Conflict

Chuck and Li-Young Lee have no idea who the hell they are. Both are similar characters from two different books by two different authors; but they are looking for the same thing: identity and what space they occupy? Chuck identifies with the New York scene and type of people living there, but does not have a space or identity of his own just as Lee is confused about who he is and must dive into meta-poetics to find his space and identity. Both are lost in a haze of confusion, and must look very hard both within themselves, as well as friends, family, heritage, and the history surrounding their lives. This paper will examine the historical and ethnic conflicts of the characters and how they come to reconcile their space and identity in a foreign land dealing with these issues. Some of these issues stem from misrepresented information and initial prejudice while others rise from a lack of personal information, and building upon ones past and history and their personal perception of themselves occupying a space.

In the beginning of the text Chuck identifies with his New York “identity” as well as being a “renaissance man” rather than having a named identity (Naqvi, 1). He does notice forced identities that he is not part of or had been part of before; “We'd become Japs, Jews, Niggers. We weren't before” (Naqvi, 1). Chuck notices these identities and space being made; he feels something of forced inclusion into a space that had not been there before. Not apparent at first, Chuck has a severed connection with his heritage, when thinking of what food to eat, “eating home food, comfort food, alone made me shudder” (Naqvi, 32) He cannot even bring himself to eat the food he grew up on. This is further reinforced in that he does not cont...

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.... But he wants to accept the American identity as well, but “its sensual, salient nowness, punctuating the void from which such hunger springs and to which it proceeds” (Lee, 84). Through his acceptance of his East Asian identity his soul is “cleaved so that the soul might be restored.” His soul is split, but by his own doing, he must accept his hyphenated identity, embrace it, and accept it.

Though both characters come to find their identity and space, historical and ethnic struggles haunt and follow them along the way. Neither characters are accepted in the American culture, and have to identify with others in their position. This causes much heartache and a sudden shock to the character. But with persistence, these characters find their identity; though not what they might have expected or originally wanted, they became part of something that would accept them.