Tag: Character Analysis

In Ken Liu’s short story, “The Paper Menagerie”, Jack’s self-identity changes and develops through the use of Dialogue, Conflict, and Characterization. The key topic of this story is racism, the prejudice and hostility of different skin colors, appearances, language, and culture. In this case, Jack and his mom bear racism because of being Chinese. “The Paper Menagerie” leads to the theme “racism can ruin understandings and self-confidence”. This is a moral which applies to every reader, and there are lots of evidence support in the original text. Bullying based on racism can cause a sense of doubt and shame on youngsters on their identity. When Jack asks his dad during dinner, “Do I have a chink face?” the conflict between Jack versus himself as half-Chinese has begun. This leads to his next sentence, “Speak English.”  Struggling to fit in, Jack starts to feel ashamed of his Chinese identity and culture. He suspects and rejects his physical appearance and mother language, which turns to deny his mother – who represents his existence as a Chinese boy.