A Step from Heaven By An Na
Fiction
The sea has always been a symbol of
bravery to Young Ju. When Young and her family move from Korea to America when
Young is four, the ride in a plane causes her to believe that they are moving
to heaven. As Young and her family settle into life there, Young realizes that
America is not the paradise she believed it to be. An alcoholic abusive father,
an initial restricted knowledge of English, and her family’s limited income
make life difficult for Young and require her to draw on the strength she learned from the
sea.
On Young’s first day of school, she
at first feels scared. Her nervous view of the world serves for some comedy for
she takes her teacher’s fluffy hair as an indication that she is a witch who wants
to eat her. Eventually Young’s fear of school and of her teacher gradually
fades as she encounters small things that remind her of the sea and give her
bravery to try new things. The color of Young’s classmate’s shirt (a girl that
Young calls Sea Shirt) persuades Young to try crayons. The goldfish cracker her
teacher gives her helps Young realize that school might not be such a new and
dangerous experience. Throughout the book, the sea serves as a reminder to
Young to be brave and strong in new situations.
As Young grows older, her life at
home deteriorates. Frustrated by his restricted English, which limits his jobs opportunities,
and by his family’s low social and economic status, her dad frequently comes
home drunk and irritable. As his bad and violent side becomes more and more
apparent, his kind and playful side disappears.
I appreciate how the author’s
depiction of Young’s dad did not make him a villain. He feels discouraged and
hopeless because after years of hard labor he still has nothing. The little
money they have, he spends on alcohol, leaving even less money for a house. Young
and her family came to America with hopes of riches and freedom of choice, but they
slowly come to realize what most characters in immigrant books face-- life in
America is not heaven. At most, it is a step away.
