Analysis Of Paper Menagerie

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Paper Menagerie
Riya Shah

Paper Menagerie
Riya Shah

“Paper Menagerie,” by Ken Liu, is an emotional story of a selfish son and his interactions with his out-of-place mother, who had immigrated from Asia to be his father’s wife. Jack is a half-Chinese, half-American boy who lives in Connecticut. In the beginning of the story, he is very attached to his mother, but certain incidents with other kids make him want to be as distant as possible from his Chinese mom. He demands that his mom converts to being a “normal” white American mom and that he and his family should give up all Asian customs. This beautiful story shows that selfishly basing your actions on the need to fit in can harm yourself and others.

This is evident at the beginning of the story where Jack was being influenced by Mark’s actions. Mark is a very rude, but popular boy at Jack’s school. One day, he comes over to Jack’s house for a playdate and demands that he show him his toys. He didn't have any toys except his paper menagerie, which is his collection of special wild animals. His mom made them through the art of zhezhi, or Chinese paper folding. She added a bit of herself into each one, making each animal capable of living because …show more content…

At the end of the story, Jack realizes that blending in with society is not ideal. He regrets the past decade that was full of loss and regret when it could've been full of trust and love. People may be tempted to make unwise decisions to blend in with society. But think about it: the world is like a crowded marketplace. If you don’t stand out, you are invisible. Unique qualities define your identity. Without them, you are not yourself. At least on Qingming, the mother’s poor spirit can rest easy, knowing her son is with her in heart, but that can never make up for the years of hurt and betrayal directed at

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