Genre
Young Adult
Setting and Context
Set in Korea and Southern California in the 1980s
Narrator and Point of View
First-person narration from the perspective of Young Ju Park.
Tone and Mood
Naive, Bleak, Pensive, Hopeful
Protagonist and Antagonist
Protagonist: Young Ju Park; Antagonist: Apa
Major Conflict
The narrative is an immigrant story of a young family relocating into America and having to navigate the cultural differences. Young Ju struggles in school from the language barrier and at home from financial strain and domestic abuse.
Climax
The climax reaches when Apa gets arrested for beating Young together with her mother Uhmma.
Foreshadowing
The DUI and three-day disappearance foreshadow Apa abandoning his family later on.
Understatement
“Uhmma, it is only a penny. You cannot buy anything for a penny.”
Allusions
The narrative alludes to the American dream with the title referring to America as heaven but the protagonist finds it is not accurate.
Imagery
“The teacher pats her cloud hair and then looks around. She walks over to the corner of the room and comes back with a bowl. She sits back down and takes something out of the bowl and puts it in her mouth. Her mouth moves up and down, up and down. Her head goes back and forth, back and forth. Mi Gook teachers eat very funny. I lean over to see what is inside the bowl. There is nothing there. Maybe the teacher is playing.”
Paradox
“I think future must mean a long time away. Except school is not in the future. It is now. I do not understand how school is my future when it is not a long time away.”
Parallelism
“Are they not mad that they are not in the real heaven? Harabugi is waiting in the real heaven and Halmoni will go there without me. I do not care if we are a step from heaven. I take a big swallow of the hurting drink. This is not heaven.”
Metonymy and Synecdoche
“Heaven is in the sky and far away. Now pray while I read the Good Book.”
Personification
“This drink bites the inside of my mouth and throat like swallowing tiny fish bones.”
