ocery store business, Park has risen up the ranks by acquiring properties and renting them to businesses (Park 110-2). Although not all the writers manage to attain the same level of prosperity as Park, the bilingual Korean Americans such as Pak in "The Court Interpreter" and Ryu in "Hanging Onto My Dream" still enjoy a relatively comfortable, though hectic lifestyle.
On the other hand, Korean American grocers who do not speak English such as Ku have to fight for their survival. In his writing, "War Zone," Ku expresses his constant struggle with racist attacks and his frustration at his inability to improve his plight by learning English. Slaving at his grocery shop for long hours everyday, Ku has no time to learn English. Thus, he feels trapped in his never-ending workload that does not get him any closer to the American dream (Ku 39-41). In his situation, the lack of linguistic and cultural proficiency has severely handicapped his ability to realize his true
...