Ashley Strange

Part 1: Final Essay

The question I chose to build my thesis around: “How helpful is the "national migration" variation on the immigrant narrative (Objective 4) in identifying the dominant culture and measuring its relations to immigrant and minority cultures? Specifically, what models of relationships do the Exodus story and Of Plymouth Plantation provide for the dominant culture relative to the land to which it migrates? What about the people who already inhabit that land? Compare and contrast to the usual immigrant pattern of assimilation and intermarriage.”

National Migration led to Today’s Dominant Culture in America

            When looking at the standard immigrant story in literature, one usually sees a story of an individual or family seeking to leave the Old World and come to the New World to find the “American Dream.” (Objective 1)  In such a story, partial or full assimilation into the New World’s dominant culture is almost always seen.  What kind of story would be told if a people group were to travel to a place and start a new “Dominant Culture?”  One can assume it would be quite different from the typical immigrant narrative.  Throughout literature and our nation’s history, there has been a sort of immigration referred to as “National Migration.”  Instead of individuals or families immigrating with the ideas or expectations of assimilation, this variation of the immigrant narrative tells a story of groups of people immigrating as communities with the intention of NOT assimilating, but creating their dominant culture to exist in the New World.  By looking at the various ways a region’s dominant culture can change through national migration, how national migration helps the group to keep from assimilating and intermarrying, and the dominant culture that has been created as a result of this type of migration in our own nation, it can be seen that the national migration variation on immigrant literature helps to identify this idea of the dominant culture and its relations to the standard immigrant story and minority culture.

            A region’s dominant culture is never permanent.  When national migration occurs, a region’s dominant culture can be completely changed by the people group immigrating to that area.  In the Bible’s Exodus story, the ancient Jews migrate from Egypt to Canaan.  This is one literary example of national migration.  When the Jews reach Canaan, the land is already inhabited by the Canaanites, but the Jews are told by God not to take on the Canaanites’ ways.   Therefore, the land of Canaan had a change in dominant culture when the Jews arrived.  An American historical model of national migration is that of the English Pilgrims and Puritans coming to early North America.  Here, there were already the Native Americans, but according the early English immigrants, the “Indians” were “savage and brutish men… little otherwise than the wild beasts…”, so they were also able to change the area’s dominant culture.  In order for an immigrant group to come in and impose their culture, it is not necessary to outnumber the existing group, but rather it is necessary to hold more power.  This is a key factor to the dominant culture, both of the migrating communities and of America today.  In the Exodus story, it was God that was leading the Jews, and there could be no higher power in the literary example than that of God’s hand being with them.  The same idea applied to the early immigrants to North America.  They also had more education and were more “civilized” than the Native Americans.  As a result, the native culture in both examples becomes the minority, and the “immigrant” culture becomes the dominant culture.

            In the standard immigrant story, an immigrant’s life is easier in the New World if he assimilates to the existing dominant culture.  When national migration occurs, the immigrants do not need to change their culture.  They can thrive and become successful in a new land while keeping their existing way of life.  When the Pilgrims first fled from England to Holland, the idea of assimilation into the Dutch culture meant corruption to their religious purity.  Once they saw that their culture was being threatened by the existing dominant culture (the original community was separating and their children were straying from their teachings), they decided to migrate to America, where assimilation to Native American culture was not possible.  In the Exodus story, the reason the Jews were able to escape the bondage of the Egyptians and make it to the land of Canaan, or the land of milk and honey (many modern immigrant stories refer to America in this way), was through the hand of God.  He spoke in regards to the Canaanites by saying, “thou shalt make no covenant with them […] neither shalt thou make marriages with them”; therefore, assimilation and intermarriage were not possible for the Jews.  Many immigrant stories have the notion that intermarriage outside their culture would be endangering to their values, and it would taint their culture.  In Bread Givers this can be seen by the Father still having the say so of who his daughters will marry.  The father questions Bessie’s first suitor upon the same grounds that he was questioned in the Old World to marry his wife.  He does not understand that in America marriage is different, and he refuses to accept this idea.  To him, marriage to someone who can study the Holy Torah and keep their culture is what is needed for his daughters.

            Lastly, it can be said that this variation of the immigrant story has helped to develop America’s dominant culture today.  (Objective 4) When the Pilgrims came to America, instead of assimilating to the native culture, they started a new nation and formed a new culture.  It is difficult to explain just what the dominant culture is today for many reasons.  The Pilgrims were very simple in their style, and that still exists today.  The dominant culture of America is not flashy or outspoken.  It is hidden behind gated communities and office doors.  Also, when one thinks of dominant culture, things like “white” or middle-class” come to mind.  In a nation of “equality”, a class system is looked down upon, but in reality it exists, and the dominant culture is characterized by those people who look and act a lot like the early immigrants who started this country so long ago.  Also, dominant American culture values things like security and cleanliness, family and mobility.  A huge value of the dominant culture is Individualism.  Mainstream America likes to do all they can, and achieve their dreams.  Unlike the minority culture of America, this is possible for those in the dominant culture.  In “After the Funeral of Assam Hamady”, the main character shows this when he speaks of his father and his father’s friend praying:

            My Father and Sine Hussin follow

            Obedient

            I’m sitting behind the wheel

            Watching, my motor still running

The Old World characters take time to perform their native culture’s tradition of prayer, while the American born 2^nd generation son sits.  This image of his motor still running shows the idea that mainstream America is individualistic and always on the move to achieve bigger and better things.

            Whether it is the ancient Jews, the early Pilgrims and Puritans, the Smolinsky family, or Hamod, all immigrant stories have similarities and differences.  This is partly the reason behind the difficulty to pin down an exact definition of the dominant culture.  The national migration variation of immigrant literature has helped to identify our nation’s dominant culture.  There will always be exceptions when it comes to dealing with people and their stories, but the fact remains, immigrant or not, the characters in every literary example are people, and one can learn about himself and our nation’s culture by reading these stories!