In A Step From Heaven, Apa, the main character’s father, having grown up in a Korean

society that celebrated toxic masculinity, becomes more mentally unstable after moving to the

US. As the novel progresses, he gradually develops into a person that acts violently, almost

sadistically, as he believes that he slowly loses his control over his family. His personality and

actions slowly regress and become more unhinged and disturbed as the story progresses, all

while his suppositions of upholding toxic masculinity begin to break apart.

For example, in response to Uhmma blamelessly asking about saving money for a new

house, he retaliates by saying, “What did I just tell you… I do not grovel anymore like some

bitch.” (27). He then proceeds to slap Uhmma causing a bleed on her lip. By showing the anger

and arrogance of Apa with his diction and particularly the use of expletives, the author

demonstrates his perspective on her comment; despite Apa having clearly abused her, it is still

clear why he believes he is justified, as he thinks his wife’s remark was unintelligent enough for

him to both curse and physically attack her in front of his daughter. Apa says he wishes not to

“grovel anymore,” as he believes saving money and relying on Gomo, his sister, was an action

against his beliefs of toxic masculinity, particularly of how men are supposed to act

independently. Since Apa from this excerpt is presented as conceited and easily irate, his verbal

mannerisms communicate the fact that he has little regard for the emotions of even his family,

which is justified by his conceitedness. Apa’s violent nature is also revealed when “[He] comes

homes late stinking like the insides of the bottles that get left on the street,” (2), presumably

“stinking” of empty bottles of alcohol that he would drink excessively. The use of olfactory

imagery and simile, comparing Apa to the smell of empty cans and bottles, signifies that Apa

faces a large amount of stress in his life. Therefore, he must rely on drinking to escape his
pressures and responsibilities. The author’s use of figurative language here emphasizes the sheer

amount of hubris Apa internalizes; this is to the point where he values self-intoxication over

providing for his family fully. From these excerpts, it is clear that at the start of the novel, Apa’s

choleric temper is resultative of his vanity, yet in general, his violent outbursts have a clear

reason behind them.

As the novel progresses, Apa’s violent outbursts become more irrational, with arrogance

and vanity becoming less of a reason warranting his behaviour. In this progression, the author

depicts Apa as a man whose mental instability slowly drives him to lack a rationale regarding his

character. One example of Apa declined cognitive rationality occurs when Apa abuses Joon for

not acting masculine enough in his perspective: “If you cry and whine like a girl, who is going to

listen to you… He [Apa] balances on one leg and swiftly kicks Joon in the stomach.” (62-63).

Although Apa’s intentions in this excerpt are vaguely clear, it is unclear what Joon did to warrant

this degree of punishment. This excerpt’s tone portrays Apa as a parent that punishes more out of

personal benefit rather than correcting behaviour as if he kicked Joon with a sadistic mentality.

The author shows a change in his violent character, one stemming from personal arrogance to

one where his intentions and rationale are more unclear and callous. The author illustrates Apa’s

further degradation in his mental state in the chapter “Making Sure.” Here Apa on the car back

says, “I do not want to go back to that office again. Make sure.” (83). Although Apa does not act

violently in this excerpt, the author’s syntax and establishment of atmosphere when describing

his speech create a sense of unclear irritability in his emotions and character. Apa asks Young Ju

to “make sure” that he would never return to the immigration department, yet the author makes it

uncertain why he holds this sentiment. The short phrasing of “make sure” and its placement after
the initial sentence allows the author to paint a picture of his character as fatigued and irritable. It

is difficult to comprehend why Apa acts this way, as an average and levelheaded parent would

not complain about having their child renew their residence permit. Yet, he insists on remaining

passive-aggressive, exhibiting the change in character and the degradation of his sanity.

It is near the novel’s end where Apa’s character assumes the complete wrath of insanity

and derangement. His acts with no rationale, often acting violently without justifiable reason. In

contrast to Apa initially, he assaults and abuses with no pretext or influence, all while failing to

manage his career and family. The author depicts one aspect of Apa’s lapse into complete mental

degradation when Apa returns homes on an evening and begins verbally and physically abusing

Uhmma: “Who do you think you are? Questioning me… The coffee table is overturned, Korean

newspaper strewn all over the carpet.” (90). Amidst this violent excerpt, the author uses the

newspaper as a symbol of Apa’s coping mechanism, as it is also previously seen in the chapter

“Making Sure” that “Apa has somehow managed to find an old Korea Times newspaper and is so

busy reading that he does not hear her [the information lady]” (78), demonstrating his reliance of

reading specifically the Korean newspaper as a means to ignore his immediate surroundings, and

to a larger extent, his responsibilities. In this scene, having the papers “strewn all over the carpet”

illustrates a breaking point in his character. The newspapers no longer have any use, as he is no

longer capable of maintaining his mental composure. Despite that, probably the best example of

Apa’s full mental breakdown is in the novel’s climax when he physically assaults both Uhmma

and Young Ju after Young Ju returned home late from school. As a result of moving to America,

having excessive stress from multiple jobs, not having enough financial resources, and extreme

personal adherence to a concept of toxic masculinity, Apa lashes out and behaves maniacally. He
violently attacks his daughter in this scene and yells, “You bitch… you lying bitch. Who do you

think you are? Lying to my face!” (130). This scene not only depicts a complete lapse into

sadistic insanity as he curses and abuses his daughter, but the author repeats the word “bitch” in

Apa’s diction, reminiscent of when he abused Uhmma in a previous chapter. In both instances,

Apa’s violent language use shows his complete mental recklessness, as he somehow conjures the

will to attack both his family members for seemingly harmless and innocent behaviours such as

staying at the library to study. The author also writes, “The rain of blows on my face, shoulders,

and head forces my body to the ground.” (131), when portraying the sheer amount of violence

being expelled from Apa’s outburst of rage. The gruesome metaphor comparing Apa’s physical

attacks to being covered with rain goes to show the extent of Apa’s physical force, yet all while

providing no reason for his violence. In comparison to Apa’s behaviour even a few chapters

prior, this scene shows a man who is not mentally sane to any degree; instead, it exposes a

barbaric savage violently attacking his family after being consumed by external pressures.

Apa never presented himself as a character with much morality or ethicality, yet the

author portrayed an arc of a man who ultimately falls apart in his head. In spite of acting

somewhat rationally and occasionally passive initially, it is clear that Apa had a minimal prospect

in redeeming his already questionable actions. However, with the author’s various usages of

stylistic and literary techniques, the reader can see a complete collapse in his psychology. Apa’s

character arc is a strong warning that excessive stresses and having a toxic precedent of only so-

called right and wrong behaviours can and will result in psychological issues.