Language, Immigration and Acculturation in the Short Stories of Ha Jin

The Problems of Acculturation: Flushing, Queens, in the Short Stories of Ha Jin Abstract: Noted author Ha Jin is often thought of as a Chinese author despite the fact that all of his writing has been written in English. Two of his later works, A Free Life (2007) and A Good Fall (2009) are set among the Chinese community in Flushing, Queens. This essay examines three short stories An English Professor, A Pension Plan, and Temporary Love from A Good Fall. In these works, Jin discusses the problems of acculturation these immigrants face, including learning English, finding employment, and dealing with forced separation. The stories depict the treacherous territory the immigrants, as well as the author himself at times, traverse as they dwell between two languages, two cultures, two literatures, two countries