Bone Essay

The migration of Asian American immigrants to America, in hopes of striking rich or providing a better quality of life for their children, faced the truth that in order to be accepted into society they must assimilate or present an American identity, but in doing so it creates a dual identity. In the novel "Bone" by Fae Ng, the characters experience a duality of cultural identification as they navigate the process of Americanization. The protagonist, Leila, and her family are Chinese immigrants who must adapt to the customs and expectations of American society while also holding onto their Chinese heritage. Through their interactions with each other, the characters externalize and internalize the experience of inclusion and exclusion, highlighting

Leila’s pride and connection to her culture are expressed through her relationship with her parents as although they are troublesome, she is unable to leave or abandon them to pursue her own happiness. Leila describes her mixed feelings, saying, "I was grateful for my Chinese face because it made me different, but I was also embarrassed by it" (Ng 25). Leila's internal struggle highlights the complex nature of cultural identity and the pressure to conform to societal norms. Leila struggles with communicating with her mother in Chinese, “What could I say? Using Chinese was my undoing. She had a world of words that were beyond me,” Leila feels like an outsider within her own culture (Ng 20). She feels foreign as she cannot speak fluent Chinese and feels ashamed. Her lack of ability to speak Chinese fluently is a factor in the distance in the relationship between herself and her mother because of cultural differences. Leila’s internal struggles with her identity manifest into external problems causing her relationship with her parents to become strained and complex, as she cannot fully accept her Chinese cultural identity. Leila’s desire for American culture is represented by her relationship with Mason Louie. Leila sees Mason as more than someone

Ona is bullied by a classmate named Serena Choi who constantly harassed her, “In high school, she’d masterminded a whole year of harassing Ona. Late-night phone calls, hate mail,” Ona is bullied by a fellow Asian American symbolizing how neither American of Chinese group accepted her, so she felt as if she was never really accepted with either identity (Ng 114). Serena Choi is also a woman which demonstrates how Ona isn’t able to fit in at all in society she is rejected from all groups of society. She feels that she’s not Chinese enough and not American enough. Ona’s relationship with her family members had been relatively distant before her death, leading to her feeling insecure about her identity, Leila thinks back to her relationship with her sister, “I should have asked Ona, Why are you crying? What are you sad about I wish I’d hugged her, kissed her cheeks,” the shame and regret Leila feels being unable to help Ona feel accepted even as a family member pains her. (Ng 134). Her sisters, Leila and Nina, feel guilty and shameful that although they are related to Ona through sisterhood, their connection through their cultural and family bond wasn’t enough to make Ona feel supported in life. Highlighting how each family member struggles internally with their personal identity and their sense of self is too weak to assure the