By relating Sour Sweet to Martin Sanchez Jankowski's socio-political study, Islands in the Street: Gangs and American Urban Society, we see important aspects of the Triad -- the reasons it operates, its structure, the role of community, and how expansion leads to a gang's downfall.
According to Jankowski, a gang is
an organized social system, that is both quasi-private and quasi-secretive and one whose size and goals have necessitated that social interaction be governed by a leadership structure that has defined roles...that provides not only for the social and economic services of its members but also for the maintenance of the organization (29).
In addition, a gang, like the Hung family triad, "identifies and attempts to preserve the way of life associated with a traditional culture" (28). A gang forms itself to ascertain certain goals and preserve some sense of culture in an environment of limited resources. The gang therefore operates to accumulate material rewards, harbor a sense of community, and to offer protection. Furthermore, Jankowski argues that "Four factors influence how successful gangs are: control of competition, type of organizational structure, the stability of division of labor, and avoidance of antagonizing the community" (126). Mo seems to draw directly from Jankowski's text in articulating the Hung family's goals : "Red Cudgel has four aims." Three of them are "to maximize profits [via the many business interactions we see throughout the novel]; eliminate competitors; recruit and train reliable subordinates to whom he might delegate with a free mind." (32). In addition, Red Cudgel "wanted to harmonize the goals with traditional aims" (28) as an attempt at cultural maintenance. Comparing Jankowski's nonfiction and Mo's fiction, we see that the Hung family's desires mirror those found in the classic gang.
Jankowski argues a gang takes action only after having undergone a cost/benefit analysis. Gangs base "their decisions on a rational calculation of what is best for them at a particular time" (40). White Paper Fan exhibits this approach when questioning Red Cudgel's continuation as leader. "You are marked for bandit now. Our whole operation is jeopardized . . . we face an unacceptable risk" (261). He finds Red Cudgel's continuation as leader more costly to the organization then beneficial.
Formal structure serves as the core for gang operation. Jankowski, emphasizing the importance of organization, remarks that "in order to function as efficiently as possible, gangs establish organizations with particular structures" (63). These organizations have three fundamental aspects : leadership, definition of roles, and a set of codes/rituals (64). The Hung family's leadership exists in vertical or hierarchical form. The gang possesses a leader (Red Cudgel) who, along with less powerful subordinates (White Paper Fan and Grass Sandal), holds strong command over the rest of the group. Addressing the second aspect of gang organization, Mo clearly delineates role of each gang member. For example, Red Cudgel acts as leader and Grass Sandal overlooks heroin production. Each member operates under supervision within a defined role. Finally, Mo's Triad organization contains codes and rituals. One merely must look at the initiation scene to notice them (70). All these organizational clues tie together with Jankowski's ideas to explain the structures and systems which direct a gang.
Gangs could not operate without a community for several reasons. Communities, first of all, offer a safe-haven for operations, offer individuals who can be recruited, and provide useful connections and information (180). For these reasons, a gang without a devoted constituent community would be destined for failure. To preserve a productive relationship with the community, the gang, such as Mo's Hung family, must provide incentives and services to the community. As White Paper Fan explains, "Money gives face and therefore power in the community. It enables us to perform services for our members which bind them closer to family Hung. It means we can undertake other things to gain sympathy at large" (35). Being responsive to the community makes it loyal to the gang. Eventually the community will recognize the benefits a gang provides, and this community will reciprocate in some positive manner. Eventually, as Red Cudgel points out, actions "are all linked in a chain of causes and effects. The work of the educational and welfare sections overlap the work of the recruiting, and fighting and discipline section" (144). Like Jankowski, he argues that the organization's success depends on community supportive actions. For this reason Red Cudgel declares, "I also intend to undertake more open community work" (144). We can see how the Triad operates along gang structure and how respect for the community plays an integral role in prosperity.
A breakup in relations between gang and community causes the downfall of an organization. The Triad leadership must insure that it never breaks the unwritten contract governing respect for the community. If the gang fails to offer the community benefits, the gang will die. The so called umbilical cord connection between gang and community dissolves when a gang grows out of control so that its actions counter the community's interest. According to Jankowski,
There are two types of situations which may cause a break [between gang and community]to occur. One is when the gang no longer performs the established task that the community has come to expect of it and in some cases depend on...The second situation that may cause a break with the community is when members of the gang act out of control -- that is when the organization is unable to control its membership. (203)
Uncontrolled expansion serves as the initiator for both of these destructive scenarios. Due to the Hung family's success, they are in a position to grow strong, but unchecked development looms as a menace. White Paper Fan, however, recognizes the threat of growth. "'Expansion is good. But it must be strictly controlled. Increase in quantity does not mean increase in quality. Often the reverse. A small family is easy to control. Members of a large family may become undisciplined. At this stage that could be fatal to us'" (182). The Hung family wishes to prosper, and only calculated operations and structure can make a gang survive and succeed. Jankowski's insight coupled with Mo's fictitious Triad family come together to explain the operations of a gang with respect to the community. This understanding betters our knowledge of gang operations.
