Malcolm Struan
Encyclopedia
Malcolm Struan is the Tai-Pan
to-be in the novel Gai-jin
, learning business in the Japanese settlement of Yokohama, one of the few places in Japan foreigners
were allowed to stay. He was raised by a Chinese servant, Ah Tok (rather than by his birth mother, Tess Struan
) and his first language is actually Cantonese, although he speaks English fluently.
At the age of twenty, half a year before he could officially become Tai-Pan
, he is cut down
on the Tōkaidō
by shishi, rebels against the Tokugawa bakufu. He is badly hurt and barely rescued. He falls desperately in love with the very beautiful Angélique Richaud, whose life he saved in the attack, and marries her against the wishes of his mother, Tess Struan, who doesn't want her son to marry a bankrupt French Catholic who didn't come from a "good" family. Malcolm Struan recovers very slowly. On his wedding night, at the moment of Clouds and Rain
his internal wounds tear open and he dies a peaceful death, not knowing what's happening. Angélique tried to officially become his widow after his death, but her status as Struan's wife (and widow) are hotly contested by Tess Struan.
Many thought that Malcolm would have become a good Tai-Pan, and looked more like his grandfather than his father.
Tai-Pan
The term tai-pan was originally used to describe a foreign businessman in China or Hong Kong in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The Cantonese colloquialism is now used in a more general sense for business executives of any origin...
to-be in the novel Gai-jin
Gai-Jin (novel)
Gai-Jin is a 1993 novel by James Clavell, chronologically the third book in his Asian Saga, although it was the last to be published. Taking place about 20 years after the events of Tai-Pan, it chronicles the adventures of Malcolm Struan, the son of Culum and Tess Struan, in Japan...
, learning business in the Japanese settlement of Yokohama, one of the few places in Japan foreigners
Gaijin
is a Japanese word meaning "non-Japanese", or "alien". This word is a short form of gaikokujin , which literally means "person from outside of the country". The word is composed of two kanji: , meaning "outside"; and , meaning "person". Thus, the word technically means "outsider"...
were allowed to stay. He was raised by a Chinese servant, Ah Tok (rather than by his birth mother, Tess Struan
Tess Struan
Hag Struan redirects here.Tess Struan is a character in the James Clavell novels Tai-Pan and Gai-Jin. She is the daughter of Tyler Brock, Tai-pan of Brock & Sons Trading Company. Tess marries Culum Struan, who is the son of Dirk Struan, founder of Struan's trading company and main rival to her...
) and his first language is actually Cantonese, although he speaks English fluently.
At the age of twenty, half a year before he could officially become Tai-Pan
Tai-Pan
The term tai-pan was originally used to describe a foreign businessman in China or Hong Kong in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The Cantonese colloquialism is now used in a more general sense for business executives of any origin...
, he is cut down
Namamugi Incident
The was a samurai assault on foreign nationals in Japan on September 14, 1862, which resulted in the August 1863 bombardment of Kagoshima, during the Late Tokugawa shogunate...
on the Tōkaidō
Tokaido (road)
The ' was the most important of the Five Routes of the Edo period, connecting Edo to Kyoto in Japan. Unlike the inland and less heavily travelled Nakasendō, the Tōkaidō travelled along the sea coast of eastern Honshū, hence the route's name....
by shishi, rebels against the Tokugawa bakufu. He is badly hurt and barely rescued. He falls desperately in love with the very beautiful Angélique Richaud, whose life he saved in the attack, and marries her against the wishes of his mother, Tess Struan, who doesn't want her son to marry a bankrupt French Catholic who didn't come from a "good" family. Malcolm Struan recovers very slowly. On his wedding night, at the moment of Clouds and Rain
Orgasm
Orgasm is the peak of the plateau phase of the sexual response cycle, characterized by an intense sensation of pleasure...
his internal wounds tear open and he dies a peaceful death, not knowing what's happening. Angélique tried to officially become his widow after his death, but her status as Struan's wife (and widow) are hotly contested by Tess Struan.
Many thought that Malcolm would have become a good Tai-Pan, and looked more like his grandfather than his father.