give him company whenever he is tackling his daily struggles. The narrator is also implying that she does not converse a lot with her father when they are together.

How does the narrator prove to the reader that the American dream for the immigrants is unrealistic?

Most Vietnamese and other immigrants think that going to America will instantly transform their lives for better. However, the reality on the ground is different. Ba is one of the immigrants and he realizes that America is often ruthless and it is not a dreamland as he had thought before. When he gets to America, the only job he secures does not pay him well. Good paying jobs are reserved for the Americans. Immigrants are just overworked with little pay.

What is the vital motif that is manifest in The Gangster We Are All Looking For?

Readers are eager to uncover who the gangster is in the story. Ironically, it turns out to be Ba, the narrator's father. The narrator is looking forward to having a deeper understanding of her family. She starts to explore the family pictures and she comes across one picture that truly reveals that her father is a gangster. The Narrator’s father was a Buddhist gangster when he got married to Ma.