What might be Hwang’s strategy for opening her essay with a brief narration of her encounter with the Korean dry-cleaning woman? What multiple issues does she introduce with this personal anecdote?

"The Good Daughter" describes the “dual identity” of Caroline Hwang as a first-generation American with Korean immigrant parents. She describes the challenges, triumphs, and everything in between in the trials of her life. It starts off with her narrative anecdote, going to the dry cleaners and bumping into a lady who also has her origins in Korea. They bow in a traditional manner to greet one another. Caroline introduces herself and is surprised to be asked by the woman whether she is Chinese. Why would she come to that conclusion? Soon Caroline discovers that it was because she pronounced her last name, Hwang, incorrectly. The older woman laughs at her mistake and Caroline finds this to be a little offensive.

The author may have used this strategy to highlight Hwang's identity. She is both Korean and American, but for many people, she cannot be both. Thus, through this story, the author illustrates her sense of conflict, the narrator explains that she doesn't know the feeling of being the part of a community, even if she's an American, but her cultural identity of an Asian and this dual identity makes her discombobulate