Summary: The Accidental Asian notes
on a native speaker
The
book Accidental Asian: Notes on a native speaker is a memoir of letters and
essays that were published in 1998 by Eric Liu. There are different critics
provided in the book among which is the unification of the Asian American
assimilation and identity. The author is concerned as he explores his identity
as a second generation Chinese influenced by the American culture. Despite
being raised in an environment where assimilation was the key, there were
physical identifying marks such as the color of the skin and the hair that
brought discomfort to the author as an adolescent. He further shares some of
the memories that sound to the reader as haunting after he visits Chinatown to
see his grandmother (Liu,40). He is engulfed by an attraction to his heritage
but yet feels alienated. The concept of the Asian American appears to be rooted
in the physical characteristics as opposed to the concept of shared ethnicity.
A
thoughtful concept of integration appears and in presented in a friendly and
positive feeling towards intermarriage. The wife of the author is a white, and
his grandparents are Jews from the southern part. He questions how the
direction of his life, his decisions, and his personality are the products of
his heritage and the perception of the society towards his ethnicity. After his
father’s death, Liu muses over how the values reflect different based on
culture. He does not understand how a socially standing man who shared his life
with whites could not reveal to any of his friends his kidney disease to any of
them. He challenges the existing Asian American relation that he perceives as a
typical invention (Liu,53). He encourages the reader to move beyond the narrow
understanding of the American race. The accidental Asian is founded on the
dream that race should be absolute as a categorization means for people.
Reflection
The
book reflects a personal view of a man who feel he does not fit into the society.
Assimilation and identity may be the subject matter of the book, but the
projection comes from a personal perspective. Evaluating the aspect of the
author, it is paramount to note that he is not contended with the society’s
view of an individual based on race. He starts by recounting how the whites
identify themselves by their way of life, clothing and the like and ends by
expressing his desire that race will seize as a categorization aspect in the
society. Family heritage has an impact on an individual especially the
decisions they make that affect their lives. Correlating the view of the author
as he analyzes the changes in his life and how his Chinese heritage has
influenced them, one realizes that identity is not a choice but more of a
heritage.
Physiology,
food, and language are the essential elements that surround culture and
identity. An individual is identified in their way of life by these three
elements. The body of Liu sets him apart from the Caucasian Americans, and
there is no way he can change that effect. He defies racial stereotypes by
being the only Chinese in certain places such as the marine candidate school.
He has minimal command of the Chinese language despite it being his mother
tongue. Assimilation emerges as a factor that distorts cultural settings and
beliefs to mold a new personality. However, a challenge arises on how to fit
into this new domain as one is still held back by his cultural way of life.
Works
Cited
Liu, Eric. The
Accidental Asian. New York: Random House, 1998. Print.
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