9/29

In Ken Liu ‘s short story, “The Paper Menagerie,” Jack’s identity changes and develops through the use of symbol, characterization, and actions.

10/12

In Ken Liu’s short story, “The Paper Menagerie,” the first-person point of view reveals how Jack’s opinion towards his mother and her cultural identity changes throughout the plot. In the beginning, Jack spends time with his mom, laughing, startling, and stroking the paper tiger under his finger. The detailed description from Jack’s perspective indicates a very tight relationship between Jack and his mom. However, as Jack enters his teen years, he loses this close connection. He wants to maintain the friendship with his friends who are different from him and decides not to embrace his mother’s culture. Looking at Jack’s thoughts when he looks himself in the mirror, repeating, “I look nothing like her, nothing,” shows how Jack’s mindset towards his mom and her culture is changed. Moreover, when his mom tries to behave like an American, Jack thinks her behaviors are “exaggerated, uncertain, ridiculous, grassless.” Through his perspective, a negative change in Jack’s attitude towards his mom is clearly displayed. In the end, before his mom dies in the hospital, Jack thinks about his “resumes, transcripts, and … interview schedules.” Also, he denies that he knows the Chinese calendar she was talking about, although he describes the Qingming festival. With Jack’s thoughts and feelings present in the story, it becomes clear that Jack is not anymore accepting his mother, who is Chinese. Overall, Jack’s opinion of his mother and his cultural identity changes, clearly shown through his point of view.