Loss of Identity. The Tale of a Korean-American Man
Loss of Identity. The Tale of a Korean-American Man

Summary/Abstract: By basing the study on the analysis of the main character in Leonard Chang’s social novel, which is clearly inspired from a real event that occurred during the Los Angeles riots, the present paper offers a unique research into the struggles, both internal and external, a second generation Korean American faces when reconciling his identity as an American citizen and as a person of Korean descent. Moreover, the paper also underlines that the main character tries to adapt to the American way of life by using each of the four types of strategies of acculturation, as defined by Berry (2005), at one time, but ends up losing all identity through the deculturational process due to the fact that he cannot assimilate both cultures or accept at least one of them.The research will also focus on the image created by a second character that depicts America as a dystopian land in which the majority of people are thieves, burglars and drug addictives. Furthermore, the life of Mr. Rhee’s daughter will also be analysed, as well as the way in which she becomes American or Asian American. Lastly, the paper will underline the stressful relationship between Asian Americans and African Americans, and how Asian Americans usually discriminate against African Americans, action that lead to protests and violence in 1991 and 1992.

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