Sunday, May 16, 2010
Blog Post about Mona in the Promised Land
We talked in class about how often Gish Jen portrays ethnic and racial identity as choice-based. How does Jen’s depiction of Asian American identity differ from that of Sui Sin Far (the writer we read at the beginning of class), for instance? What about from Morrison and Quninonez? Do you think we can choose our own ethnic identities or parts of different ethnic identities to make up our selves? Or, is there something essential and immutable about ethnicity and race? Write a blog post of 1-2 paragraphs on the topic and post it here.
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In a lot of the other works we've read this quarter ethnicity or race seems to present problems to the main characters. In Sui Sin Far's story being an Asian immigrant becomes a problem when her son is kept from her because he wasn't in the paperwork. It is also interesting how later in the story we see them living in an area that is predominantly Asian-American. In Mona in the Promised Land being Asian-American doesn't seem to present much of a problem for Mona. She lives in a community that is made up of other races and she is not badgered about being different. It is not until Naomi tells her that she is yellow does Mona even think of herself as colored or different.
ReplyDeleteWe see problems associated with ethnicity or race in both Morrison and Quinonez. In Morrison we see the problem of being African-American in the unfair ways of slavery. Sethe tried to escape a terrible way of life prescribed to her by her race. In Bodega Dreams we are presented with Bodega's wanting to improve the way of life for the Puerto Ricans of his community. He wants them to be raised up, meaning that they come from a disadvantaged state.
In Mona in the Promised Land Mona feels that she can choose her ethnic identity. I personally feel one can to a certain extent. For example, I am half Mexican-American and half Irish-American, and I feel I can choose to identify myself with one or the other, both or neither of them. To some extent I think you are born into your ethnic identity.
I feel as though Gish Jen’s depiction of ethnic and racial identity differs quite a bit from the other authors we’ve read so far. When contrasted with Sui Sun Far’s “In the Land of the Free” we see that for Jen’s Mona being of Chinese descent doesn’t really present any major complications. Of course there’s the issue of arguing with her mother over whether or not she should have converted to Judaism, but that feels a lot less severe than having a baby taken away from you. At the start Mona’s Chinese-American status even makes her a subject of positive (if racist) attention from her class. She impresses them with the three or four words and phrases she knows in Chinese even though she speaks English perfectly well. The ability to speak Chinese only creates a barrier for Far’s characters, and their status as immigrants allows them to fall victim to people like the young lawyer who demands money from them when he knows how little they have in order to get their son back.
ReplyDeleteI think when we compare Jen’s writing to Toni Morrison’s, however, it brings up some more interesting questions which we kind of started to discuss in class on Friday. When we talk about whether or not someone can choose an ethnicity I think it’s important to look at all that such a ‘choice’ entails. We discussed – as Jen’s book does – that African-American’s have slavery and Jew’s have the Holocaust and how many ethnicities have their own horrible history of oppression. Is that history of suffering and personal connection to such pain a necessity when it comes to being truly Jewish or anything else? With Morrison, her characters are very close to the issue of slavery. It was not so long ago they were slaves themselves, and so it’s obvious why it is still an incredibly important part of their lives. With Jen’s Jewish-Americans, however, there is some remove from the Holocaust. Barbara Gugelstein is Jewish, yet she herself was not involved in the Holocaust. Is there a moment where that becomes less important (Mona will never have blood family that went through the Holocaust) or is that a vitally important part of being Jewish? I don’t know how I feel about this. I’ve only ever identified as being American, not German-American or anything in particular because I wouldn’t have the first idea about looking something like that up. As far as ethnicity goes it’s something I’ve never been personally confused about, so I have a difficult time deciding whether or not I can tell someone they cannot choose to belong to whatever group they wish. At the same time I think of it as being much more difficult a choice than “oh, I’m going to be this!” maybe it isn’t, though?
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ReplyDeleteJen's discussion of ethnicity is not necessarily about choosing your culture as much as its about denying it, at least in Mona's case. She knows she is Chinese and is raised that way, until the events of the novel unfold. And then after all the trouble of being both Chinese and American born, she decides to switch to Judaism. This is a denial of her Asian heritage, and then she tries to accept it again when she is "paired" to Sherman, the Japanese exchange student. Then she discovers there are boundaries to choosing her cultural identity. What Jen may be saying is that at times, it can seem easier just to wipe the slate clean and start fresh. But we cannot deny who we are and where we come from. These are things that must be accepted, on some level, and that one must come to terms with.
ReplyDeleteCompared to Morrison and Quinonez, this is a completely different commentary about identity and ethnicity. For Morrison, it was about discovering identity for those characters. Because of the psychological effects of slavery, even with the liberties they were given, it still made it hard for any of them to know what to do with freedom once they had it. Quinonez comments with Bodega Dreams by saying that these people, of Spanish Harlem, have accepted themselves for who they are. Unfortunately, so has everyone else and that is what Chino realizes: that his economic situation cannot improve entirely, due to his ethnic identity. So for each novel, no one escapes their identity, and their upbringing.
Sui Sin Far thought being an Asian immigrant was hard, when comparing to the stories of “the American dream” which were so easy. She first loses her son because he is not in the paperwork, but she thinks it will be ok and will get her son back. She eventually gets the opportunity, and the son doesn’t want her around. She sort of, indirectly states what Mona thinks in Mona in the Promised Land; that she (or whoever) can choose who they want to be. Morrison argues that you are your past, and you must learn from that past. Quinonez is a little different. I feel like he made characters live up (or down according to your preference) to their…stereotypes. In Bodega Dreams, Quinonez, makes the (I think) Puerto Rican people seem like they are in a hard situation, and live to the best they can. Also, Chino just establishing his nickname to not get beat up and to gain respect is a perfect example.
ReplyDeleteI don’t think we can choose our own ethnic identities because we are who we were born to be. We are raised a certain way, and that’s just the way it is. You can’t choose what ethnicity you are; you may choose religion or how you may act, but not what your ethnicity is.
I also think that Jen's writing seems like it is much more diverse in ethnicity. Jen seems to break ethnic borders with Mona's character, for example when Mona, who is of Chinese decent, becomes Jewish. I think that it's essential for a person to express their individuality however they deem necessary. If someone believes in the Jewish religion then that person has the right to embrace that culture. In Mona's time period I think it was less acceptable to embrace another culture if you did not fit that race. In modern times I think it is more acceptable to publicly embrace what you want. I think race does play a part in what culture a person chooses to embrace because it is harder for a person to move into a religion or organization knowing that they will be a minority.
ReplyDeleteAs for the comparing Jen's writing to Morrison and Quinonez, I think all three have their own story in it's own time period they want to portray. Each writer wants to depict their own culture through their main characters. Each character has their own ambitions and reveals their past and through their past we see the culture.
I don't remember Sui Sin Far's story. I've read too many short stories this quarter, and they're all blending into one. Why not just dig it up and skim through it? I don't feel like it. My folder is on the other side of the room. My copy of Beloved is closer. So I will use that.
ReplyDeleteIn Mona in the Promised Land, I feel like there are two different kinds of identities at work: racial (genetic) identity, and two facets of cultural identity (one being cultural identity as a product, and the other as one’s way of interpreting the world through shared rituals, stories, and so on). In late 20th Century America, obtaining the first kind of cultural identity is as simple as grabbing a few ten-step instructionals on Buddhism off the shelves of Borders Books. At least--in terms of how I see it exemplified in characters like Seth and Barbara--mass-consumed cultural identity is a performance that only the well-to-do can afford. Erect a tee-pee in your back yard (but make sure it's got a phone). Appropriate a Marxist philosophy, which will save you from having to commit to one woman. Concerning characters like Seth, I'd avoid tagging him with the "identity is mutable" catch phrase. That works better for Mona, who, in my cultivated judgment, is a sincere character. I do not believe she turned to Judaism because it's a self-defining product. She wasn't acting on a capitalist impulse, but rather, she is the true seeker.
This is not what I wanted to talk about. I was actually interested in Alfred. He’s not allowed to have a “mutable identity” because he’s black. And it seems to me that the more one is prevented from obtaining the luxury of appropriating other people’s cultures, the worse they will be treated. He gets fired for unclear reasons (Well, Helen and Ralph give a reason, but we know it means, “We don’t like blacks, and we need to keep Barbara’s wealthy white family happy”). Likewise, when the plate or whatever the heck it was goes missing, the black folk get blamed… when, alas, it was Fernando all along!!
In Beloved, none of the main characters have the ability to play cultural identity chameleon. As a matter of fact, they seem to be fighting (at least on an unconscious level) to preserve the fragments of a cultural identity that was beaten out of them. If I could stick Sethe and Seth in a room together, she’d probably choke him. She’d be tolerant of Mona because there are a lot of things that Mona and Denver share in common—mainly 1) they both grew up in the “Promised Land” (for Mona, it’s America in general, and for Denver, it’s the other side of the river). They’re experiences are situated in a transitional period in history (for Denver, it’s post-civil war, for Mona, it’s the late 60’s and early 70’s, which was at the apex of the civil rights revolution). They’re both seeing how their Promised Lands offer promises that are contingent upon one’s race. They’re both looking for a system of values/norms/beliefs upon which they can interpret their roles in the world (for Mona, it’s a Judaism vs. the traditional Chinese way of life that her mother tries to hold onto, and for Denver, it’s stepping off the porch, out into the world, and finding community). In any case, the characters in Beloved are prohibited from approaching identity as a negotiation.
My judgment of Seth and Barbara (and everyone but for Mona, her parents, Alfred—granted, he’s a player—and the rabbi) is harsh. Perhaps is we ended the quarter with Beloved, I wouldn’t have the measuring stick that I’m now using to gauge a character’s sincerity … and I’m a bit confused whether Jen is approaching Mona’s friends with a little irony. Maybe I’m wrong, and they’re meant to come off as consistent, well-intentioned people. Blah. I’m going to bed.
Gish Jen portrays ethnic and racial identity as choice-based in Mona in the Promised Land. Mona is Chinese-American, everyone in the outside world sees her as Chinese, not American. In her class they group Sherman, a Japanese exchange student with Mona because they see her as Chinese. Mona begins to think that she belongs with someone like Sherman so she starts to like him; Sherman tells her that she will never be Japanese. This incident with Sherman and Mona’s parents get Mona thinking about who she is. She doesn’t agree with most of Chinese traditions and customs so she decided to become Jewish. She goes to a synagogue and studies the religion. Her parent’s think that Mona becoming Jewish is crazy and that she can’t because she is Chinese. Later on in the book, Sherman starts calling Mona again and tells her that he is now American and he considers himself Hawaiian. This is very ironic because Sherman told Mona that she would never be Japanese but now he is something other than Japanese? Gish Jen does believe that you can choose who you are.
ReplyDeleteGish Jen’s perception of identity does differ from other author’s this quarter. Morrison’s writing around Slavery has to do with the past haunting people who used to be slaves. These slaves now have freedom and they don’t know what do to with that freedom, they are haunted by their past. Quinonez’s outlook on identity is that there may be a stereotype on a certain ethnic group but you can change other people’s perception of your people. Bodega is trying to create a better life for the Puerto Ricans in Spanish Harlem. Sui Sin Far wrote about an Asian Immigrant who had her son taken from her because he wasn’t in the paperwork. Later when she tried to find her son he didn’t want anything to do with her, he chose that. Gish Jen and Sui Sin Far are the most alike in the aspect that characters had choices but all of these stories are connected through identity.
I have mixed feelings about choosing your identity. I do believe you can choose your religion but someone’s ethnic and racial identity is a little different. If your parents are immigrants but you were born in America then I believe you are American but there is a part of you that connects with where your parents are from. Someone may choose not to believe or practice their parent’s strict beliefs but part of that does define someone’s identity because that’s what they were born into. I do believe someone could pick up different beliefs and customs than the one they were born into but that is part of who they are.
Gish Jen portrays ethnic and racial identity as choice-based for American citizens and this differs a great deal from both Morrison and Quinonez. Morrison talked of how one could never escape the history of one's race, and would be haunted by it. Quinonez talked of people trying to improve their social situation and sometimes choosing less ethnic names to coincide with their social climbing, but at the same time these people remained the same race and ethnicity even when they tried to hide it.
ReplyDeleteJen’s depiction of Asian American identity is somewhat different from others in that her parents did not try and raise her with ethnic customs. It is perhaps this freedom from her roots which allows her to shift ethnic identities.
Every person makes choices about how they identify themselves, what religion they practice, what type of foods they eat and clothing they wear. Beyond this, some people choose to take a great interest in their own ethnic history and to display characteristics they feel match this. Take for example, an Irish American kid who reads a lot of Andrew Greeley and starts wearing a kilt around his college campus. At the same time, the outside world chooses certain identifiers by which to create an identity for us. People will look at a person and judge them to be in certain groups. In this way there something immutable about ethnicity and race. No matter what religious choices Mona might make people are always going to look at her and consider her Asian.
Although I agree that they have completely different ways of approaching ethnicity, I think that there are some similarities between Morrison and Jen in the two books we read. Both writers examine familial roles and how they affect ethnic identity through the generations. Mona and Callie identify themselves with both Chinese and American identities and their mother,Helen, plays a big role in developing the "Chinese self" in the girls. She reiterates to them what it is to be a "good Chinese girl", what it means to fill that role in China. Mona grapples between pleasing herself by fufilling the roles she chooses and living up to her mother's Chinese cultural standards in relation of gender roles. Mona feels disconnected from China and feels more American than Chinese, she has never been to China and the village her parents speak of is completely foreign to her. This disconnection between the immigrant generation and the American-born generation resonates with the disconnection Denver feels to Sweet Home in Morrison's novel. Morrison explores the gap between the American generation and the newly American generation through Denver and Sethe. Sethe, a former slave copes with how to function in American society as an outsider. She inevitably causes Denver to be an outsider by association. Denver doesn't know where to place herself: she would feel guilty to abandon her mother, but her mother's hauntings and outsider status affect her place in society. Both Mona and Denver have more trouble identifying with their parents "pre-American" lives than they do identyfying with fully functioning American citizens. Through this both writers could commenting on the strength of the bonds in the familial structure, because both Mona and Denver could choose to identify themselves as fully American yet they both attempt to please their parents. On the other hand both writers could be examining how society reacts to the "other" and how impossible it is for the second generation to identify themselves as completely American because of the way they look.
ReplyDeleteMona's Asian American identity differs from Sui Sin because Mona is not raised into her heritage. She has been brought up more on the American way of life than her parents. However, even her parents have more of an American identity than they do Asian. Sui Sin held onto her Asian identity than let it go. Also, ethnicity from Morrison and Quinonez is much different. Morisson's characters know where they come from and they are haunted by the memories from the past throughout the novel. Also, in Quinonez's novel, the characters are raised in a Spanish sector of the city and are brought up speaking both languages. The characters still see themselves as Hispanics and they hold onto their background rather than to let it go and be someone they feel isn't where their families are from. Mona, sees herself as American and not so much as Asian American. She has the characteristics of Asian but she is not knowledgeable in her family history. She lies to pretend she knows her family traits but in reality she doesn't.
ReplyDeleteI do not think you can choose your ethnicity because that is something you are born into. Different ethnicities have characteristics which make them who they are, however, i do think that a person may not present themselves as the ethnicity they are, especially if they were not raised with a family that taught them of their background.
Throughout the stories that we have read, there are definite similarities on the view of race and ethnicity as well as identity. In Mona in the Promised Land, the characters seem to have an impact on their own identity. Though they are able to choose their identity, it is still limited to some degree how much freedom they are allowed in doing so. In Sui Sin Far's story, the characters generally grew up in the cultural background that correlates directly with their ethnicity. Mona, on the other hand, was born into her ethnicity, yet lived all her life in America. Thus, Mona had varying views on what her identity was and what it should be according to American culture and society views. Morrison and Quinonez both presented similar ideas of ethnicity and race as Sui Sin Far.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, an individual has no impact on choosing their ethnicity. Everyone is born into a particular ethnicity that they cannot change. Though they cannot change their ethnicity, it is vital to acknowledge that one is able to choose their identity. If you are born into a certain ethnicity you have the option to follow the actions, morals, religions, etc. of that ethnicity to any particular degree. I think that individuals can choose their identity, which is an idea presented by Gish Jen.
Mona in the Promised Land is essentially all about choosing your own ethnic identity. Compared to Sui Sin Far’s short story, the two texts differ greatly. In Sui Sin Far’s In the Land of the Free it is extremely important that Hom Hing’s son was born in China, even if he was to come live in America eventually. On the contrary Mona and her sister are born in America, not even taught to speak their native Chinese language. I feel Jen really portrays this sense of “finding yourself” throughout her novel, almost like that of Hong Kingston where she had to find her own voice throughout The Warrior Woman.
ReplyDeleteI strongly believe that remembering and being aware of your heritage is important and essential to shaping your own identity and beliefs. For example, in Bodega Dreams every character knew where he/she was from, representing their Latino heritage with pride (with the exception of Vera,) but they also wanted to start shaping and molding their identities to fit that of other Americans – to start bettering their lives.
Like we discussed in class, I feel there is that fine line between the past and moving forward, and it is difficult and debatable to say when it is okay to move forward and not forget about the past but leave it alone. For example, when is it okay to for descendants of slaves to say “alright, I’m ready to stop being angry about slavery, and move forward re-shaping my ethnic identity.”? I believe it is a personal choice. No matter what color your skin is, or what god you believe in, or what country you came from, I feel everyone, ultimately, has a choice of who they are. After all, everyone in America is a descendant of an immigrant from somewhere, but over time, most of us have shaped our identities to fit that of an “American.”
Gish Jen's portrayal of ethnicity was set and definite - their child is taken away from them because they are Chinese immigrants. Whereas, Mona's identity is not so definite. It is clear that she is Chinese-American and this does affect her; mainly through her parents' and some outsiders' opinions of her. However, Mona also feels that she has the option to create a different identity for herself and therefore doesn't see her identity as being pre-determined or set for her.
ReplyDeleteEven in Morrison and Quinonez's novels the identities seem to be set. In Beloved, all of the characters are haunted by their past of slavery - a past which they can't seem to break away from. Even Denver, Sethe's daughter, is haunted by the affects of slavery although she was never an actual slave. This differs from Mona because she is the daughter of parents that lived through the Chinese Revolution, however she feels no identification with China and knows absolutely nothing about it - she is certainly not haunted by it. In Bodega Dreams they talk about getting out of the life that was prescribed to them by their race - a dismal one based in Spanish East Harlem. However, they can never fully escape it. Their identity is also unbreakable. In Mona in the Promised Land, the epilogue leaves us with all of the characters being prosperous - going on to college and obtaining jobs. This shows the idea that ethnicity is not set and that identity is not necessarily fixed, but what you make of it.
Gish Jen has a much different way of portraying coming to America and becoming Americanized than most of the other writers we have read thus far. Although Mona converts to be Jewish, she is still accepted. When Sherman came and the other children told Mona that she now has a friend you could feel a little bit of diversity but over all she fits in just fine. Morrison’s portrayal of the Sethe and her family is different yet has some similarities to Mona’s family. They are different because Sethe grew up in America and Mona’s parents came from China but both had been through something horrific. Sethe lived through slavery and killing her own child whereas Mona’s parents have come from the Chinese Revolution. Both have a very hard time trusting people of a different ethnicity.
ReplyDeleteWe have learned from a young age that you can be whatever you want and it is better to be unique. So why should we not be able to chose to be something else. Ethnic identity is hard to change in some cases but I feel that if you believe in the Jewish faith then you should be able to do so. I understand that some people would have a hard time allowing their family members to convert to another faith but it ultimately is up to the individual.
Gish Jen’s depiction of Asian American identity is very different to that of Sui Sin Far. Sui Sin Far tells of the difficulties and complications of the Chinese family in “In the Land of the Free.” These complications are very stressful and heartbreaking on the family. For example they get their two year old son taken away. The mother finds it extremely hard to cope and deal with this. In “Mona In the Promised Land,” Gish Jen tells of the difficulties Mona’s Family faces, but it seems to be nothing compared to the family Sui Sin Far writes about. Mona’s family faces the issue of identity and what it means to be Asian American. They seem for the most part to fit in, but find the identity problem coming from within themselves due to the pressure from their ethnicity. It seems as if it’s up to them to shape their own future and identity, make themselves who they wish to be. Morrison’s novel “Beloved” seems to have issues with identity as well, but the identity issue comes from haunted past memories. Morrison’s novel is more of an issue about pulling yourself back together after a difficult past. It wasn’t so much about the freedom of being what you wanted to be and having the right to decide your outcome. It was molding your identity from past experiences. In Quninonez’s novel “Bodega Dreams” the issue of ethnicity identity is based more on where you came from either Puerto Rican or Cuban. It seems like they had to be true to their culture in order to gain respect from the others in their neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to our own ethnic identities I feel that we have more of a choice in today’s world, or at least in America. America is known as the melting pot where there are tons of different cultures, races, and religions that make us up. I believe we can choose our own ethnic identities for the most part. A lot of it deals with the families we are born into. We pick up on their language, culture, and religion. I feel we tend to take after our families when it comes to our ethnic identities, but in the end we can learn a new language, convert to a new religion, and try out new customs if we so please.
Gish Jen’s suggests that “mainstreaming” yourself and finding acceptance isn’t all that difficult of a task. Jen shows that people can be pretty acceptant of others who decide to change a very large part of themselves (like their religion). I appreciate that Jen depicts Mona as someone multi-faceted and open enough to adopt a different religion that makes sense to her. In great contrast, Sui Sin Far depicts an incredibly judgmental world that is racially and ethnically divided. I attribute this difference primarily to the fact that these authors were writing during very different times. The people in Sui Sin Far’s story could have never cultivated an ethnic mask that opposed their Asian identities. The ethnic illustrations that Morrison and Quninonez provide differ from Jen’s and each other’s. In Beloved, Morrison’s characters seem to be haunted by their race, Sethe’s skin is a physical indicator of the life she was forced to live. Morrison’s characters have no options. They cannot shed their skin and pick up an entirely new identity. Quninonez’s Latino characters celebrate their ethnicity, going as far as to segregate themselves from other groups.
ReplyDeleteThe question, “Do you think we can choose our own ethnic identities…” is a difficult one. To some extent, yes, to some extent no. I mean, I can’t wake up tomorrow and decide that I’m going to change my skin color. This really is a difficult question because it brings up another question about defining race/ethnicity, what MAKES someone black, white, asian, latino, etc.? To answer this question correctly we need to first concretely define race and ethnicity. I believe that every individual is multi-faceted and they shouldn’t allow ONE aspect of their identity define them. I feel like a lot of individual fall into the socially constructed stereotype trap, they observe common behaviors and copy them in an attempt to fit in.
As far as American identity goes there is in Jen's work a much greater sense of individual choice than in perhaps anything else we have read. However, the historical and socio-economic situations for Jen's characters happen to be quite a bit more stable than for many others we have read. Mona and family are well off, and live in a time and place where racial tensions and or recent events are not overtly present. Although her parents do retain their Chinese identities through, seemingly, memories of the Chinese revolution.
ReplyDeleteIn the case of Sui Sin Far, she wrote in a time where to be Asian in America was much more a label than it is now. To escape "being Chinese" becomes impossible even in the new world even as this new world claims your child(if I remember the story at all). Morrison's characters all still suffer from the effects of slavery, their identities being inescapably those of "ex-slaves." Quninonez's Puerto Ricans are trapped both by identity and social condition. Living in a slum where your identity is at face value going to be one of jobless thug. Quninonez's characters are exemplary perhaps in their wish to escape their situation, but in comparison to Jen's their choices are limited.
In Jen's novel, ethnic identity seems to be something that we are in total control of, though it seems to never wprk out how we intend. Mona becomes Jewish, but since she wasn't born hewish, she can't be Jewish enough for the "real" Jews. Sherman makes himself into a Hawaiian but this leads him to almost forget his Japanese heritage which causes him strife. Identity can be chosen, but It always seems to come with a steep price. Usually between those who you were once among and those you are among now.
ReplyDeleteI think the question “can we choose our own ethnic identities” is a confusing one. It’s easy, I think, to take on customs, clothing, language, or a particular cuisine, and assimilate oneself into another ethnicity/culture that way. However to go back to something we talked about in class the other day, there may be a difference between the ethnicity that you yourself identify with, and the ethnicity that others identify you with, or “put on” you. This is where race—something you can’t change—may come into play. A friend of mine, for example, grew up in an upper class, all-white suburb, went to a local suburban school, and spoke, behaved, and interacted with others the same as those she was surrounded by. Yet the fact that her particular area was almost entirely white led to her being referred to not as “another suburbanite,” but as “the black one.”
ReplyDeleteI think that we can see this happening in many of the works we’ve read. In Sui Sin Far’s story, for example, Hom Hing is not allowed to bring his son into the country due to his ethnic/geographic roots. Although Hom Hing has clearly integrated himself into American culture/language/etc., his lack of official documentation of the boy’s American ethnicity proves a barrier. Clearly, Hom Hing’s having “chosen” his son’s Asian-American ethnicity is of little importance when the cohesion of their family depends on the way someone else views their ethnicity. Gish Jen, on the other hand, puts the power of choosing one’s ethnicity more in the characters themselves than in their peers (something most obviously exhibited in Mona’s decision to become Jewish). Yet even in her work one can find plenty of instances of characters’ outward appearances “catching up” with their chosen ethnicities. The Estimator, for example, suddenly disregards his reserved intellectual persona (the text implies that he’s more “white” than “black”) when he feels that he’s being suspected of theft because of his race.
For my response I'm going to compare/contrast Jen's novel with Quninonez's. I think the characters in both novels have a goal to stand out in society. To find their own identity, and even more, be comfortable with it. I think that ethnicity and identity play a signifcantly different role in jen's book than they do in Quninonez's. In Jen's novel, Mona seems to be someone who doesn't really have an identity and is desperately seeking to find it. She doesn't really go along with her parents values (who sometimes contradict themselves with Chinese beliefs and American actions) and she doens't seem to really quite fit in with everyone else. Mona's character is very good at brushing off the ethnicity subjects, especially when she is approached with many stereotypical beliefs from others. But it is almost as if Mona's top priority in the novel is to find herself, find her place in society, and to do this she must go against many stereotypes which is difficult especially back in the 60's.
ReplyDeleteIn Quninonez's book, I feel like the characters already had an identity, they just wanted everyone else to acknowledge them. They wanted to be accepted and to modify the so-called "American Dream" through renovating the streets of spanish harlem with somewhat sketchy tactics and characters, but nevertheless there was an immense amount of pride in the hispanic community by all the main characters in the novel. They weren't necessarily looking to better themselves through finding an identity, a different identity than what they were raised/born into, they were looking to better their race as a whole and not run away from who they are.
While the two novels have some striking differences in the way the characters attempt to assimilate into American culture, their difficult and sometimes awkward journey to trying to "fit in" is a day to day process that takes time, effort, and strength because no matter what, being a minority is always harder than being in the majority - it's just the way a person handles their minority that can make or break their happiness and their future.