The Immigrant Narrative –
A Piece of the American Literary Puzzle

Without recognizing the immigrant narrative as an integral piece of the American literary puzzle, the literature of the United States would certainly not imbue the true spirit of the American, his successes and failures as well as his personal and cultural identity.  America was built upon the concept of the immigrant as the early European settlers arrived in the New World in search of a life free of religious persecution.  Consequently, the presence and experiences of the immigrant, both positive and negative, have remained a constant in American literature. Furthermore, it is important to recognize the elements of the immigrant narrative in literature as it is a “fundamental story-line of American culture” (Obj. 1).  It is impossible for one single text to outline the entire story of the immigrant, but recurrent narrative or cultural themes such as “assimilation as ‘melting pot’” and the “model minority” pave a pathway that creates the structure of the immigrant narrative. In addition, it is imperative for the student of literature to investigate, compare, and contrast the workings of the immigrant narrative with those of the minority narrative.  In so doing, the vision of the American Dream of the immigrant can be contrasted with the oftentimes American Nightmare of the minority culture.

The immigrant’s voluntary movement toward the United States and subsequent assimilation takes place in stages (Obj. 2), and each of the five stages is invariably represented in the literature of the immigrant.  Moreover, the immigrant narrative often parallels the New World conversion narrative where the “born again” Christian leaves behind the old with a promise of the new.  Along with entry into a “new life,” the immigrant, in order to assimilate, must buy into the social contract of the dominant culture.  Although this contract has its rewards, often, the path contains numerous obstacles that take perseverance and determination to overcome.  For example, in Sui Sin Far’s “In the Land of the Free,” Hom Hing and his wife must hand their child over to immigration officials because the child has no documentation when they arrive in the United States.  The official explains, “I’m afraid that we cannot allow the boy to go ashore” (IA 4).  Giving up a child to government officials is certainly no small matter, especially for the young couple who willingly entered the country in hopes of a better life.  However, in this case, the dominant culture overpowers the words of Hom Hing as he naively exclaims, “There cannot be any law that would keep a child from its mother!”

(IA 6). Hom Hing and his wife’s dream quickly becomes the “American Nightmare”

(Obj. 3).

In fact, the concept of the American Nightmare appears all too often in the immigrant experience as the new settlers, anxious to establish themselves as members of American society, find more than they bargained for when reality sets in and real life begins.  It is not until Hom Hing and his wife relinquish their family heirlooms to the careless, scheming white lawyer that they finally retrieve their son. Alas, their experience with the American Nightmare does not end here as the reunion with Little One only brings more tears of sorrow when the child screams, “Go ‘way, go ‘way!” (IA 11).  Even though Little One’s family buys into the social contract of the dominant culture, their vision of the American Dream fades into the darkness of the nightmare.

Yet, not all immigrants share the experience of the American Nightmare. As the assimilation process begins, and the immigrant accepts the dominant culture’s social contract, the acquisition of language becomes a priority, and the acquisition of language is the key to the immigrant’s plans of upward mobility. In time, the native language fades, and with that, the previous cultural identity disappears as well. In Nicholasa Mohr’s “The English Lesson,” William exemplifies the true spirit of the American Dream when he explains, “I study Basic English porque…because my ambition is to learn to speak and read English very good.  To get a better job. Y – y tambien, to help my mother y familia…Y do better, that’s all” (IA 24). William’s belief that America is indeed the land of opportunity and advancement coincides with the promise of the New World to bring freedom and happiness to the early settlers. In contrast to William, Diego Torres subverts the American Dream by refusing assimilation and announcing to his classmates that “I no give up my country, Santo Domingo, for nothing…My reasons to be here is to make money, man, and go back home buy my house and property” (IA 25).  Diego, the “anti-immigrant,” although an annoyingly realistic character, is representative of the freedom of choice allowed by members of American society. Diego chooses not to follow the pathway of assimilation and acceptance into the dominant culture, and this actually brings him into a unique situation that combines both the minority and immigrant experience. Diego’s situation of being “caught between two worlds” is especially prevalent in western hemisphere immigration as the land-bridge connecting the Americas allows a movement between the two cultures that is not available for European or Asian immigrants.

Another important aspect of the immigrant narrative, family structure and individualism, is also identified in Mohr’s narrative. After several sessions in the class, Lali’s newfound knowledge and independence leads to self-discovery.  For her, “Tuesday meant leaving the world of Rudi, the luncheonette, that street, everything she felt imprisoned her.  She was accomplishing something all by herself, and without the help of the man she was dependent upon” (IA 31). Prior to her arrival in America, “she had grown up in the sheltered environment of a large family living in a tiny mountain village” (IA 29).  With assimilation comes independence and individuality.  Lali’s husband, still a product of the Old World, believes education is useless to Lali, but contrary to his traditional view of women, Lali discovers a possible future free from her imprisoning marriage – she is indeed a product of the assimilation process.

In contrast to the plight of the immigrant and his subsequent assimilation process, it is important to analyze the journey of the minority individual who involuntarily entered the United States through forced immigration. Although some similarities exist between the immigrant and minority narratives, the minority narrative deviates from the stages of the immigrant on several fronts. Unlike immigrants, who can be told to “play by the rules of the American Dream” (Obj. 3), the minorities often voice words such as exploitation, oppression, discrimination, and marginalization. This is evident in Alice Walker’s “Elethia” when the narrator states, “Black people could not eat at Uncle Albert’s, though they worked, of course, in the kitchen” (IA 307).  Furthermore, one old timer sums up the minority experience when he explains that “they would throw you in the river with a big old green log tied to you, and down to the bottom you sunk” (IA 309). “They,” the oppressive dominant culture, provide their social contract for the minorities, and should the minority choose not to follow, the alternative leaves much to be desired.

            No one can simply erase history and pretend that the minorities are immigrants and then point them toward the glowing path of the American Dream. For example, in the Native American culture, resistance to assimilation is coupled with the belief that one must assert his dignity and maintain identity as a separate people. Unfortunately, this belief often leads to a life of poverty and humiliation.  In Louise Erdrich’s “American Horse,” the dominant culture invades Lawrence’s home while they search for Buddy, his young nephew.  The social worker explains that she wants to “find that boy and salvage him” (IA 215).  Immediately, the reader asks, “From what?”  The dominant culture asserts its power of authority and basically steals Buddy American Horse from his own home in order to “Americanize” the poor child, washing away the tribal influence of his ancestors. Culture and tradition shape the identity as well as the community of the minority culture, and because the dominant culture destroys this infrastructure, minorities, such as Native and African Americans, may eventually lose their voice.

            Wedged in between the minority and immigrant experience is what many designate the “ambivalent minority” as this particular group shares elements from both the immigrant and minority story. Typically, Mexican Americans are seen as the “ambivalent minority” as their varied and colorful history relates a story of dominance and conquest as well as acquiescence and surrender.  There is some record of involuntary participation and exploitation of the Mexican American people as the United States did conquer and annex portions of Mexico just as it did with the land of the Native Americans, and this could justify categorizing them as “model minority ” (Obj 2).  Just as the immigrant and minority experience involves several specific elements, the “ambivalent minority” incorporates not only elements from the aforementioned groups but additional components as well.

Even though the Mexican American presence in the United States is quite large, generally, this group’s commitment to assimilation is limited.  The Mexican American often retains the native language, especially in the home, and unlike the immigrant, the retention of the extended family, gender inequality, and a lack of emphasis on education fulfills the minority status of the group.  In Nash Candelaria’s “El Patron,” Senor Martinez lives between the two cultural worlds.  He embraces the Old World when he dismisses his adult daughter into “the kitchen with the other women,” yet he frets about his son’s draft dodging (quite the American experience) saying that “the men in our family have never shirked their duty!” (IA 222, 223). Senor Martinez, although a long time resident of the United States, still holds onto his cultural identity as a Mexican American and at the same time acknowledges the dominant culture in his world. Additionally, not only does Senor Martinez live between the two cultures, but his daughter, Lola, does as well.  Admittedly angry, she does submissively retreat to the kitchen when her father barks the order.  However, she asserts her independence and individuality as an American woman by sabotaging their dinner with “that nothing white bread…instead of the tortillas Papa thrived on…[and] the funny little salad with chopped garbage in it” (IA 224).  Lola understands the rules and freedoms within the dominant culture, and by serving inedible “American” food to her husband and father, she embraces the immigrant experience and tosses the minority experience across the border from whence it came.

Lola understands and seems to accept the ambivalence of living between two cultural worlds, but the young girls in Cisneros’s “Barbie-Q” accept and embrace the ideals of the dominant culture over their own through their fantasy lives with Barbie dolls. Barbie, an American icon, symbolizes what is beautiful within the American culture. She also symbolizes independence and individuality to young girls who dream of having it

 all – career, family, education, beauty, and wealth.  The “tall, blonde, white woman” with impossible measurements symbolizes the American Dream of every young American girl including members of the immigrant and minority cultures. One Barbie has a “red swimsuit, stilettos, [and] pearl earrings” while another has a “black glitter strapless gown with a puffy skirt…like a mermaid tail, formal-length gloves, [and] pink chiffon scarf” (IA 252). The ultimate in stylishness, Barbie not only makes a fashion statement in the dominant culture, but she also permeates the dreams of the not so fortunate minority girls and brings them an ideal for which to strive. The young girls embrace the dominant cultur’es ideal, yet they must accept that their “Barbies smell like smoke…even after you wash and wash and wash them,” and “Barbie’s MOD’ern cousin Francie with real eye-lashes…has a left foot that’s melted a little” (IA 253).  The fact that the Barbie’s are somewhat charred and disfigured symbolizes not only the imperfections of the dominant culture but the idea that the minority will never quite achieve a status equal to that of the dominant culture. Therefore, the narrative demonstrates the tug-of-war that takes place within the Hispanic culture that consequently identifies them as the “ambivalent minority.” 

            The immigrant experience, full of variety and distinctiveness, cannot be realized within the boundaries of a single text.  However, the many immigrant narratives, coupled with those chronicling the minority experience, bring diversity to American literature that unfolds a long history imbued with the vibrant colors of life. Each narrative tells a unique story that may involve tales of hardship, struggle, disillusionment, and exploitation as well as accounts of exhilaration, promise, opportunity, and success. In short, the immigrant narrative represents a significant part of not only our nation’s history but of our nation’s future as well.