The New World: A Land of Opportunities or Nothing But Pure Torture, Struggles & Obstacles?

There are many immigrants who enter the United States with a main target and goal to seek and reach new opportunities, jobs, choices, education, wealth, and determined goals.  I am an immigrant from Vietnam.  I escaped a communistic country and came to the United States to seek better opportunities, a better education, and just have many of the my goals accomplished.  I could easily relate to so many of the fictional and non-fictional characters that experienced the opportunity to have a better life.  There were a number of stories that we have reviewed and mentioned, that portray this trait and quality of numerous amounts of narratives from different backgrounds.  Some of these narratives are about immigrants, the minority, the new-world immigrants, and then those of the dominant culture.  In the following essay, I will attempt to identify the four different groups given and relating them to the dominant American society, how these groups are similar, and how they differentiate from each other.

            Firstly, I will be describing the immigrant narratives that made their mark on American society and American literature.  There were a handful of narratives that support this idea, but I could only describe two that stood out the most to me.  These narratives I felt were interrelated with the title of my essay.  For example, in the narrative, “from America is in the Heart,” Carlos Bulosan, describes his experience of entering the United States as a new immigrant, chasing after a dream and a handful of different opportunities.  Bulosan goes on to describe many hardships of entering the United States without a secure plan, financially secure, and being able to afford living arrangements.  Bulosan describes one of these hardships when he says, “Everything seemed native and promising to me.  I had only twenty cents left, not even enough to take me to Chinatown” (p. 60).  This quote shows how new immigrants are determined to reach the United States and have nothing, but spoon fed aid towards them from the government, not knowing the whole time they are simply naïve.  Bulosan also goes on to describe more of his hardships of entering the United States as an immigrant, when he says, “It was the beginning of my life in America, the beginning of a long flight that carried me down the years, fighting desperately to find peace in some corner of life” (p. 62).  This quote shows how difficult it is to adjust to a new country.  Bulosan is describing how it is difficult to seek happiness, and that it is not just served to you on a platter.  He learned the hard way of seeking happiness, prosperity, although he never seeks this, and “peace.”  Bulosan, like many other immigrants, faced many struggles and obstacles to try and find a place in a new world.

            Another example of reflecting the story of new immigrants entering the new world is the story, “The English Lesson” by Nicholasa Mohr.  This story shows how an immigrant is able to reach the United States, and have the opportunity to know and learn the English language as a beneficial assistance.  For instance, Mohr describes a story of an immigrant that did not accept the opportunity that was given on a free platter, opposite of Bulosan story.  Mohr describes “Diego Torres, a young man from the Dominican Republic” (p. 25), who had no interest and intention in becoming an American citizen, any time soon.  Mohr goes on to describe Torres’ further neglecting the United States when she says,

‘I no give up my country, Santo Domingo, for nothing,’ he went on, ‘nothing in the world.  OK, man?  I come here, pero I cannot help.  I got no work at home.  There, is political.  The United States control most the industry which is sugar and tourismo. Y—you have to know somebody.  I tell you, is political to get a job, man!  You don’t know nobody and you no work, eh?  So I come here from necessity, pero this no my country --. (p. 25)

This quote shows how Torres had no interest in becoming a United States citizen and was determined to go back to his country, because he had a hundred fifty percent of pride in his country.  Mohr goes on to describe Torres’ extended explanation and verbal rampage when she says,

OK, I prefer live feeling happy in my country, man.  Even I don’t got too much.  I live simple but in my own country I be contento.  Pero this is no possible in the situation of Santo Domingo now.  Someday we gonna run our own country and be jobs for everybody.  My reasons to be here is to make money, man, and go back home to my house and property.  I no be American citizen, no way.  I’m Dominican and proud!  That’s all I got to say. (p. 25).

Once again Mohr goes on to re-emphasize the fact that Torres still does not want to be an American Citizen.  This is one of the characters in the story, which make the story standout and pop.  I do not think that the story would be the same without Diego Torres.  Mohr describes an immigrant narrative that involves an immigrant that has no interest of being an American citizen.

            Along with the immigrant narrative, there is the Minority narrative.  There are unlimited amounts of minority groups in the United States.  They have slowly made an impact on American society.  For instance, in “Gussuk” by Mei Mei Evans, she describes her experience of arriving in a new location and then viewed as a minority, because of her appearance.  When she arrives in Alaska, she immediately is seen in a different light and needs to defend herself the minute she touches “Alaskan” land.  Evans describes this experience when she says, ‘I’m Chinese-American.  My grandmother was Chinese’ (p. 238).  When reading that quote, a reader can tell from her voice the defense she needed to take, as if she were in a soccer game, trying to refract the ball as it is instantly coming at her at full speed and force.  Evan goes on to describe another experience when she says, “She’d been told that she’d probably experience ‘culture shock’ the first few weeks, but right now she was more concerned about being accepted.  She hoped that looking like a Native would work to her advantage” (p. 238).  She gives an example of hoping to fit in, because of the color of her skin, her ethnicity.  Evans is able to provide examples of the minority narrative in her story.

            Another example of a minority narrative that portrays a minority group being singled out is the story of Gary Soto’s, “Like Mexicans.”  In this story, Soto describes what it is like being of an unpopular minority.  For instance, Soto describes how sometimes discrimination can hurt, when he says, “When the girls raced for grounders, their hair bounced like something that couldn’t be caught.  When they sat together in the lunchroom, heads pressed together, I knew they were talking about us Mexican guys” (p. 303).  This quote makes it difficult for Soto to grasp or for any reader to grasp because it is hard when someone puts a label on you, and yet, it is twice as hard when you, yourself put a label on your own shirt.  Soto goes on to describe yet another example of discrimination when he says,

Later I began to worry.  Was it all a mistake?  ‘Marry a Mexican girl,’ I heard at breakfast.  I heard it over math problems, between Western Civilization and cultural geography.  But then one afternoon while I was hitchhiking home from school, it struck me like a baseball in the back: my mother wanted me to marry someone of my own social class – a poor girl. (p. 303)

This quote is an example of another double dosage of discrimination towards oneself.  Soto not only mentions a minority race, but he also mentions a social class on a structured ladder.  Soto is able to provide examples of the minority narrative in his story.

            There are also many examples of narratives that describe the New-World Immigrants.  There are also numerous amounts of immigrants that have traveled to the New World and have been acquainted and adjusted to the American society.  For instance, in the story, “Children of the Sea” by Edwidge Danticat describes the journey of an immigrant coming from Cuba to seek opportunities in new world.  Danticat is able to explain the first stages of attempting to escape the old world to journey to the new world.  For instance, Danticat describes his journey when he says, “I imagine too much. I am afraid I am going to start having nightmares once we get deep at sea” (p. 98).  This quote shows how he has set feelings of fear already on the start of the journey.  Danticat goes on to describe another event when he says, “Most of the other people on the boat are much older than I am.  I have heard that a lot of these boats have young children on board.  I think it would break my heart watching some little boy or girl every single day on this sea, looking into their empty faces to remind me of the hopelessness of the future in our country” (p. 99).  This quote gives the example of the different hardships that could occur on any journey, it is a little more touching when it comes to a blank face from a little child.  This is similar to a metaphor, it that the children faces would depict empty promises.  Danticat is able to give an example of a new world immigration narrative.

            Another example of a narrative that describes of a New-World immigrant is that of Martin Espada’s, “Coca-Cola and Coco Frio.”  In this new-world immigration narrative, Espada is able to give an example of a second generation immigrant born in the United States, to experience the culture shock of entering the old world for the first time.  For instance, Espada describes an example when he says; “On his first visit to Puerto Rico, island of family folklore, the fat boy wandered from table to table with his mouth open” (Lines 1-5).  This quote gives an example of an American coming into a new world and old world for the first time.  It is like the boy got to experience the best of both worlds.  It is a new world, because he is not used to the new things he sees around him, and the same applies for the experience of the old world.  Espada gives another example of an old world culture shock when he describes, “The boy tilted the green shell overhead and drooled coconut milk down his chin; suddenly, Puerto Rico was not Coca-Cola or Brooklyn, and neither was he” (Lines 18-21).  This quote gives an example of the boy slowly assimilating to the new culture he has just experienced, and at this moment he is confused, and has lost his identity for a split second.  Espada is able to give an example of a New World immigrant narrative.

            All of the narratives: Immigrant, Minority, and New-World immigrants all have about the same amount of a common trait.  They share the main goal of being assimilated towards the Dominant Culture.  Some may take a while to, but others have already considered themselves apart of America.  All of these fictional and non-fictional characters have gone through many stages of leaving their old world, traveling to the new world, experiencing a culture shock, and then slowly reaching their goal of assimilating towards the dominant culture.

[Lanh]