The Downstairs Girl Chapter 1 Summary & Analysis

Jo Kuan, the narrator of the story, is a 17-year-old Chinese American girl who works as a shopgirl in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1890. She’s always believed that being nice makes a person vulnerable to being taken advantage of, and so she’s determined to ask her boss, Mrs. English, for a raise. 1890 Atlanta is highly segregated, although people have begun to get used to seeing Chinese workers like her. But just before Jo can ask Mrs. English for a raise, Mrs. English fires her.

As author Stacey Lee mentions in notes at the end of the book, the late 1800s were a pivotal time for civil rights in the United States. Many of the freedoms that Black Americans gained after the Civil War were taken away by the rise of Jim Crow laws that legalized segregation and other racist practices. By focusing on a Chinese American, Lee explores a side of history that hasn’t been told as often. The year 1890 was also a time of prejudice against Chinese people, as the Chinese Exclusion Act, which greatly reduced immigration from China to the United States, was passed just a few years earlier.

Active Themes

Quotes

Lizzie, Jo’s friend and co-worker, whom Jo trained on the job, feels guilty about staying as the sole shopgirl. Jo argues to Mrs. English that she’s a good worker, but Mrs. English says that Jo is a “saucebox” who gives too many opinions to customers. Mrs. English suggests that perhaps Jo could get a job as a maid, and just then, Jo’s upstairs neighbor Mrs. Bell appears at the shop.

Active Themes

The Downstairs Girl: Chapter 1 Summary & Analysis