Preconceptions based on racial origin are exceedingly unjust and hurtful because one cannot select their ethnicity. Hearing disparaging statements from strangers is different from suffering emotional disrespect from those closest to an individual. The pain of discrimination is portrayed within a blended background in Ken Liu’s “The Paper Menagerie.” The Paper Menagerie informs the crowd how resentful and nasty a youngster can become when pressured by others and cautions them that occasionally, individuals recognize their errors belatedly when they are powerless to repair them.
Through the representation of a diverse household, “The Paper Menagerie” weaves the issue of racism. It is not a regular occurrence for a group of white teenagers to beat up their African American colleagues. This catastrophe is even more complex, as it encompasses a child’s contempt for their mother, who gave them life. The youngster appears to have neglected the mother’s struggles and all the marvelous things for him. The irony is that racism does not begin with an outsider; it develops in someone who is genuinely a member of the community he despises.
At first glance, the narrative appears to be a misfortune for the mother, as she is the one who bears the brunt of her child’s scorn. The poor woman, who had endured numerous tragic incidents in her life, believed she had eventually found contentment (Liu 31). Regrettably, the cause of that enjoyment developed into the most severe wound in her heart. When Jack questions his father, “Do I have a chink face?” he demonstrates his contempt for his mother and everything associated with her ethnic character (Liu 32). However, because the boy is a direct descendant of his mother, this is also a disaster for him.
He aspires to be like his classmates, but the paradox is that he cannot escape reality. Racism deprives the mother of her son’s affection, and it deprives Jack of the future he has always desired (Liu 34). Both are miserable, but in different ways and under varying situations. While the generation gap is a well-known phenomenon, the anguish of diverse connections is only known to those from such households. Jack is the primary reason for his mother’s severe depression, and he is also the primary source of his unease.
Work Cited
Liu, K. The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories Paperback. Saga Press, 2016.
Hang, Y. U. “An Analysis of the Reconstruction of Chinese American Identity in The Paper Menagerie.” Journal of Literature and Art Studies, Vol. 10, no. 9, 2020, pp. 790-795.