The purpose of this research is to examine specific patterns of social and political resistance of Koreans in reaction to racist behavior toward them in the United States. The plan of the research will be to describe the context in which issues of Korean resistance to racism in the U.S. arise, and then to discuss special aspects of response to racism that helped build Korean-American presence in U.S. communities.
What has to be understood about Koreans' immigration to the U.S. in the early twentieth century is that immigrants of that period were aliens not only in America but also in Korea. That is because in the years before World War II, Korea itself was a Japanese colony (invaded 1909). Japanese authorities "tried to wipe out Korean culture" (Chan 116) during the occupation. In Clay Walls, Chun's personal history includes torture by authori ties. This situation fostered great nationalism. But in the U.S., Korean immigrant national pride met with racism as well.
In Clay Walls, the pattern of racism experienced by the Chun family in the U.S. has the power to affect the family's way of life. Some expressions of racism in Clay Walls are on a personal level. These Haesu responds to by claiming personal dignity. The story opens with Haesu (working as a maid) being insulted by her white employer for not cleaning the bathroom properly. Haesu curses the rich woman in Korean, then demands money even though the woman at first refuses to pay (Kim 5-6). But in a show of dignity, Haesu takes only a dime for car fare. The response is nonviolent but quite definite, partly because of Haesu's family background in Korea in the wealthy class. That show of dignity angers the rich woman even more than having to pay a bad maid. It also emphasizes the deep racism in the white woman's attitude. When her son is called "chink" at school, Haesu responds for family dignity by enrolling him in a military school in the Los Angeles area. But this turns out t...