A person’s self-knowledge is formed through relationships and communication with others. A person’s self-knowledge comes from the “perception of others” and self assessment. The feeling that “I” has is constantly reflected to individual by other people’s thoughts or words, other people’s attitude towards a certain thing, and then “I” will produce propensity effect and new understanding according to other people’s evaluation of
“me”. This effect will affect their cognition, and continue to evolve.” The Paper Menagerie” is a poignant short story that explores the themes of identity, cultural assimilation, and the power of self-awareness. Liu, the protagonist of the novel, grapples with feelings of inadequacy and insecurity stemming from his mixed-race heritage and his inability to speak Chinese, his self-cognition was affected by the words of others, this is one of the important affecting, leading to the breakdown of the friendly relationship with his mother, which was not repaired until his mother died. The period of protagonist childhood only has a lower degree of self-knowledge, that is a main reason that he was easily affected by others. However, as he grows older and gains a deeper understanding of his cultural roots and personal identity, he finds the strength to preserve through life’s challenges. This paper will examine the ways in which an individual’s degree of self-knowledge affects their lives, as illustrated Liu’s journey in “The Paper Menagerie”. By exploring the interplay between self-awareness and perseverance, we can gain insight into important of selt-reflection and
acceptance in overcoming obstacles and achieving personal growth.