Shirley Lum: Childhood Friend in Last Night at the Telegraph Club
Overview
Shirley Lum is Lily Hu’s childhood friend and a constant presence in San Francisco’s Chinatown. She works at her family’s restaurant, the Eastern Pearl, and dreams of winning the Miss Chinatown pageant. Shirley embodies the pressure to conform to both Chinese American respectability and heteronormative expectations. Her arc traces a deep bond with Lily, a period of strain, and a painful rupture when Lily’s secret life at the Telegraph Club collides with Shirley’s carefully constructed world.
Plot Role
Shirley serves as both a foil and a catalyst in Lily’s journey. In the opening chapters, she unknowingly introduces Lily to the Telegraph Club by showing her a newspaper ad featuring male impersonator Tommy Andrews. Later, after Lily tears out the ad, Shirley’s presence anchors Lily to the familiar world of family duty and community surveillance. Shirley also connects Lily to Will Chan and his brother Calvin, setting up the heterosexual path that Lily ultimately rejects. When Shirley enters the Miss Chinatown pageant, she becomes the embodiment of the performance Lily feels forced to emulate—yet Shirley herself is hiding a secret relationship with Calvin, who is under suspicion as a possible Communist.
Motivations and Traits Shown Through Actions
Shirley is driven by a desire for security, status, and love. She seeks approval from her community (the pageant), her family (working at the restaurant), and her boyfriend (Calvin). She is strategic and resourceful: she enlists Lily to head her “support committee” for the pageant, sells raffle tickets, and carefully manages her public image. At the same time, Shirley shows vulnerability—she apologizes to Lily after a fight, admits she needs a friend, and confesses her love for Calvin. She also displays a fierce protectiveness, but one that is conditioned by fear of shame. When she learns of Lily’s involvement with Kath, Shirley’s initial attempt to “help” (by urging denial) reveals a deeply ingrained belief that queer desire is ruinous.
Chronological Arc
Shirley’s relationship with Lily evolves across the school year:
- Early friendship (Chapters 1–6): The two are inseparable, playing games and sharing secrets. Shirley flirts with Calvin at the Chinese American Democratic Youth League picnic.
- Growing distance (Chapters 7–22): Lily becomes absorbed in her secret visits to the Telegraph Club and her connection with Kath. Shirley senses the withdrawal and reacts with hurt and jealousy.
- Truce (Chapter 23): During an air‑raid drill, they share a moment of ironic humor. Shirley invites Lily to the Eastern Pearl, where they revive their old “guess the stranger” game and agree to a truce.
- The pageant plan (Chapters 26–27): Shirley confides her Miss Chinatown ambitions to Lily, asking her to lead the support committee. They bond again over planning.
- Cracks appear (Chapter 34): Shirley drags Lily and friends to Macy’s for pageant shopping. Lily accidentally encounters Paula, a Telegraph Club regular, but neither acknowledges the connection. Shirley remains oblivious.
- Confrontation (Chapter 39): After Wallace Lai spots Lily and Kath together at the Telegraph Club, Shirley confronts Lily at her home. She insists Lily was “seducing” or “forced,” and offers to salvage Lily’s reputation by reuniting her with Will. Lily angrily reveals she knows about Shirley’s secret relationship with Calvin and that her father’s citizenship is threatened because of it. Shirley, horrified and repulsed, tells Lily to stay away from her.
- Final scenes (Chapters 36–37, 46): Shirley continues her pageant preparations, but her friendship with Lily is irreparably broken.
Relationships
- Lily Hu: The central relationship. Shirley loves Lily as a best friend but cannot accept Lily’s queer identity. She projects her own fears onto Lily, ultimately choosing community approval over their bond.
- Calvin Chan: Shirley’s secret boyfriend. She defends him against Communist accusations and claims she loves him. Their relationship mirrors Lily’s with Kath in its need for secrecy, but Shirley refuses to see the parallel.
- Her family: Shirley works in the family restaurant and lives under her mother’s watchful eye. She expects to marry and continue the family business.
- Flora and Mary: Pageant supporters who replace Lily as Shirley’s inner circle after the fight.
Key Decisions and Consequences
- Choosing the pageant: Shirley invests heavily in the Miss Chinatown contest. This decision reinforces her alignment with traditional femininity and community service.
- Hiding her relationship with Calvin: She keeps Calvin secret from Lily, fearing Lily’s disapproval or exposure. When Lily reveals she saw them together, Shirley is caught in a lie.
- Confronting Lily about the Telegraph Club: Shirley’s attempt to “save” Lily backfires. Her words—“You should stay away from me”—permanently sever the friendship.
- Not defending Lily: After the confrontation, Shirley does not protect Lily from gossip. Instead, she distances herself, prioritizing her own pageant chances.
Theme/Symbol Connections
Shirley’s storyline intersects with the novel’s major themes:
- Secrecy and Identity (link: /books/last-night-at-the-telegraph-club/themes/secrecy-and-identity/): Shirley keeps her own secrets while policing Lily’s. Her double standard illustrates how the closet operates differently for heterosexual and queer characters.
- Queer Desire and Self‑Discovery (link: /books/last-night-at-the-telegraph-club/themes/queer-desire-and-self-discovery/): Shirley’s repulsion at Lily’s desire underscores the social forces that drive queerness underground.
- Family Duty vs. Personal Truth (link: /books/last-night-at-the-telegraph-club/themes/family-duty-vs-personal-truth/): Shirley chooses duty; Lily chooses truth. Their split embodies the novel’s central conflict.
- The Red Scare and McCarthyism (link: /books/last-night-at-the-telegraph-club/themes/the-red-scare-and-mccarthyism/): Shirley’s fear for Calvin and her willingness to sacrifice Lily to avoid suspicion shows how the political climate forces people to police themselves and others.
- Chinese American Identity and Assimilation (link: /books/last-night-at-the-telegraph-club/themes/chinese-american-identity-and-assimilation/): The Miss Chinatown pageant is a performance of “Chinese enough” femininity. Shirley’s participation reflects the community’s struggle to be seen as both American and Chinese.
5 Book‑Specific Questions and Answers
1. Why does Shirley first show Lily the newspaper ad for the Telegraph Club?
Shirley wants Lily’s opinion on her father’s advertisement for the Eastern Pearl. She points out the Telegraph Club ad as an example of a larger, more eye‑catching layout. She doesn’t know that Lily will become fascinated by the club.
2. What does Shirley offer Lily after she learns about the Telegraph Club incident?
Shirley offers to talk to Will Chan and Wallace Lai on Lily’s behalf, insisting that Lily can still date Will and that “this must be a phase.” She suggests Lily deny the gossip and return to heterosexuality.
3. How does Shirley react when Lily reveals she knows about Calvin?
Shirley’s face goes white, and she becomes defensive. She argues that Calvin is not a Communist and that her own relationship is different. The confrontation ends with Shirley cutting off the friendship.
4. What is the game Shirley and Lily play at the Eastern Pearl in Chapter 23?
They play “guess the stranger,” inventing stories about restaurant patrons. Shirley imagines a woman in black is a nun on the run; Lily suggests she is a widow. The game signals their attempt to reconnect.
5. Why does Shirley ask Lily to head her Miss Chinatown support committee?
Shirley says that Lily has been her best friend forever, and she wants to do the pageant together, not with Flora or Mary. She recognizes that this is likely their last year together before Lily leaves for college.
For a complete understanding of Shirley’s role in the novel’s conclusion, see the ending explained. Additional discussion of her character appears in the questions and answers section.