Paper Tigers and Broken Tongues: The Cost of Cultural Alienation in “The Paper Menagerie” by Ken Liu (2011)

Abstract

This analysis aims to examine how external social pressures shape the representation of cultural alienation and how it influences the main character’s actions and emotional development. Cultural alienation refers to a condition in which individuals begin to distance themselves from their cultural origins due to pressure to conform to a dominant culture. This phenomenon is often characterized by symptoms such as apathy, social isolation, and a sense of disorientation, typically arising from experiences of relocation or immigration. These themes are reflected in the experiences of Jack and his mother, characters of Chinese descent, in Ken Liu’s short story “The Paper Menagerie”. While living in the United States, they frequently encounter discrimination and social pressure, which ultimately leads Jack to reject his Chinese heritage that was passed down by his mother, in order to gain acceptance from his surrounding environment. This research is part of intrinsic element research using a qualitative descriptive method, which focuses on cultural alienation seen from its socio-cultural setting. The findings indicate that the social environment plays a significant role in shaping identity, as societal pressures may compel biracial individuals to distance themselves from their cultural roots in pursuit of social acceptance. The person who chooses to desert their hereditary cultural values in order to fit in with the predominant culture in their surroundings face the risk of forfeiting their cultural identity and becoming emotionally estranged from their loved ones.