Pauline Chapman

A Summer Roller Coaster Ride:  The Amazing Scope of Immigrant Literature

When I was in college nearly 20 years ago in San Antonio, multiculturalism existed more in the student body than in the curriculum.  Since I've returned to school in 2005 every literature class I've taken has had multiculturalism to some degree. Some of the ideas in this class I was introduced to in Colonial and Postcolonial Literature, such as the comparison of modern and traditional societies and the Old and New World.  Last semester in Contemporary American Literature we read some immigrant and minority novelists, including Gish Jen, Sandra Cisneros, and Toni Morrison.  While writing my research paper I learned about American exceptionalism in relation to the Puritans, and I consulted this course's objectives for insight into second and third generation immigrants.  I have to admit I thought I knew something, but didn't know how little that was.

Like many people I spoke to, I had originally thought immigrant literature would have some stories from immigrants from the 1800s or the turn of the century.  I was a little disappointed and frustrated that we were primarily reading contemporary literature, and nothing from people I thought of when I thought about immigrants, such as Irish and Italians.  I also didn't see why the minority narrative was included.  I thought certainly if he took that out he could add another immigrant group. Keep in mind, these judgments were made before the class even began! 

Instead of trying to cover all the possible immigrant groups, which would be impossible, we started by learning the immigrant narrative, a framework that we could use to follow the stages of becoming an American.  We learned to identify these stages in the immigrant stories:  leaving the old world, the journey to the new world, the possible shock, exploitation, resistance, or discrimination upon arrival in America, then hopefully some degree of assimilation, and finally a possibility of reasserting or rediscovering some ethnic heritage.  What I appreciated about this approach is that I can use it in the future for independent study of other immigrant literature or culture.  The narrative also helped guide the questions for my immigrant interviews.  The interview process turned out to be a highlight of the course.  Having direct contact with people who lived what we had been studying and reading about was exhilarating.  I was impressed by their willingness to take risks, their graciousness, their ability to adapt, their positive thinking.  I thought how the country needs a regular infusion of immigrant attitude to keep us revitalized.

Minority literature, though I had initially resisted its inclusion, became a very powerful part of the course. The poem "Blonde White Woman" is one that stuck with me.  When listening to that poem I wanted to say, "But that isn't me, I don't want to dominate anyone!  I had no more choice in the way I look than you do!"  But what I have to understand and respect, is this is the way the poet feels, whether or not I intend to oppress her.  I am glad she asserts herself in the end, because I would rather see defiance than defeat.  For a different reason I appreciated the story "Elethia" because the girl and her friends are proactive in their stealing Uncle Albert and cremating him, and in getting an education and working on their futures.  I want to see that there's hope.  Unfortunately in the Native American stories, there is very little hope.  With "Gussuk" we saw the American nurse trying valiantly to adapt to the Native American culture she was trying to serve.  Enduring lack of privacy, unwanted romantic advances, and trying the dried fish in rancid oil was more than most could take.  The people resisted her help and influence and we could tell their culture was dying.  In "American Horse" the portrayal of the social worker is much less flattering.  Having read "Gussuk," though, maybe taking the child was the only way the he would have chances in life.  It would be a very difficult question: Which is more important, to let the child stay in a society that is dying slowly, or take it out for his "own good?"  In all three Native American stories, the only contact with the dominant culture is through social institutions--social worker, nurse, and priest, not as friends or co-workers.  The minority literature expressed strong emotions and produced strong reactions.

Finally, we needed to understand the dominant culture so we would know what immigrants were attempting to join.  I was surprised how much I got out of this part of the class.  It's so easy to assume that we know who we are.  Not surprising was that immigrants assimilate easier the more they have in common with the dominant culture, so aspects of the dominant culture will be related along with how they influence assimilation.  Since the dominant culture is white, darker skinned people have a more difficult time "blending in" and if the immigrant is black, they may have a minority experience appearing like the African Americans whose ancestors were former slaves.  If they come from a country where black people have had power and authority, they won't have the "burden of history" holding them back psychologically, even if from the outside they are assumed to be African-Americans.  People whose skin tone is in-between may have occasional minority experiences, similar to the Mexican-American "ambivalent minority."

Attitudes, motivation, and ability to work are very important because of the Protestant work ethic and the capitalist system.  People who are motivated to work have an easier time assimilating because they are more welcomed by the culture and they are rewarded monetarily.  Money is power and helps the immigrant have access to the dominant culture through "vertical immigration."  Literacy and education are important indicators of how fast and successful he will be at assimilating. Even if he doesn't speak English, if he is literate, he can transfer those skills to learning English.  Being able to speak English is a basic necessity.  Those who don't know English and are resistant to learning will have limited economic and social opportunities.  Since the dominant culture is Protestant, people from religions that are vastly different may assimilate slower if they congregate in ethnic communities as opposed to mingling with the dominant culture.

What I came to realize and appreciate after experiencing it was the huge scope of this class.  We read both early and contemporary literature. We read about the rich and poor, people with skin tones from white to black and shades in between, the educated and uneducated.  We were provided background information about cultures that helped us get the most from the readings, and through the readings we had insight into other cultures and our own.  However, what I will remember most is that it was an emotional roller coaster ride.  At one point, I couldn't imagine a course that would make me more proud of being an American.  Then later, when I was in session with one of my African American clients whose son was killed in Iraq, the other side of the story brought me back to earth.  To me, the class had the intensity of a religious retreat as we explored both the painful and heroic legacies that make up our identity.