Summary Of The Chinatown Trunk Mystery By Mary Ting Yi Lui

Mary Ting Yi Lui chronicles the response that both America and New York City had concerning the murder of Elsie Sigel by Leon Ling in her book The Chinatown Trunk Mystery. In this book, Mary analyzes the effects this murder had on American society by exploring gender roles, racial identities, and geographic locations. Mary concludes in the book that immense social change occurred after the murder, and while the murder may have been the catalyst, it was certainly not the cause. The larger mystery was how this murder was used to reinforce strict racial hierarchies, demean women’s position within society, and further alienate a burgeoning population of interracial couples. Relationships that challenged the established color binary were demonized,