The Paper Menagerie by Ken Liu Book Analysis

Through the recurrence of the character Laohu, Ken Liu’s “The Paper Menagerie” signifies how the chain of internalized racism in society pressures people of color to strictly choose between identities by false promise of acceptance. This pursuit of societal approval creates division within relationships - portrayed by Jack and his mom. Jack’s mother’s interpretation of keeping ‘security’ in her life involved staying close to her roots. Since her son was the only person around her who shared her position in terms of social hierarchy and culture, she aspired to create a community between the two and embrace their identity as Chinese. After pouring all of her love for Jack into creating Laohu, Jack’s mother is hurt to find that Jack wants nothing to do with Chinese culture. She repairs Laohu and the other paper animals, consistently trying to remind Jack of the identity he once loved, “Every once in a while… a new paper animal would appear on my nightstand… I caught them, squeezed them until the air went out of them, and then stuffed them away in the box in the attic.” (Liu, 70). When put in a strange new country, Jack’s mother tries to hold onto whats left of her Chinese roots, choosing a familiar identity for herself. She finds American culture lacks the sense of comfort she’s been longing for, and is hurt when she discovers that American culture provides Jack with validation, and is thus more important to him. The more his mother tries to bond with Jack, the more he rejects her - both chasing opposite identities and therefore dividing their relationship in the process. 

Contrastingly, Jack’s interpretation of security involves adapting to American culture, causing him to stray away from all aspects of his Chinese roots - including his mother.

After immersing hinself in the magic of his mother’s paper animals, Jack grows fond of the pieces of culture his mother shares with him. One day he encounters Mark - a fellow classmate - and decides to share his newfound love of Chinese culture through his creation Laohu, yet is unexpectedly met with a degrading response, ”’Your Mom makes toys for you from trash?’...I had never thought of Laohu as trash.” (Liu, 68). Since Jack holds Laohu as a key symbol of his culture, Mark demeaning Laohu translates to society disapproving of the identity Jack’s mother passed down to him. Thus, Jack rejects pieces of his Chinese heritage - including the paper menagerie. Fueled by his fear of rejection, he shuts every part of his mother out of his life. By closing the door to his culture, Jack strives towards a strictly American lifestyle in hopes of acceptance, yet ends up losing the only security in his life - his connection with his mother. Overall, acceptance from a community promises security, yet the longing to be seen as an equal causes poc to reject a part of their identity. This endless pursuit of societal validation costs them the relationships in their life that truly foster stability,  and proves that internalized racism in society plays a complex role in poc’s perception of their cultural connection.