When it comes to the topic of identity, most of us will readily agree that ethnicity has a lot to do with how people identify themselves. Where this agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of stereotypes. Whereas some are convinced that stereotypes are factual, others maintain that they distort the personality of individuals. Although Super Sad True Love Story is a fictional futuristic novel, stereotypes about our present world are described.

One particularly important scene in the novel is Chung Won Park’s communication to Eunice on page 72. In this letter Eunice’s mother writes to Eunice to give her orders about what to do with her life. This alone labels Asian mothers as being strict. The letter is also written in broken English, which brings about the assumption that all American immigrants speak and write inadequately. Within this message one can see the stereotype that Koreans are racist. Chung Won Park mentions that Eunice’s father thinks Eunice “is probably with black man,” giving black people a negative connotation. Chung Won Park also reiterates “we are not like American…Which is now why Korea very rich country and America owe everything to China.” This does not only stereotype Koreans as racist, but it mocks America as a nation. Furthermore, throughout the letter Eunice’s mother mentions how her husband is abusive, which can also be viewed as categorizing Korean husbands and manipulative and abusive.

In sum, then, the elements in the online communication on page 72 demonstrate that while Super Sad True Love Story is a futuristic novel, it raises issues of our present-day world.