Our Missing Hearts Themes

Our Missing Hearts frames free speech and patriotism as opposing forces. The story takes place in an imagined version of America where lawmakers have created a new law, PACT (Preserving American Culture and Traditions) to root out “anti-American elements undermining the nation.” By encouraging citizens to report anyone spreading subversive information, funding watch groups to break up protests, and taking custody of children whose parents adopt unpatriotic viewpoints, PACT inhibits free speech and acts as…

In Ng’s imagined America, people are constantly under surveillance. The PACT law promotes “citizen vigilance,” offering rewards for “information leading to potential troublemakers.” In this way, the government teaches its citizens to watch one another closely for signs of anti-American sentiment, encouraging a culture of fear and distrust among one’s own neighbors. Because PACT allows for the removal of children from environments loosely defined as “unsafe” or “unpatriotic,” the stakes are always high when the…

Through the plot device of PACT, Our Missing Hearts investigates the nuances of parental responsibility and rights. In the novel’s imagined America, the government primarily enforces compliance with PACT by threatening to remove children from the custody of parents who espouse supposedly un-American values. Since the government forbids any engagement with “unpatriotic” views (including criticism of that government), this allows them to strip parents of their rights based on the bogus claim that they are…

Throughout Our Missing Hearts, certain characters are able to retreat from society’s problems into bubbles of comfort while others have no other option but to suffer through the economic instability and political unrest that has overtaken the novel’s imagined America. In this way, the novel illustrates how privilege allows some people to remain silent on issues that don’t directly affect them, which in turn makes them complicit in the oppression of others. During the…