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Hyphen Analysis

Decent Essays

Living on a Hyphen: Examining the Fluidity of Identity and Belonging Within a Bicultural Context in Ruth Ozeki’s A Tale For the Time Being

In A Tale For the Time Being, Ozeki Ruth uses the character of Nao to portray the struggles of negotiating between two distinct cultures and what it means to live on a hyphen. The hyphen represents disconnection and connection simultaneously. Liu defines hyphenated identity as “involving the coexistence, rather than the merging of two cultures” (33). In other words, two distinct entities belong together, but never successfully merge into one because the individual finds it difficult to fully associate with either of the two cultures. In Ozeki’s novel we witness how bicultural experiences shape Nao’s sense of identity and belonging as she grapples with the complexities of moving from one country to another.
For first generation immigrants in North America, acceptance into the mainstream society requires them to “learn or improve their English language skills and adapt to its cultural practices” (Liu 1). Liu believes second generation immigrants are better equipped to accomplish this because they are either “born in the host country or migrated at a young age” (1). When Nao’s family moved to Sunnyvale, Nao learned English quickly and internalized American values and norms. Nao was young and had “no memory of Japan from when [she] was a baby” (43), which explains her rapid adjustment to America. Unlike her parents, Nao never had a

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