Familial Duty

What We Were Promised explores how fulfilling your obligations to your family can also be a compromise that brings you opportunity and purpose.

This theme is first explored using the example of Wei, who moves to America to pursue a career to make his family proud and fulfil their ambitions for the American Dream. Growing up as the son of a humble farmer and staunch revolutionary, he is brought up to embody “greatness,” the literal translation of his name (150). His kind and ambitious father has high hopes for his son and Wei fulfils the potential of the new generation of Chinese who would go on to America for education and success. He finds that this pressure to succeed also comes with great praise, which he comes to like. Following his father’s dreams for him lead him to studying mechanical engineering and moving to America...