Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart was one of my favorite reads this semester. The novel expressed the story of “post-humans” in an ultra-developed world, where technology dominates environments and corrupts the idea of being human. Through the different diary entries and correspondences such as instant letters and e-chat conversations I was able to learn about different styles of writing and expression. Through these mediums, I was also able to have a deeper understanding about the underlying feelings which people may convey through their writings. In Super Sad True Love Story there isn’t necessarily crafted a unique argument, but different characters write to present different stories, opinions, and feelings.

For this semester’s first assignment, the Literary Response Letter, I had to be creative in trying to convey one character’s point of view through a different medium. The purpose of the assignment was to practice my critical thinking skills and my ability to synthesize and evaluate the idea of others with a focus. In the story, Chung Won Park (Eunice’s mother) writes to her daughter through a series of e-letters. In these messages, Chung Won Park shows a side of hers that is particularly insipid- one that reflects her traditional self. In trying to always encourage her daughter to succeed while trying to update her about happenings at home, Chung Won Park conveys her persona as one who is trapped, unhappy, and lonely. As a result of my curiosity to let a different side of Mrs. Park’s personality free, I decided to write her thoughts in the form of a diary.

In the diary entry that I created for Chung Won Park, I tried to incorporate elements that she had mentioned in her original message but also statements in which she would try to release her tension or anger about her complicated family situation. In her letters to Eunice, she does not mention the subtle disappointment for Eunice which she is trying to express. For this reason, I try to voice this disappointment in my diary entry. In my letter assignment, I write “She is burden in chest” or “How will she do alone, my girl with no ambition?”. Further, I try to voice a more rebellious side of hers. Statements such as “I no listen when he speaks, I no want to be with him” or “Oh Diary, I confess, I jealous of Eunhee” reflect that Eunice Park’s mother is truly willing to fly away without being capable to. These mentions show my ability to understand the underlying purpose of written communications and embedding it more clearly into my own writing.

Ultimately, assignments like these have helped me to be more attentive about what authors such as Shteyngart intend to convey. This has made me realize that the process of coming up with novel ideas based on available texts is more challenging than it seems and also remarkably satisfying. In my personal work, I showed a side of Chung Won Park that is not necessarily evident in her original writings. I also showed a clearer purpose to what she sends to her daughter. This has allowed for the crafting of creative writing and an interesting twist to a beautiful story.