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Sample Student final exam answers 2016
(2018 final exam assignment) Part 1: Essays: add dominant culture |
LITR 4340
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Clark
Omo
1 May
2018
Tracing Reactions: Immigrant and Minority Feelings Toward American
Culture
American culture often poses a challenge to both immigrants and minorities in
their efforts to assimilate. Materialism, shifts in gender roles, familial
dynamics, economic practices, to name a few, are just some of the many factors
that create barriers which impede and discourage full assimilation for both the
immigrant and the minority. With this stated, the extent to which an immigrant
will assimilate to America’s dominant culture can vary, and this extent differs
from that of the minority as well. As seen in the literature so far studied
during this semester, immigrants usually strive to assimilate, though they come
face to face with the challenges they entail, while minorities often realize
these issues and try not to assimilate. The extents and degrees to which both
groups will assimilate to American culture varies greatly, but, ultimately, they
contain as many similarities as they do contrasts. Both groups encounter
barriers to assimilation involving every aspect, from cleanliness to dress, and
yet in course of adapting to the dominant culture, they reveal the difference
and similarity in their struggles. The immigrant narrative, in tandem with the
minority narrative as well, establishes a story of alienation reflected by the
dominant culture’s dependence on cleanliness, overwhelming materialism,
religious practices, and insolent wealth that reveals conflict between desires
to assimilate and maintain one’s own cultural identity.
For
the immigrant, assimilation to the dominant culture is often hindered by
alienation and indifference, emblemized by a culture that emphasizes so much
cleanliness that humanity itself seems to be erased. Such is the case of Anzia
Yezierska in her short story, “Soap and Water”. Yezierska herself is a
Jewish-American author, and the Jew’s immigration to the United States was first
met with animosity akin to other immigrant groups, such as the Irish. But, as
this story demonstrates, the Jewish Immigrant, although initially facing
adversity, comes to accept the Dominant Culture and, with it, America’s
prosperity. In this story, the protagonist, a migrant from Eastern Europe (who
were not always equated with the same degree of ‘whiteness’ as the Dominant
culture) encounters resistance to her obtaining of a career in education since
she doesn’t dress or clean herself well, and thus does not successfully erase
her marks to join the society. The narrator recounts that the teacher, Miss
Whiteside, “could not recommend me as a teacher because of
my personal appearance”.
Her physical appearance is enough to deter any possibility of her
assimilating, since she has not successfully wiped herself clean to fit the
standards of the Dominant Culture. The protagonist then relates exactly what her
perceived flaws are: “She pointed out that my collar did not set evenly; my belt
was awry, and there was a lack of freshness in my dress.”
The narrator fails to meet the standards of cleanliness, and thus fails
to assimilate to the dominant culture in Miss Whiteside’s eyes.
What is more, Miss Whiteside states that this chance to full assimilate is open
to all: ‘Soap and water are cheap. Anyone can be clean.’” By saying that “Anyone
can be clean”, Whiteside admits that cleanliness is ubiquitous, and therefore
everyone can do it, which means that
everyone should do it. In Whiteside’s eyes, the Dominant culture should be
allowed to cleanse all trace of filth away, thus eliminating anything that does
not hold up to the standard. But Yezierska does not allow Whiteside to go
unchallenged, stating: “I felt the suppressed wrath of all the unwashed of the
earth break loose within me…I saw clean, immaculate, spotless Miss Whiteside
shrivel and tremble and cower before me.” Yezierska lets Whiteside, the
representative example of the dominant culture, know that forcing these overly
clean standards upon the narrator will not succeed. She works hard to maintain
what status she has, and ignores the superficial demands of Miss Whiteside.
In fact, the narrator realizes this treatment is merely a guise for another
motive, saying that Whiteside is “merely one of the agents of clean society,
delegated to judge who is fit and who is unfit to teach. Such is an
example of the immigrant’s resistance to the demands and dictates of the
dominant culture. The dominant culture is, in Yezierska’s case, blind to the
protagonist’s attempt to assimilate. But even with this being true of Miss
Whiteside, Yezierska’s finds acceptance and encouragement in Miss Van Ness, who
is kind and understanding to the toiling immigrant. This kindness affects her so
that she exclaims with joy “I went out from Miss Van Ness’s office, singing a
song of new life: ‘America! I found America.’” Yezierska does not lose hope, and
thus she does find a mentor who accepts her for who she is and gives her the
encouragement she needs. Thus, Yezierska continues her plans of being a teacher,
and thus assimilates further to the dominant culture.
In
tandem with this demand of cleanliness to override behavior, comes the
alienation resultant of immense wealth and education as can be found in the
Minority narrative. Such can be seen in the African American author Toni Cade
Bambara’s story, “The Lesson”, where the characters strain to see the importance
of education under the eyes of Miss Moore. This story reflects the uncertainty
and antagonism the African-American Minority holds toward the Dominant culture
since the time of their enslavement in the 19th century. This past
violation of enslavement breeds animosity toward the wealth held by the dominant
culture but rendered inaccessible to everyone else, as it represents an
extension of that oppression. Such is the case in this story by Bambara, which
displays these frustrated attitudes toward both education and wealth. As such,
the protagonist identifies the anger toward education via the description of
Miss Moore as separate from and somewhat bizarre due to her different
appearance: “She’d been to college and said it was only right that she should
take responsibility for the young ones’ education” (IA,
145). Moore takes it upon herself to better the younger ones of the
community, which already makes her appear strange. As a result, Moore encounters
resistance from the children: “So this one day…she’s [Miss Moore] knockin’
herself out about arithmetic. And school suppose to let up in summer I heard,
but she don’t never let up” (146). Why the resistance? Education stems from the
institutions of the more successful in society, and thus is alienating to the
children who are of lower economic status. The estrangement they feel is akin to
Yezierska’s, as, like her, they feel like the society that towers above them is
unreachable. Miss Moore continues to emblemize that strangeness, as can be seen
in the following description: “this lady moved on our block nappy hair and
proper speech and no makeup. And quite naturally we laughed at her, laughed the
way we did at the junk man who went about his business like he was some big-time
president” (145). They laugh at the self-important air that Miss Moore carries
about her, undoubtedly a result from her college education.
The
children therefore perceive education as nothing more than as nourishment for
the ego. But Miss Moore still encourages insight. She brings them to the toy
store later in the story, where she shows them the overly priced toys (145-146).
Once the children see evidence of the income gap, Sugar, one the characters,
states: “You know, Miss Moore, I don’t think all of us here put together eat in
a year what that sailboat costs” (151). This wealth is as otherworldly as it is
excessive. Something so small costs so much that it seems foreign to comprehend
that it could even be worth that much. The minority in this story realizes the
level that they occupy on the social ladder, and it leaves them feeling as
though they have been cut out of their share in the deal, so to speak.
A
similar case of intolerance is found in Dr. Ihedigbo’s story, where she recounts
the criticism her family received for both their hygiene and their wardrobe
choices, which create similar feelings of alienation as did the cleanly
standards imposed on Yezierska. Counter to the African-American Minority, the
Ihedigbo family were willing migrants from Africa, opposed to the forced
migration of the African-Americans centuries before. Ihedigbo states that her
family “did not wear the flashy name-brand clothing that the class boundaries of
cool, popular, and unpopular within the trend, upscale Massachusetts schools
they attended” (IV, 163). This choice
in style elicits a negative reaction (albeit poorly written) from another
classmate. “My friends don’t like your kind! Becaus (sic) you don’t have any
nice clowhs (sic)” (165). The Ihedigbo family resisted this aspect of
assimilation and did not adapt their style to appease the dominant culture.
Perhaps, as the quote indicates by labelling such styles as “flashy”, they felt
this sort of clothing choice as gaudy and garish: evidence of superficiality
rather than compliance to a standard. This conflict arises again in their
hygiene as well. Onyii, the daughter of the family, recalls “When I was seven or
eight years old, kids used to whisper and say that I and my brothers smelled…the
kids would say, ‘You don’t wear deodorant!’” (167). Like Yezierska, cleanliness
again takes the stage as a symbol of resistance to the dominant culture. The
Ihedigbo family initially resists the demands of the dominant culture to improve
their hygiene and change their style of dress, for they feel it would mean
erasing their identity.
But,
for the Ihedigbo’s, this barrier is easily passable. Ihedigbo states that after
being “enlightened on the impact that she and her brothers’ malodorous state was
having on their social standing…this made some—though not all of the
children—want to wear deoderant” (167). Evidently, there is a clear desire
amongst the Ihedigbo’s to assimilate, at least in this regard. Ihedigbo’s
acknowledges a possible resistance, saying that the “request to wear deodorant
could easily be mistaken as one’s desire to be less Nigerian and more American”
(167). However, as Ihedigbo discovers, the answer comes much more peacefully
than at first thought, as she simply asks her father, and he gives her
absentminded permission (193). The Ihedigbo’s then take small steps to
assimilate, not necessarily to leave behind their own culture, but assimilate
just enough so they can prevent discomfort to those around them. They are
willing to clean themselves with shampoo (168) and apply deoderant: both small
steps themselves to assimilation. Thus, like Yezierska, meeting another
culture’s standards for cleanliness, as well as style, are just more examples of
the demands that must be met in order to assimilate. The Ihedigbo family
therefore adapts to the demands of the dominant culture and meets the standard
of cleanliness and style.
This
pattern of alienation and but adaptation appears again in the minority
narrative, particularly in the stories of the American Indian, where religious
practices run parallel to partial assimilation. This corresponds with the
American Indian’s history in encountering the Dominant culture. Though they
submitted, begrudgingly or otherwise, to the Dominant culture’s demands in the
past, they nonetheless demanded to maintain their own distinct traditions in
keeping with their heritage. As seen in “The Man to Send Rain Clouds” by Leslie
Marmon Silko, assimilation is not a process that the Native American wishes to
undergo completely, but instead reflects their history of surrendering the
demands of the Dominant culture only to a point. This becomes especially true
during Grandfather’s funeral. On par with the Indian’s beliefs in regards to the
afterlife, Leon, one of the characters, wants Grandfather to have enough water
to make the spectral journey. So, he decides to go to the local priest for holy
water (IA, 207). Leon, however, does
not inform the priest of the grandfather’s burial in time to administer last
rites, which, as the priest says, is necessary for a Christian burial (207).
Leon’s response is: “It’s OK, Father, we just want him to have plenty of water”
(208). The priest resolves to sprinkle the holy water anyway: “He sprinkled the
grave and the water disappeared almost before it touched the dim, cold sand”
(208). This episode represents the Native American’s resolute stance toward
assimilation. As this story illustrates, Native Americans are willing to work
with the traditions of the dominant culture, but only so far as that the
traditions work in tandem with their own. The Indians still maintain their
identity and have not become Christianized in even the remotest of respects.
Returning once again to the immigrant narrative, in conjunction with the
sensation of alienating consumerism in Bambara’s story, Le Ly Hayslip has such
an experience as her husband shop for food in the excerpt from her book,
Child of War, Woman of Peace. Hayslip
comments upon entering the local supermarket “American markets don’t smell like
markets at all. Everything is canned, packaged, wrapped in cellophane, and
hidden in boxes…” (IV, 108). The
world of American consumerism is a world of packaging and preservation, and,
therefore, possesses a sort of unnatural and inorganic quality. Hayslip remarks
upon this further, saying “you get a pretty picture of what the seller wants you
to think the product looks like” (108). This vast array of choices, along with
the commercialization embedded in the bright and colorful labels, are alienating
to an immigrant. “Oh, there are too many choices!” cries Hayslip as she looks
around the store (108). The plethora of varieties overwhelms Hayslip, and she is
left unable to decide, and thus feels unanchored and afloat in the sea of
American materialism. She thus is alienated like Yezierska and the children in
Bambara’s story, as she stands alone in a world of excessive production that
leaves her feeling overwhelmed. This reaction highlights another the issue of
adapting to a culture that is awash in choices and gaudy, attractive labelling,
as opposed to a culture where the poverty line was much, much lower. Hayslip
herself had escaped from her war-torn homeland of Vietnam, and her living
conditions were abysmal by American standards. And then for her to suddenly live
in a country that not only has plenty, but also
more than more than enough, can
result in isolation as well as painful unfamiliarity. As Hayslip remarks “If
Vietnam were a delicate teacup, America—with its craggy peaks and endless, dust
plains—was a gigantic banquet platter” (117). However, Hayslip does also say
within this same sentence that America is “inviting hungry immigrants from all
over the world to come and sup, to indulge their appetite for a better life”.
Despite the ominousness of its massive consumerist surplus, Hayslip manages to
find the light in the resources offered by America. As she says in this
sentence, America’s great and seemingly limitless abundance offers hope to all
immigrants who are willing to find a better life. Hayslip has thus adapted to
the Dominant culture by accepting the offer of abundance.
In
addition, turning back to the Minority narrative, there is also the story of the
“Model Minority”, which, for today, means the Asian Americans. Asian Americans,
whose traditional culture places great importance on hard work and achievement,
maintains this standard as they immigrate to America. This work ethic thus
becomes emblematic of the struggles that members of the “Model Minority” endure
to achieve equality and success within the Dominant culture. Such is the case of
Thien in Moon’s “What Color Would You Like, Ma’am?”, in which Thien strives to
become a medical doctor while also working at his family’s nail salon. This work
and study schedule leaves Thien exhausted; he longs for a summer where he can
enjoy his pastimes: “he figured this summer he would play basketball and Play
Station games for months while he had the chance”. Video games, which are
commodities in and of themselves, become representative of conformity to the
Dominant culture (since much of the population enjoys the entertainment they
offer). Thien wants to relax by playing them, just like the rest of his friends,
rather than try to conform to the demands of his tradition bound relatives. But
then his mother calls, informing him that Tanya, one of the workers at the
salon, cannot make it in to work that day. Thien’s family relies heavily on the
salon’s income: “[e]very penny his parents made meant so much to them”. As a
result, Thien feels guilty for not helping at the salon more than what he
already does. Essentially, he backtracks to the demands of his family, rather
than give in to the relaxing pleasures of his peers. This pressure, resultant
and causative of the Asian American’s desire to partake in the heights of the
American Dream, makes “Model Minority” children such as Thien feel stressed and
overworked. Though there is a note of recognition in this story of the fact that
the American Dream does offer attainable prosperity, it is nonetheless a
prosperity that involves hard work.
The
immigrant and minority narratives certainly coincide with similar aspects. For
the immigrant, the demands and standards of the dominant culture create an
alienating and unattractive reality, whether these demands take form in
indifference to effort, scrutinizing of both hygiene and apparel, or
overwhelming consumerism, in the case of the immigrant. But for the immigrant,
there also exists a promise of conformity and eventual acceptance. But for the
minority, American culture’s emphasis on wealth, work, and tradition can cause
disenchantment, as well resistance, to the American Dream. Both narratives
reveal the pitfalls and flaws of American Culture. American culture can cause
unhealthy pressure as well as an absence of belonging, especially in the case of
Hayslip. But even then, there still lies hope beyond the ugly and scary visage.
And with these flaws acknowledged and pinpointed, perhaps the issues can be
routed out and remedied, allowing the immigrants and minorities a greater and
more accessible chance to share in the American Dream and achieve the status
they wish.
The
New World Experience
The
concurrences between New World Immigrant experiences and those of Minorities and
Old Immigrants elucidate a blend between the latter two groups. The majority of
Old World Immigrants fled from their homelands for a myriad of reasons,
involving political turmoil that resulted in persecution and expulsion,
financial crisis that could be alleviated by America’s promises of economic
stability, as well as just better living conditions. For the New World
Immigrant, these promises still ring with resounding hope. In the case of the
stories of Edwidge Danticat, the characters flee from their homeland to avoid a
political crackdown, similar to Le Ly Hayslip’s reasons for leaving her homeland
of Vietnam while it is engulfed in the Vietnam War. On the other end of this
experiential spectrum are the more negative aspects of the New Immigrant
experiences that in many ways mirror those of the American Minorites. They
experience conflict, both external and internal, alienation, and isolation as
they try to assimilate, such as in the story “Visitors” by Oscar Hijuelos about
Cuban immigrants who are caught between the status of Immigrant and refugee.
This status as a cross between Minority and Immigrant creates a unique identity
for the New World Immigrant that contains characteristics of both groups, which
comes to fruition in the conflicts raised within the family structure and the
ever growing distance between home and family.
Familial dynamics symbolize the distance between assimilation and traditional
values, such as in Mexican Immigrant experiences conflict between the demand
traditional and modern gender roles, redolent of the conflicts that Minorities
face. For instance, in Nash Candelaria’s story, “El Patrón”, the Mexican
Immigrant family comes under threat by the American college system. The story
begins with an outline of the hierarchy of authority, in descending order: Dios,
El Papá, y el patrón (IA, 221). It is
father, then the Pope, and the God. Such is the familial dynamic in this Mexican
American tale. But this family’s existence in America soon starts to challenge
this dynamic, and so reflects the gap between assimilation and maintaining
valued traditions. As the tale progresses, the audience learns that the father,
Senór Martinéz, is worrying about his son, Tito, who has attempted to dodge the
draft (222). This severely grieves Senór Martinéz, whose father fought with
Pancho Villa, and then himself fought the Japanese with the US Marines in the
Pacific (223). There is an established cycle here, a tradition of men always
going to war to fight for their country. Tito has broken this tradition, and so
has sundered his loyalty to the patriarchal ideal instilled in his father from
their Mexican traditions.
For a
Mexican man, fighting for one’s country is a requirement as much as it is a
privilege. It is what men are supposed to do, especially in his culture. But
Tito breaks this tradition, thus revealing the conflict between the traditional
roles of a man in Mexican family, as opposed to the new freedoms granted by the
American culture. This decision reflects the similarities between New World
Immigrants and that of minorities, for there is a clear resistance to
assimilating to the dominant culture’s wants in Senór Martinéz’s mind. His son
though is more willing to submit to his dominant culture’s new ideas, rather
than submit to the demands of el patrón, el Papá, and Dios, Tito submits to his
conscience (228), rather than be one of the many young men that “died in order
to preserve old men’s comforts” (227). Tito wants to make his own choices based
off what he thinks is right, as opposed to what the government demands he do,
reinforcing the conflict between tradition and the what the New World offers.
The distance then between assimilation and adherence to traditional values then
emerges. Senór Martinéz wants his son to follow the old ways, and so has not
cast off the traditions of his homeland. But Tito refuses to submit to the
traditions of the past generation, and so increases that distance between the
generational assimilation. But both father and son decide to have a conversation
at the end of the story, thus reaffirming the hope that the distance can be
crossed.
In a
similar sort of conflict does the story of Reyna Grande in “The Distance Between
Us” appear. Grande’s experiences mimic both Old World Immigrant and Minority
trials as she and her family try to enter America, and, by the name of her story
alone, highlights the great disparity between assimilation and tradition. In the
story, her father migrates illegally to America to find a job, due to Mexico’s
declining job market as well as economic upheaval. So, her father leaves to
America to try and make a better future for his family (IV2,
83). Like the Old World Immigrants, Reyna’s father simply wanted a better future
for his family, so he gets a job in the US where there is greater promise of
economic stability as well as job stability. But the experiences precluding the
journey already highlight some of the difficulties that this immensely impacting
change will bring about. For instance, the children have to adjust to their new
mother, Mila, the woman that Reyna’s father had married while living in America.
Reyna says that she “looked at the woman who had broken up my family” (87).
Reyna immediately recognizes this new woman, who has come to symbolize the
breakup of traditions that face her family. Abuela Evila, Reyna’s grandmother,
complains that “not once had Mila offered to help with the cooking or to wash
the dishes” since she had been there (93). Mila’s response is such: “It’s
different for women in the US. Over there women aren’t treated like servants”
(93). Mila comes to symbolize the opposition to traditional values. And so, the
Mexican Immigrant, though desiring the economic wellbeing of the United States,
sees an underlying threat in the greater lack of restraint that the American
culture offers. Minorities would concur with this idea, for as they must also
face culture clash, so do the New World Immigrants.
Hispanic Americans traditionally come from other Hispanic nations within the
Caribbean, such as Cuba or Puerto Rico. Often these nations have had experiences
with the US before, some of which have left less than a positive impression,
whether in the form of military invasion or economic and trade-based takeover.
In the case of Junot Diaz, this past history still reverberates within his
mother’s memory, and thus his family’s past experiences substantiate the
barriers to assimilation. The narrator, while presenting his foolproof method
for getting girls, relates a story when one his neighbors stored teargas in his
basement for years (IA, 277). One
day, the canisters cracked and the “whole neighborhood got a dose of the
military-strength stuff” (277). Then narrator says specifically as well as
imploringly: “Don’t tell her that your moms knew right away what it was, that
she recognized its smell from the year the United States invaded your island”
(277). So there is evidence of a negative past experience with the US, so much
so that it has left a lasting impression upon the memory of the narrator’s
mother. The gas then becomes a symbol of what was left behind when the
narrator’s family immigrated. It signifies the strife and conflict that the
narrator wishes to bury in the past, with that of any association to his home.
In here lies a transition to the Minority narrative once again in an
antithetical sense. The Minority to a degree resists the pull of the dominant
culture to assimilate, and in the narrator’s case, that pull is bringing him
under, as he wishes to sweep the memories away so that he can blend in and get
himself a girl, preferably a white girl (277). Within this context the
color-code, a staple of the Minority narrative appears, for the white girl (the
fairest of the choices) is given a higher value over the darker skin-toned
girls, such as the blackgirls and “halfies” (277). The desire to obtain the
white girl then becomes this desire to achieve a social identity. The narrator
wishes to be one with the dominant culture, rather than be ostracized from it.
But the distance between tradition and assimilation emerges once more, as the
narrator strives to become a member of the Dominant culture, bringing farther
and farther away from his home and past.
This
is similar to the experiences of the Cuban Immigrant as well, since they also
undergo a desire to assimilate, as well as a need to maintain their own
heritage. The Cuban Immigrant’s own history does not help the matter. Many Cuban
immigrants came to the US not as Immigrants but as refugees, fleeing the
despotic and cruel rule of Fidel Castro in the 1960s. As refugees, they expected
the regime of Castro to fall quite rapidly, but instead it lasted for decades.
Castro’s regime barred such refugees from returning home to Cuba, stranding them
in the US. Some immigrants, such as Pedro in Oscar Hijuelos’s “Visitiors, 1965”,
America gives prosperity and advancement that had never been experienced in
Cuba. He writes his cousin, Hector, regarding his recently acquired luxuries,
such as a newly bought car, a color TV (IA,
324), that would eventually lead to a bigger house (324). Clearly, for some
Cuban Immigrants, America’s fecundity is something to be enjoyed. Like the Old
World Immigrants before them, the New World Immigrants see the attraction in
America’s material wealth. But for Hector, America’s overpowering abundance
poses more of a threat than it does a relief. Hector expresses earlier in the
story that he feels “sick at heart” for becoming so Americanized, “which he
equated with being fearful and lonely” (317). To Hector, American prosperity
only brings isolation and fear. This is very much a fear expressed in Minority
circles, for to them as much as Hector, America’s traditions and values at times
stand in opposition to their own. Rather than promote unity and loyalty to
tradition, America’s standards ask immigrants and minorities to abandon them in
place for the new. Hector feels shame for allowing American culture to have
gained such a hold on him. For him, Cuba symbolizes peace and family. He longs
for it, the land with “so many pleasant fragrances” and where rooms are filled
with “beams of sunlight” (317). Hector misses his home and the familiarity, as
well as peace, that it promises, which places him in a sort of minoritized
status, as opposed to being willing to assimilate like Pedro.
Revisiting the New World Immigrant Narrative’s relationship to the Old World
Immigrant’s is the story by Edwidge Danticat, “Children of the Sea”. The
immigrants in this story are much like the Cubans in their reasons for leaving
behind their homeland of Haiti. Haiti in this story was well being subjected to
the harsh treatment of a dictatorship, which had prompted many of its
inhabitants to flee the island to the US in hope of finding security and refuge.
But the journey to the America is marred by hardship and tragedy. The story’s
dual narrative examines the growing distance between the narrator and his home,
with the distance itself becoming a symbol of the obstacles the narrator faces
in both maintaining a tie to his homeland and the pull of American promise. The
story begins by describing the immense distance that must be crossed in order
for the escaping refugees to find safety: “They say behind the mountains are
more mountains. Now I know it’s true” (IA,
98). The mountains become symbols of insurmountable challenge, barring the way
to America’s offers of prosperity. Other obstacles arise as well: “timeless
waters, endless seas, and lots of people in this world whose names don’t matter
to anyone but themselves” (98). The “timeless waters” represent stagnation and
stillness, which represents the inability to find where home is for the
narrator. The lack of true identity evident in those whose “names don’t matter
to anyone but themselves” reveals the lack of loyalty to either home or America.
They have nowhere to anchor their beings. Throughout the rest of the story, the
refugees are constantly wondering when they might see the Coast Guard before
their boat sinks (102). What seems to hold them in place are the “timeless
waters”, for without time, nothing can move forward. The ship remains where it
is. The “endless seas” contribute to this feeling of immobility as well, for the
sea continually stretches on without end, and, with every foot the ship manages
to progress, the distance between the refugee and the woman he left behind
steadily increases. The sea then becomes representative of the ever-growing
distance between the refugee and his home. He is trapped in this endless sea,
striving to find hope, but, in the end is consumed by the watery depths (112).
This where the narratives of Old and New World Immigrants diverge. Old World
Immigrants see hope when they come to America, in many cases, while the
conditions that give birth to New World Immigrants desire to come to America
only create distance.
The
experiences and stories of the New World Immigrant bear markedly distinct
similarities to both Old World Immigrants and Minorities. Like the Old World
Immigrants, the New World Immigrants escape to America to find prosperity and
peace, such as Reyna’s father in “The Distance Between Us”, Senór Martinéz in
“El Patrón”, and the male narrator in Edwidge Danticat’s “Children of the Sea”.
However, in the course of doing so, New World Immigrants experience isolation,
alienation, and conflict and try to conform to the cultural norms of America,
such as in Junot Diaz’s “How to Date a Browngirl” and Oscar Hijuelos’s
“Visitors, 1965”. The New World Immigrant sees the fruitfulness that America
offers in terms of economic wellbeing and freedom for thought and expression.
But often, the new values that the American society stresses are antithetical to
those of the immigrating group. Such as in the case of Reyna Grande’s
experience, women are granted more freedom in America, as opposed to having to
conform to traditional gender roles. The New World Immigrant, therefore, is
forced to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of migrating to the US. While
the US can give them security and safety, the journey to America, and all the
obstacles such a journey entails (physical, mental, social, etc.) truly does
become a seemingly endless sea that stands as immense crevice between
assimilation and tradition.
Dominance in Perspective: The Internal Ruptures of the Community
The
Dominant Culture falls victim to its own set of internal misgivings. While it
may not encounter the same degree of alienation, isolation, and discrimination
as some of the immigrant groups do that try to enter the United States, the
Dominant Culture nonetheless experiences its own catalogue of detriments. The
Dominant Culture, though they set the precedent for the immigrant narrative,
even in its initial phases encountered contradiction in its ideals for the
pristine community. For the Dominant culture, the definition of the community,
as well as its function within the greater architecture of society, has
substantially shifted and warped since the founding of the United States itself.
Originally, the community functioned as a sort of self-sufficient haven that
depended upon each citizen doing their share of the work in order to better
their circumstances, as well as simply survive. In this respect, the community
emblemized the body of Christ in a way; a community that functioned as a single
organism, not devoid of individuality, but staked upon the mutual assistance and
friendship. However, as the decades became centuries, this definition shifted to
where the Dominant Culture is now faced with certain ethnic groups within its
own cultural umbrella, such as those described in J.D. Vance’s
Hillbilly Elegy, falling behind in
economic development. The community then becomes a sort of symbol of how the
Dominant culture has changed and symbolic of its own ruptured function.
The
point of origin for the importance of the community seems to be the beginning
days of the American colonies, where the foundations of the self-sufficient
community were first set. During this period, in order to survive, the English
Colonists of the Mayflower were faced with deciding how they would administer a
community that could provide for itself. What is found is not a traditional
understanding of the capitalist system as it is known today. Rather, as can be
seen in the words of William Bradford, the Pilgrims chose a more socially mutual
form of economy, stating: “At length, after much debate of things, the Governor
(with the advice of the chiefest amongst them) gave way
that they should set corn every man for
his own particular and in that regard trust to themselves; in all other things
to go on in the general way as before” (Chapter 14). Here, Bradford outlines a
method of living that does not involve an individualistic approach to gain
wealth. Rather, the importance and cruciality for the Pilgrims lied in
sustaining the community, where each could be supplied with “set corn for every
man for his own particular” rather than a model where each man is for himself.
Individual opportunity are replaced by the needs of the community, where every
member contributes in order to sustain the welfare of every person within that
community.
For the Pilgrims, distribution of resources extended to the land as well so that
each citizen could do its share in establishing and supporting the community.
Bradford mentions again how resources were equally distributed, saying: “And so
assigned to every family a parcel of land, according to the proportion of their
number
for that end.” Even the land was portioned out to be worked and tilled, so that
each member of the community could earn his or her keep and not be left wanting.
That way, the citizens, since they would not be lacking in resource or function,
could benefit the community by using his or her own allotted amount of work to
contribute to the welfare of their neighbors. This model, in many ways, seems to
signify what the Declaration of Independence so infamously states: “We
hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they
are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these
are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” . The Pilgrims believed
that happiness was tied to mutual wellbeing, and that, by being created equal,
each of their members was designed to contribute and sustain one another, for
they all had a share in that sustainment.
However, this model was not always adhered to as the time of the Pilgrims
progressed. As the Pilgrims continued to survive and advance in the building of
their community, the foundational structure, as well as reasoning for why the
community was established in the first place, began to collapse. With the
oncoming years, the Pilgrims decided to leave their established community, but
not for better chance of survival, as Bradford relays: “Some were still for
staying together in this place, alleging men might here live, if they would be
content with their condition; and that it was not for want or necessity so much
that they removed, as for the enriching of themselves.” The Pilgrims sought to
leave their already made homes, not for necessity’s sake, but for “enriching
themselves” as Bradford states. The Pilgrims then transition into a mentality
similar to the opportunistic mindset that characterizes much of the capitalistic
policies alive today. They decided to leave their homes, not for the need of
better shelter or better land, but for the chance of riches. This decision
ultimately leads to the dilapidation of the Pilgrim’s communal structure.
Bradford identifies the short-sight in this transition, saying: “But now they
began to see their error, that they had given away already the best and most
commodious places to others, and now wanted themselves”. The Pilgrims then, in
giving up what they had that was already prosperous, committed self-destruction.
They abandon their homes in pursuit of greater material wealth for the sake of
wealth alone, so that even the church, a symbol in itself of communal harmony,
is left to decay: “And thus was this poor church left, like an ancient mother,
grown old, and forsaken of her children”. The Pilgrims transition to
capitalistic pursuits subverts and ultimately demolishes their ideal community.
Mutual peace is forsaken for visions of wealth.
This transition in capitalistic ideals did not end with the Pilgrims. As the
centuries rolled on, the adoption of capitalistic ideals over mutual community
created a gap of opportunity within the Dominant culture, such as that for the
Scotch-Irish of the Appalachian region. J.D. Vance highlights these gaps and
shortfalls in his Hillbilly Elegy,
where he examines the economic downfall of this subgroup within the Dominant
Culture. Vance states that opportunity in the eyes of the Scotch-Irish appears
alien and almost unapproachable: “Today people look at me, at my job and my Ivy
League credentials, and assume that I’m some sort of genius, that only a truly
extraordinary person could have made it to where I am today” (2). The people of
Vance’s home do not understand that Vance’s success is open to anyone; any man
or woman can partake it in it, but since they view such opportunities as sealed
off, they perceive them as unattainable. They have lost sight of their abilities
and devalued their capacities, and thus think anyone who has obtained such
achievements is a step above the rest, and thus gifted where they are lacking.
Vance repudiates such perceptions: “With all due respect to those people, I
think that theory is a load of bullshit” (2). The idea of ‘genius’ got Vance
nowhere. He worked hard and struggled to get where he is, because, as the
transition to material wealth expanded and left some people behind, he realized
that only by his efforts could he overcome the barriers of economic depression.
But the community nonetheless had a hand in aiding this success: “Whatever
talents I have, I almost squandered until a handful of loving people rescued me”
(2). The community thus, in a sense, is reaffirmed, and still maintains its
purpose of nurturing its members to realize and utilize their potential.
But, as Vance goes further, the community then flips on its purpose and
encourages stagnation over progress. The people of Vance’s community hold
animosity for things they do not understand: “We do not like outsiders or people
who are different from us, whether the
difference likes in how they look, how they act, or, most important, how they
talk” (3). They fear outsiders, according to Vance, which becomes emblematic of
their resistance to change. If they do not like the outside world, then the
Scotch-Irish of Vance’s community will resist all efforts to leave their
community to find success elsewhere. This has resulted in them being left behind
and forced to contend with many homegrown issues, as Vance states: “From low
social mobility to poverty to divorce and drug addiction, my home is hub of
misery” (4). The community is collapsing in on itself, with all of these harmful
aspects contributing to a cyclically disparaging state of existence. It offers
little prospect for improvement, and indeed Vance mentions this as well: “We’re
more socially isolated than ever, and we pass that isolation down to our
children” (4). The community then perpetuates this constancy of not moving out
to find alternatives. Vance speaks of this issue as well: “Many of us have
dropped out of the labor force or have chosen not to relocate for better
opportunities” (4). The community then becomes warped to preventing progress.
Instead of perpetuation and supporting mutual wellbeing, it stands in the way by
refusing to change with the changing times. The community then has shifted from
the ideals of Bradford. Rather than promote wellness through friendship and
support, it plants the walls that isolate and imprison the populace from seeking
opportunity.
The community was once a sanctified
place for the American. Bradford established his community so that each member
was issued a workable share, so that every citizen could lend hand in supporting
the wellbeing of their neighbor. However, as opportunity for greater wealth
arose, people left that self-sustaining system for their own sake, rather than
necessity. And, as time went on, it seems the community itself was mutated by
this change, as in the case of J.D. Vance, where the community stands opposed to
change and opportunity, and instead perpetuates a cycle for a lack of growth.
Change and progress then become enemies to the community, as they threaten to
destabilize the function of the method of self-sufficiency by tantalizing its
members with promises of wealth that may not prove true. Thus, the idea of
change is double-sided in its impact. It deconstructs the foundation of the
community, but at the same time becomes the only way that the community members
can escape the cycle of poverty, divorce, and other detrimental factors that
accompany stagnation.
