The Influence of Community on Identity Construction in Our Missing Hearts

Abstract

In contemporary multicultural societies, ethnic minorities frequently face cultural marginalization, structural inequality, and selective silence, and such factors continually undermine their identity and sense of belonging. Our Missing Hearts, written by Chinese-American author Celeste Ng, dramatically portrays this predicament against the backdrop of a dystopian America: cultural suppression and state surveillance tear apart the identity construction of individuals and communities. This study employs community theory as its framework to explore how identity can be reconstructed through community within an unequal multicultural context. This paper aims to analyze community construction and its impact on identity reconstruction. Through close textual analysis, the study reveals differences between institutionalized communities and spontaneous communities in terms of normative control and creative participation; altruism manifests not only in material actions but also exerts influence at cultural and spiritual levels; and a sense of belonging is reconstructed through the interaction between individuals and cultural communities, all of which make a difference for identity reconstruction. This paper reveals that individual identity is profoundly shaped by multi-cultures, particularly mainstream culture, yet community provides crucial ethical spaces for minority groups to reconstruct their identities.