Critical Thinking On Bone By Fae Myenne Ng Social Contemporary Issue Dealing With Multiculturalism

17th May, 2011
In this novel, the issue of illegal immigration into a foreign country is portrayed widely in a number of instances. The Chinese in China town are mostly illegal immigrants who have bought their way into the country and are struggling to cope with the American culture that seems to be very different from their own. Leon uses fake papers to pass the interrogations at the immigration blocks. This issue portrays the author’s quest to bring together two different cultures.
The author at some point tries to point out the value of paper in the two socio-cultural modern settings. In the American culture, paper is used to validate one’s legal origins. Paper in the modern setting is used to record and legitimize information in the written form. The author uses Leon who passes the immigration blocks on Angel Island by purchasing identification papers to the Leong family name. Illegal immigrations are further enhanced in the novel when Leon lies to the confession program officers about his true identity. The character therefore becomes a citizen of the United States of America by naturalization and receives the papers.
This is witness by Leon’s eagerness retell the tale of memorizing the history of the true Leong and by the fact that he does not confess his illegal entry to the confession program officials in order to gain naturalization papers.
While the contemporary American society regards the use of paper as a legal proof and a source of documentation, we see that the indigenous Chinese holds sacred the use of paper. In the novel, the two cultures have differences in their beliefs in the sanctity of paper is brought about where Leon keeps his papers intact hopping to burn them one day during a sacred event. The character is forced to deal with the new culture in the American modern set up where paper is used to store information and should not be burnt. The documents are to be used in a number of instances that include registering for social security and as a pass at the immigration blocks. Leon in this novel is forced to keep the papers because they have become part and parcel of his life.