Amy L. Sasser

06 July 2012

From Nothing to Knowledge:

My Journey Through the Multicultural Mélange

          Before taking this course, my knowledge of American multiculturalism was practically nonexistent. I’d had some exposure to minority literature, devouring the works of Octavia Butler, Toni Morrison, Nella Larsen, Paule Marshall and others with greed and interest. This view, however, was still limited only to African American female writers. Even though some of the works I’ve examined, such as Brown Girl, Brownstones, focused on the immigrant’s divided yearnings for both “here” and “there,” the overall immigrant narrative remained elusive. My assumptions of immigrant stories included the misguided belief that—with the glaring exception of African American slaves—immigrants to this country truly wanted to come here, and that they entered the United States with dreamy notions of success and salvation. The organization of the course has led me to a deeper understanding of the disparate reasons immigrants have come to America and some of the struggles they have faced, as well as how this has contributed to the assimilation of these groups.

          The organization of this course dispelled many of my own myths and aided in my understanding of the immigrant experience. The structure seems to follow the various groups of immigrants, beginning with the Puritans and other early settlers of the land. According to prior research by student Charles Colson, “The American immigrant narrative begins with those immigrants whose culture later forms the background against which other narratives take place.” One such pioneer who was, in fact, seeking his own version of the American Dream was Hector St. Jean de Crevecoeur, who introduces the familiar idea of the melting pot when he tells us that this new American

“is either an European, or the descendant of an European, hence that strange mixture of blood, which you will find in no other country. I could point out to you a family whose grandfather was an Englishman, whose wife was Dutch, whose son married a French woman, and whose present four sons have now four wives of different nations. He is an American, who leaving behind him all his ancient prejudices and manners, receives new ones from the new mode of life he has embraced, the new government he obeys, and the new rank he holds.”

This early definition of an American underscores my own preconceived notion that this nation was made by those who wanted to be here to make a new way for themselves. Continuing my studies, however, I soon learned the misguided nature of my beliefs.

As I continued along, I encountered the African Americans, a people who were forced into new residency in the United States and who were excluded from Crevecoeur’s vision of inclusive cultural diversity. This examination allowed me to begin to develop a distinction between immigrant and minority literature while also giving me the opportunity to identify the points where the two overlap and intertwine. As I moved forward to study Native Americans, I was given a glimpse of what this immigration may look like from the opposite side of the coin. Handsome Lake’s How the White Man Came to America looks at the fall of the native people due to the immigrant’s “flask of rum, a pack of playing cards, a handful of coins, a violin and a decayed leg bone.” His contention is that these “gifts” caused Indians to “forget their old laws” and “turn their minds to foolishness” (Lake). Supposedly, when the white man, the immigrant and interloper into the Indian’s lands, looked back at the destruction he had wrought, “then did even the devil himself lament that his evil had been so great” (Lake). While this minority group does not encompass an immigrant narrative of its own, this viewpoint is invaluable in understanding a different idea of what initial immigration in the United States looked like.

While continuing to look at “Old World Immigrants,” those who hail from the Eastern hemisphere, Europe and Asia, the lines between minority and immigrant literature were blurred even further. As I spent some time on immigrants from both South and East Asia, I began to define a “model minority” and examine how these groups may have fit into that category. For example, in Sui Sin Far’s “In the Land of the Free,” Hom Hing does not fight back or raise a fuss when his son is taken from him. Instead, the embattled father does what is expected and continues working in his daily life, taking the slow bureaucratic steps necessary to regain custody of his child. He was a businessman, working continuously and quietly, never raising a ruckus or causing an issue, and for that, the dominant culture “rewarded” him by returning his child. Similarly, in “Silver Pavements, Golden Roofs” by Chitra Divakaruni, Jayanti leaves India to go and stay with her aunt in Chicago and attend the university there. One night when she convinces her aunt to simply go for a walk, the two women are harassed by insensitive and prejudiced neighborhood boys. Again, rather than fight or cause a scene, the women simply do as expected of them and retreat (Divakaruni 79-80). This almost automatic adherence to the expectations of the dominant culture not only contributes to the idea that Asians are in the model minority, but also lends them a level of assimilation that sometimes leaves them out of the discussion altogether.

Moving further into my multicultural education, I began to study the “New World,” or Western hemisphere immigrants. These narratives began to open my eyes even more to a different kind of “forced” immigration. One concept introduced by guest speaker Kristin Hamon was that of the “accidental traveler,” those who seem to be caught between the two worlds because of familial obligation or inability to care for themselves. They did not make the conscious choice to immigrate to the United States, but seem to be the passenger who fell asleep in the back seat only to awaken in a strange place. This spirit of listlessness and loss was poignantly captured in Sonia Guevara’s “Being Mexican American.” She seems to straddle the line, not truly belonging in either country, but having a deep pride and love for both. A more derisive look at the dominant culture comes in Junot Diaz’s “How to Date a Browngirl . . .” He seems to be picking at the idea of a happy melting pot by singling out girls of various backgrounds and cultures and stereotyping their sexual activities (or lack thereof) based solely on where they’re from without any consideration for the individual.

This sort of racial stereotyping was also common amongst European immigrants. Abraham Cahan’s Yekl provides a great contrast between a heavily assimilated Jake and a fresh off the boat Gitl, showing how just a few years of separation and assimilation into a new culture can be the grounds to break up a marriage. The Jewish American people at large have managed to assimilate into and become a part of the American tapestry, but somehow have managed to maintain their own culture and tradition to a degree not seen among many other immigrant groups. In fact, the “Jews are a famously accomplished group. They make up . . . 2 percent of the U.S. population, but 21 percent of the Ivy League student bodies, 26 percent of the Kennedy Center honorees, 37 percent of the Academy Award-winning directors, 38 percent of . . . leading philanthropists, 51 percent of the Pulitzer Prize winners for nonfiction” (Brooks). The Irish were also largely ostracized for their religious beliefs, though they, too, managed to hold onto a certain identity of their own. Despite facing clear discrimination in the heyday of “No Irish Need Apply,” they have managed to grab a strong hold and flourish here in this new land.

Trying to narrow down an immigrant narrative to an overarching story or even one single theme is nearly impossible. To properly treat the subject matter, we must look at numerous stories from various people and compare and contrast their experiences. This approach to looking at what goes into and makes up the American culture on a larger scale can help us to appreciate the diversity we all share and to be more open-minded and tolerant of the differences between us. By approaching in this way that follows the movements within immigration, we can see the ebb and flow of changing attitudes both by and toward immigrants in our nation. Perhaps, then, we can go back to Crevecoeur’s melting pot and simply enjoy the stew.