An Ode to Paper Menagerie

​“I’m sorry, I don’t understand what you’re saying,” is one of the most frustrating and limiting phrases to say. A single language is so intricate that within it is embedded beliefs, mannerisms, and morals of an entire culture. For example, the smooth, elegant tone of the French language reflects the luxurious front it puts out on the rest of the world; the quick, staccato tone of the Chinese language reflects the fast-paced, hustle-and-bustle environment of China. Languages like Japanese and Korean hone in on the importance of honoring elders by having specific titles for those who are younger and older. The Latino language differentiates gender with feminine and masculine versions of each verb, noun, and adjective. Each of these languages display what the culture deems as its values and morals. It would be impossible for an individual to be unaware of the listed aspects of a culture when learning its language. 
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Humans are inherently quick to judge when they come across an anomaly, and that judgement can morph into internalized racism in the future. The caution that blooms from experiencing a new circumstance can transform into prejudice for any situation that is even remotely related to that circumstance. In his short story, Ken Liu writes Jack’s first-hand experiences of what it’s like to be born of a white father and Asian mother through the lense of magical realism. The neighborhood women label him as “a little monster” for his “slanty eyes'' and “white face” that makes him look “unfinished” (Liu). In a predominantly white community like 1970’s San Francisco, where Asian people of color (POC) primarily reside in their respective areas such as Chinatown, a half-Caucasian half-Asian individual could come across as a peculiar child. As a result, the neighborhood white women do not hesitate to make note of Jack’s existence and judge him simply based on his facial features, unconsciously expressing their ignorance of the Chinese and Asian culture as a whole. Desperate for acceptance and validation from society, individuals will go as far as to neglect elements that make up their identity to fit into societal standards. Being the recipient of unfair assumptions and judgement from both school and his neighborhood due to his ethnic background, Jack begins to take out his anger at home. He refuses to converse with his mother in Chinese and demands for her to speak English to him. And when his mother complies, he becomes embarrassed—ashamed. Jack’s distaste for his culture interfered with his ability to communicate with his mother, who eventually stopped speaking to Jack, altogether. That being said, perpetually neglecting a part of one’s identity can be detrimental to the individual once the bond between them is severed. When the Chinese event, Qingming, comes around, Jack discovers a letter from his mother, who has since passed, and he is unable to read it. The only direct connection Jack had with his Chinese heritage was through his mother. But once he fully excluded her from his life, he also abandoned half of his ethnic culture, as well. His minimal Chinese speaking and reading skills as a child were left unrefined and stagnant, completely untouched due to his internal racism. 

Ken Liu’s Paper Menagerie is a model example of the causes and effects of neglecting one’s culture. It exposes the thought process that many second-generation children and mixed races may feel regarding their identity in America. Paper Menagerie summarizes Jack’s encounters with his white community that resulted in the steady decline of his connection to his Chinese heritage once he rebuked and boycotted the language; it effectively reveals the detrimental effects to an individual’s connection to their culture when society is unaccepting and prejudiced to foreign heritages.