Structure

The short story “How to Pronounce Knife” by Souvankham Thammavongsa is structured around the conflict between Asian and Western identity. The conflict between the two cultures is introduced from the beginning:

The note had been typed out, folded over two times, and pinned to the child’s chest. It could not be missed. And as she did with all the other notes that went home with the child, her mother removed the pin and threw it away. If the contents were important, a phone call would be made to the home. And there had been no such call. (ll. 1-4)

This example shows that Joy, the main character, is caught between two cultures – the Western one, which is represented by her school – and the Asian one, which is represented by her parents. The two cultures do not seem to understand each other’s ways.

When Joy’s family eats dinner around a mak...