The immigrant and minority narrative can be compared and contrasted in many ways.  There are many cultures in America that fall distinctly in either one or the other of these narratives.  Whether these cultures are immigrant or minority depends on how they arrive in America and what they do once they get here.  If the trip is by choice and the group decides to assimilate to the dominate culture upon arrival the culture is described as immigrant.  However, if the people are forced to come to America by whatever reason and they choose to keep their own distinct communities the culture is labeled a minority culture.

Immigrants are people that willingly come to America in search of something “more”.  At some point in their lives, these people have had an interest in and a desire to be a part of the American culture.  The interest in American culture is shown in “The English Lesson” when Lali and William decide to attend English classes.  William convinces Lali that by attending these classes her life will become easier.  Going against her husband’s wishes, Lali makes the decision to attempt assimilation.  In the English classes, the teacher asks the students why they are choosing to learn English.  The answers all reflect assimilation and the desire to achieve the American Dream.  They range from them trying to improve their position in the culture to trying to find that better future that seems to be out of their reach.  Immigrants who achieve assimilation with the dominant culture do not face the challenges that face those who reject assimilation.  Those who reject it face the challenges that face minority cultures.

In “Soap and Water”, the Russian girl works her way through school trying to achieve the American Dream only to be rejected by the dominant culture.  The job she kept at the laundry kept the gap between her and the dominant culture.  She worked that “dirty” job to keep the Whiteside’s of the world “clean” and made sure they kept up their dominant culture appearance.  The girl feels that if she can get through school, she will be that much closer to achieving her American Dream.  She never imagined that by finishing college, her dream would be turned into a nightmare.  She attempted to assimilate only to find out she was not American enough to completely fit in.

Minorities are people who end up in America because they are forced to, not because they choose to.  This force may be the conditions of their Old World, or just that they were unwillingly brought over to America.  Whatever the reason, minorities do not assimilate.  They remain distinct or maintain distinct communities.  In “The Lesson” minority children were taken to a toy store to see “how the other half lives”.  The field trip did not make the children want to be part of this dominant culture; in fact, it makes them resent it.  They do not understand why someone would pay $1,195 for a sailboat that “is just big enough to maybe sail two kittens across the pond if you strap them to the posts tight.”  In their minority culture it makes much more sense to “buy a sailboat set for a quarter at Pop’s, a tube of glue for a dime, and a ball of string for eight cents.”  This shows their minority mindset which resists assimilation.  “Blonde White Women” also shows this resistance.  The speaker originally does wish to be part of the dominant culture, only to realize that she is black and does not really like the way the white people are.  She discovers that she “can find no color darker, more beautiful, than I am.”  This discovery is made after her first grade blonde teacher hugged her and then pried her away with a righteous look in her eyes.  Even in first grade, the girl could tell that her teacher felt that she hugged her too long and felt like she needed to wash.  It was at this young age the girl realized she was different and that it was alright to be that way.

There are cultural groups that could fall into both the minority narrative and the immigrant narrative.  Hispanic Americans fall into this category.  There are several examples in “How to Date a Browngirl, Blackgirl, Whitegirl, or Halfie.”  An example of how Hispanic Americans follow the minority narrative in this story is when the author mentions Uncle Tomming.  This shows their opposition to selling out or becoming assimilated like immigrants.  On the other hand, the story also mentions wanting the white ones the most.  This is the desire of the Hispanics to become part of the dominant culture by dating and possibly marrying into that culture.  “Like Mexicans” is another story with examples of how Hispanic Americans fall into both the minority and the immigrant narrative.  Minorities are likely to marry within their race, but in this story, the Hispanic culture married a Japanese woman.  Even though this isn’t assimilating into the dominant culture, it shows the willingness to go outside of their minority group. . . . [CA]