Analysis A Step from Heaven by An Na - Essay Example

November 13, 2006 On An Na's "A Step from Heaven" "A Step from Heaven", written by An Na is a story told in the character Young Ju's voice.It is a story of her childhood and coming of age in a foreign land, together with her Korean family. At the young age of four, Young Ju's family immigrates to the United States with high hopes of getting a better and easier life unlike what they had in Korea. Young Ju assumes that America is heaven and that they were going there to see her dead grandfather. To her disappointment, America wasn't as near to heaven as she thought. "The novel takes its title from what one of Young Ju's uncles says about America-that it is only a step from heaven" ("Authors & Artists for Young Adults on An Na"). With the big difference in the language, customs and values in America, the whole family then struggles to survive in their new environment. In the land where they were supposed to escape poverty, they became more submerged in poverty. Both parents tried working various jobs to provide for the family's needs. This was especially hard on Young Ju's father as head of the family and the pressure takes its toll on the children, and more importantly on her mother. Young Ju grows up with a gripping knowledge that his father has changed through time. From the father she respected and loved, he became a stranger who was always angry at her mother and the children, even at times when he should be reasonably happy or contented. Young Ju excels in her achievements with the help of her supportive mother despite the troubling situation at home and the added pressure of being the one of the few Asian kids at school. Without a doubt, she grows up confused and stuck between absorbing two cultures that has become rooted in her being. One part of her is trying hard to be the submissive Korean daughter at home, while the other part of her is the Americanized girl who grows up knowledgeable and open-minded. As time goes by, her father's abusive attitude towards her mother intensifies. During a terrifying incident of her father's abusive rage, Young Ju makes a difficult choice against her father that frees her mother, brother and herself from the destructive life that they have been living for years. The story finishes with the three of them living yet a more different and freer life apart from her father. With the help of her mother, Young Ju is able to achieve a sense of understanding on how her father has become weary and vicious. "While some of the details can be harsh, as befits the subject, the book is endowed with a haunting grace by the exquisite voice of a new young writer"(Chira). The author An Na, is a Korean who grew up in San Diego, California. Like the main character in her story, she and her family migrated to America when she was also very young. Before taking on a career in writing, she was a middle school English and History teacher. In an interview published in the author's website, An Na says that "The initial stirrings for the story stemmed from one of my memories", as the story developed, "it became Young Ju's story" (SPEAK (Penguin Putnam paperback imprint) Interview). While Young Ju's father becomes hopeless in their new environment, An Na's father did well in adapting to America. Like Young Ju, An Na went through the same mixed feelings in coping with the language, customs and her new school in America. She admits that getting used to a lot of new things at once was a very difficult time for her family and there were a lot of discussions and arguments as well. As a young child, a lot of reading helped her gain an understanding on American culture. She further adds that "books were my cultural teachers" and that "they helped explain concepts and traditions specific to the United States that I couldn't ask my parents" (SPEAK (Penguin Putnam paperback imprint) Interview). An Na also grew up getting caught between her Korean heritage and her desire to fit in the American ways. She says that it "really was a conflict when I was growing up" (SPEAK (Penguin Putnam paperback imprint) Interview). Within her family and Korean friends, she was in her element. At school, although she was outspoken with her thoughts, she was a lot more cautious and felt at times uncomfortable within her peers. Unlike Young Ju though, An Na never felt ashamed of her family and Korean heritage. Young Ju's shame of her parent's inability to speak English well, her family's poverty and her father's domineering attitude often makes her lie to both her friends and family to avoid instances that they would meet. One instance in the story is when she became the mediator for her parents during an interview with officers in the immigration office. Her humiliation for being part of the family is revealed more when in an incident where her father reacts strongly when her brother urinates in public. With this, Young Ju says that "For one second, the time it takes to blink, I imagine throwing my sponge into the air. Running fast, fast down the street. So fast that I begin to fly. Away. From here. From me" (Na p. 58) When reading through the narratives, the reader is taken to Young Ju's simplest experiences to the darkest instances of her life in the story. According to Alberts, "A Step from Heaven is an engrossing read that some readers may find challenging at first" and that readers are made to appreciate "An Na's use of strong imagery that lingers in the mind and makes a fictional girl seem much more real". It is in the simplicity of the child Young Ju's voice and the honesty of the adolescent Young Ju's words that give readers an almost real sense to the main character's feeling. For instance, the child Young Ju remembers her loving grandmother through illustrating a memory of rough hands and a gentle voice that wakes her up every morning, telling her that it is time to wake up and go to school. As a young adult, Young Ju describes an incident where her father slaps her mother and as a result, her mother's lips were like "broken grapes". Another is of Young Ju's description on how her emotionally distressed mother reacts when Joon, her brother, pops a balloon in her face. Her mother struggles hard not to raise her hand and hurt his brother. When realizing her own intent, she then abruptly changes her mind. With this, Young Ju says that "She (her mother) hides behind her hands. Like she can disappear" (Na p.52). The author wants her readers to relive Young Ju's childhood and experiences with her. An Na says that "Memory doesn't come as a complete story with a beginning, middle and end, but rather lives in moments that focus on a smell or a touch or a feeling" (SPEAK (Penguin Putnam paperback imprint) Interview). In dealing with difficult parts of the story, it is often hard for writers to convey the intense situation without using a touch of darkness. For An Na, the best way to portray the difficult situations was head on and describes these situations as "the times where you have to push the scene, push yourself, push the characters to engage and deal with the conflict". It is in those captivating times when readers get to experience what the characters feel with more depth and understanding on the underlying factors that surround the conflict. One recurring theme in the novel is the difference of American women's lives and environment from that of Korean or Asian women. For Asian women, wives and daughters were expected be obedient, respectful and loyal to the head of the family. The father is the sole decision maker in the family and what he says is law. We see this embodiment in Young Ju's mother, who remains true to her husband, despite her and her children's sufferings when her husband is upset and becomes violent. This notion of the Asian culture was especially hard for Young Ju, who grew up receiving American education that promoted logical thinking and that speaking one's mind was a good thing. American women were taught that they can be whatever they want to be and that is their right. She gets confused on what the purpose on their living in America is if her parents forbid her to speak English in their home. It is apparent that her parents want the best for her but does not wishes her to become too American because she might forget who she is and her heritage. More importantly, her parents don't want her to be like American girls who are wayward because of their freedom. Young Ju learns and knows that she has the capability to achieve greater things but her father constantly reminds her that men prevailed over women. Because of this Young Ju's father always favors her brother despite her achievements at school of which he should be proud of. Moreover, her father reproaches her when she is being inquisitive and says that it is not in her place to raise such questions. What this novel wants to convey is that immigration is not as sweet as most people think. People are more interested and amazed on how well immigrating families are doing by the clothes they wear, the cars they drive, the way they speak fluent English and etc. Those are all superficial because behind the achievements are hardships of which not everyone has a clear understanding of. Difficulties are always abundant and it takes it toll on every member of the family. There is never a way in which immigration can always be smooth sailing. Immigrants tend to be victims of abuse by people around them who knows they are vulnerable. In the case of Young Ju, her mother, brother, and she have fallen victim to the abusive head of the family whose despair channeled into violence when he was not able to cope up with the pressures of his new surroundings. This story wishes to convey that finding a place to call home in a foreign land with foreign ways and customs is never easy. Just the thought of better lives for their families and especially their children drives millions of people each year to migrate unto richer countries. This is a prevailing fact that affects millions of people across the world, braving on their new environment just to get a grasp on the so called better life. This wonderfully written book is one of the few highly acclaimed contemporary books about families and immigration. BookRags says that An Na's "unassuming first novel was the recipient of numerous awards in 2001 and 2002, including the Michael L. Printz Award from the American Library Association for excellence in young adult fiction, and was a finalist for the 2001 National Book Award". Works Cited Na, An. A Step From Heaven. New York: Puffin, Reprint Edition, 2003. SPEAK(Penguin Putnam paperback imprint)Interview. anwriting.com. 13 November 2006 Authors & Artists for Young Adults on An Na. BookRags. 13 November 2006 Chira, Susan. Children's Books: Books in Brief. The New York Times. 14 November 2006 Read More