Comparison Of Crying In H-Mart And In The Land Of The Free

854 Words4 Pages

While there are many big ideas and issues presented to us in “Crying in H-Mart” by Michelle Zauner, one that seems very prevalent is the cultural disconnect Zauner feels between herself and her family's heritage. The text “In the Land of the Free” by Sui Sin Far also shares a similar idea of cultural disconnect due to immigration laws. Both of these texts show us that having an ethnic and social divide within family members can cause instability within the family itself.
Zauner writes about not being able to understand Korean fully, which leads to a massive culture and social divide between herself and her family members. She writes “Growing up in America with a Caucasian father and a Korean mother, I relied on my mom for access to our Korean …show more content…

The story follows a Chinese mother and father who are separated from their child when he is taken to be assimilated into American culture. After ten months of being brainwashed and being forced to forget his culture, the child is returned to his parents. However, he is unable to recognize them or connect with them on a familial level. The text says, “She fell on her knees and stretched her hungry arms toward her son. But the Little One shrunk from her and tried to hide himself in the folds of the white woman’s skirt. ‘Go’way, go’way!’ he bade his mother”. This quote showcases how the cultural divide caused by the child's assimilation has caused him to feel disconnected from his parents, which has caused instability within the …show more content…

She writes, “My aunts and mom and grandmother would jabber on in Korean, and I would eat and listen, unable to comprehend, bothering my mom every so often, asking her to translate”. This quote showcases how her inability to understand the language her family speaks has led to her feeling like an outsider within her own family. This sense of otherness has caused her to feel disconnected from her Korean heritage, which has led to a social divide between herself and her family.
Similarly, the child in “In the Land of the Free” has been assimilated into American culture, causing him to feel disconnected from his Chinese heritage and his family. The text says, “The little boy’s face was round and dimpled and his eyes were very bright”. This quote showcases how the child's assimilation has caused him to adopt American cultural norms, which has caused him to feel disconnected from his Chinese heritage. As a result, he is unable to connect with his parents on a familial level, which has caused instability within the

Open Document