Midge Gorman

“Immigrant / Minority” Distinction as Organizing Motif
For Multicultural Literature

I chose to study multicultural literature because I have a multicultural family and live in a multicultural society. This experience has revealed many conflicting and confusing situations resulting in stubborn differences of opinions within cultural and generational thinking.  This is an interesting phenomenon to be stand on sidelines and ponder.  My goal was to achieve a better, more informed understanding of multiculturalism.

In reference to Objective 1, the immigrant narrative is a fundamental part of the American culture simply because, with the exception of Native Americans, we all originate from another culture but have come together to create the American Dream.  That agreement has evolved into the “dominant culture” of America.   Although we consider the immigrants, minorities, and in-betweens to be distinct groups, there is often some combination with certain groups. Here is where we find that mixing of cultures is the essential element for creating a dominant culture. Successive generations become more self sufficient and empowered as they gain a feel for different experiences.  A common thread in this powerful tapestry is the interweaving of many cultures to gain one dominant culture that can work for many.  It does require the repression of traditional elements in order to survive and succeed socially and economically in today’s society.

Immigrants are those groups who came to this country of their own free will. They were searching for that “American Dream”, whatever image they had conjured up in their mind that it would be. Carlos Bulosan’s narrative, “America is in the Heart,” is a good example of what their ideal America was.   “My first sight of the approaching land was an exhilarating experience. Everything seemed native and promising to me. It was like coming home after a long voyage, although as yet I had no home in this city. Everything seemed familiar and kind…With a sudden surge of joy, I knew that I must find a home in this new land” (60).

 “New World” immigration refers to those who immigrate within the Western Hemisphere.  These are the groups who seem more ambivalent in their assimilation.  Within the group of immigrants in “The English Lesson”, there was only one who did not come to America in search of a better life here. This was glaringly evident in the fervent speech made by Diego Torres, the young man from the Dominican Republic, regarding his feelings toward becoming an American citizen. In “The English Lesson, although he was steadfast in his loyalty to his home country, he voluntarily came here to get a piece of that “Dream”. (25) He harbored great resentment toward this country for invading the home he loved and making life more difficult for his own countrymen.  His dream was to make his fortune and return to his homeland with it, creating his own “Dream” there.

Those who make the long journey from the “Old World” of the Eastern Hemisphere to the “New World” are made up of Asian and European immigrants.  These groups are more

receptive to the idea of committing to assimilation of the dominant American culture.  They become the proverbial mix we call the “melting pot” of our country.  Sui Sin Far’s “In The Land Of The Free” demonstrates  the expectations of New World immigrants.  “See, Little One—the hills in the morning sun. There is thy home for years to come. It is very beautiful and thou wilt be very happy there…there is where thy father is making a fortune” (3). As noted in Objective 2, they are main examples of what we call the “Model Minority” in that they strive to take advantage of opportunities in this country, trying to blend into the culture while maintaining traditional family stability. 

This concept is important for demonstrating the origination of many stereotypes attached to certain groups such as, “Mexicans are lazy”, “Asians are bad drivers”, etc.  The immigrant narrative follows basic stages from leaving the native country, coming to America, culture shock and all that implies, to assimilation into the dominant culture and acceptance of that culture. In “Soap And Water” we see this process in Anzia Yezierska’s narrative as, “I felt the joy of one breathing on the mountain-tops for the first time.  I looked down at the world below.  I was changed and the world was changed. My past was the forgotten night. Sunrise was all around me.” (110)  It is this type of narrative that demonstrate how protagonists who go through different quests to achieve their identity can still have the “Dream” they have only imagined in the past.

Minorities least assimilated into the dominant culture are made up of Native Americans, who were already here, and African Americans brought here by force. For them the “Dream” was, in reality,  “The American Nightmare”. Herein lies the difference in the “social contracts” of immigrants and minorities.  They hold fast to their ethnic identity as a cover for feelings of not being powerful enough to compete, therefore resisting assimilation into what has become the dominant culture.  Ironically, this resistance to conform is a trait of that culture they are resisting, the leaning toward individuality.

As a rule, these minority groups see the dominant culture with anger, fear, and an overall negative view.

Afro-Caribbean immigrants may also experience the exploitation and discrimination of the minorities due to the degree of their skin color.  The “Color Code” compromises how they are accepted, as with the African American minority.  In his narrative, “Children Of The Sea”, Edwidge Danticat shows that even before they reach our shores, the immigrants are aware of the color code and are afraid they will never arrive in Miami.  He states,  "The faces around me are showing their first charcoal layer of sunburn.  'Now we will never be mistaken as Cubans,' one man said." (IA 101)  Even from their distant land, they know only to well, what affect the color code will have on their lives. The narrative hints of things to come, things that are still more desirable than living in the home country, “The other night I dreamt that I died and went to heaven.  This heaven was nothing like I expected. It was at the bottom of the sea.” (103)

In studying the narratives of multicultural artists, I have gained a more educated prospective on the thinking and reasoning of their historical background.  The progression of assimilation and acculturation mingled between the generations in a household is easier to recognize and understand, and, undeniably, quite interesting when happening before your very eyes.  Having learned the historical background of how the various groups evolve opens new doors of understanding the why’s and how’s of their behaviors.  Multicultural studies of this type should have a positive effect when presented to all levels of education, from the most basic level to college graduate.