In Alfian Sa’at’s short story ‘Orphans’, Teck How and Karen are brought together not by love, but money. Sa’at portrays a transactional relationship where Karen is brought together with Teck How because of his wealth. In this essay, I will argue that the conflict in the story reveals how both Teck How and Karen selfishly act in their pursuit of the Singapore Dream. While Karen appears to be altruistic and naïve, Teck How is pragmatic and self-centred. Through this portrayal of conflict, Sa’at delivers a scathing critique of the consequences of chasing the Singapore Dream.
Karen and Teck How, the couple in ‘Orphans’, are connected by money, not a personal connection. Immediately as the story begins, Sa’at depicts a dysfunctional relationship. Karen’s attempts at conversation are repeatedly met with monosyllabic replies from Teck How (Sa’at, 33). There is a clear lack of personal connection, as Teck How refuses to engage in any extended conversation with Karen. Yet Karen’s amazement at Teck How’s radio system reveals an invisible rift in social class between the two:
“You have everything. You know that? I didn’t grow up this way. My radio ran on batteries. It was a transistor radio. My mother listened to Chinese Opera.” (Sa’at, 34)
Teck How has “everything”. He drives an expensive automobile, lives in a condominium and is a member of two country clubs (Sa’at, 36). In contrast, Karen’s childhood was spent in relative poverty. She made do with cheap appliances in her childhood whereas Teck How had the best. Sa’at also alludes to the lower middle status of Karen’s family with the reference to Chinese Opera. Traditionally, Singaporeans born into poverty received little education, and spoke little English, preferring to speak in their native tongues such as Mandarin. Karen never had access to English language radio stations like BBC, deepening the class divide between her and her fiancé. She does not have even “half as much” (Sa’at, 39) of Teck How’s wealth, whereas he owns luxury items like a BMW car inherited from his father (Sa’at, 37). Teck How represents Singapore’s privileged upper-class which is born into wealth, while Karen represents the working class.
Hence, it is no coincidence that Karen’s marriage to Teck How will bring her into wealth. Tan Ern Ser refers to the Singapore Dream in his essay, ‘Social Mobility in Singapore’ which is symbolised by “the 5 Cs: (cash, credit card, condominium, car and country club membership)” (Tan, 6). Sa’at directly references these material possessions in ‘Orphans’, which Teck How already possesses by being born into wealth. Karen, on the other hand, will come to obtain them by way of marrying Teck How. Karen wishes to move into a higher social class, “upgrading, or doing better intra- and intergenerationally”, thereby achieving the Singapore Dream (Tan, 6). Sa’at’s portrayal of Karen’s childlike amazement at seeing Teck How’s car radio then takes on a darker, more materialistic meaning. Karen sees her relationship with Teck How as a way to move into the upper classes of Singapore. In her pursuit of the Singapore Dream, she submits to being in a dysfunctional relationship with a man who shows little emotion to her. Through Karen, Sa’at alludes to the multitude of Singaporeans who blindly chase the materialistic Singapore Dream of upward social mobility with no regard for the consequences. Hence, we see how Karen traps herself in a dysfunctional relationship with Teck How for the sake of joining a higher social class.
However, Karen and Teck How’s symbiotic relationship crumbles as their contrasting personalities surface. Karen broaches the topic of adopting babies with AIDS, but Teck How is apathetic (Sa’at, 35). Teck How is pragmatic and practical. While he is born into wealth, he never takes his money for granted and guards it closely. Teck How argues that adopting a baby with AIDS would not be worth it, as they “don’t live very long three years at most” (Sa’at, 36). He gauges the situation using a strict cost-benefit analysis, viewing the adoption as squandering his family’s wealth. To Teck How, the very idea of adopting a diseased child is absurd. He views raising a child who will die in three years as a fruitless investment of time, effort and money. Teck How’s callousness is perhaps best illustrated in his speech: “I was talking about giving all you’ve got to something that hasn’t got much going for it in the first place.” (Sa’at, 36). Teck How almost seems to blame the babies for not having “much going for it in the first place”, when it was born with a terminal illness. Teck How’s apathy towards the less fortunate echo sentiments towards poverty in Singapore society:
Poverty is therefore often implicitly deemed to reflect moral shortcomings, in the form of laziness and irresponsible behaviours, or somewhat more generously, to bad luck, misfortunes, lack of natural ability or unsupportive family members (Tan, 7)
Teck How comes to reflect a side of Singaporean society which, having achieved the Singapore Dream, shows little or no sympathy to others. Sa’at alludes to the callousness which Singaporeans show fellow citizens of lower perceived social status, blaming their circumstances on their “laziness”. In their rush for material markers of upward social mobility (the five Cs which represent the Singapore Dream), Singaporeans have forgotten to be empathetic to their fellow man, becoming cruel and apathetic, especially to disadvantaged people.
However, Karen is conversely sympathetic to “AIDS babies”, perhaps due to her disadvantaged background. Karen reflects an opposing side of Singaporean society that is altruistic but ultimately naïve. Unlike Teck How, who fiercely guards his wealth, Karen gives him completely ridiculous suggestions, such as selling their car to “give to the poor” and giving half of her money to charity (Sa’at, 40). However, as she comes into conflict with her fiancé, Karen chooses to forget her troubles by going for an expensive haircut at a “Takashimaya salon” (Sa’at, 41). Karen’s quickness at turning a blind eye to the “AIDS babies” she claimed to care about reveal her hypocrisy. Ultimately, Karen’s empathy is only a skin-deep façade. She drops the topic to avoid risking the wrath of Teck How, the provider of wealth in their relationship. For Karen, her self-interest is imperative. As long as she has achieved the Singapore dream with all its material benefits, she can turn a blind eye to the “AIDS babies” and disadvantaged individuals left behind by society. Sa’at deliberately ends the story on a dark note to drives in a strong point that even Karen, who is outwardly compassionate and generous, is not immune to the temptation of the Singapore dream which pervades every part of society.
Sa’at portrays Karen and Teck How’s relationship as transactional, where Karen willingly enters into a dysfunctional relationship with Teck How to move to a higher social class. Sa’at uses this portrayal to comment on many Singaporeans’ preoccupation with achieving the Singapore Dream. Teck How and Karen have opposing views regarding the disadvantaged, leading to conflict in their relationship. Teck How is callous and selfishly guards his self-interest in response to Karen’s suggestions to perform charitable acts. However, even Karen, who initially appears to be compassionate, is shown to be hypocritical as well. In the end, it is money and social mobility which Karen desires. Hence, Sa’at uses his portrayal of the Karen and Teck How to reveal the callousness of blindly chasing the Singapore Dream.
Works Cited
Sa’at, Alfian. Corridor: 12 Short Stories. Ethos Books, 2015.
Tan, E. “Social Mobility in Singapore.” 50 Years of Social Issues in Singapore, 2015, pp. 119–132, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1142/9789814632621_0007.