Mango Street & The Dew Breaker

Immigration is and will always be a key aspect of a successful society. Throughout the world and in particular the United States we experience the flow of immigration and what comes with it. There is always the good side and the bad side told but the only issue with these stories is who it is coming from. Immigration has always been seen from the American born perspective, it is never seen or told from the perspective of the immigrants themselves. After reading The House on Mango Street and The Dew Breaker I was given an insight into the perspective of immigrants and how they go about life in a foreign country. Not just any country but one that carries bias and stigma associated with immigrants and seems to be titles they cannot escape. Despite those who say prejudice and racial bias do not exist I argue that from the lenses of both books there is a bias and stigma that is associated with immigrants and it holds back a person’s ability to form and maintain their identity.

            

           “Those who don't know any better come into our neighborhood scared. They think we're dangerous. They think we will attack them with shiny knives. They are stupid people who are lost and got here by mistake.” (Cisneros 28). This quote is one taken from The House on Mango Street from Esperanza and who view. This shows just a general stigma around Mexicans and their culture. This story is being told through a perspective of that being a child. One of the main issues I see here with this quote is how she is already being able to understand how others feel towards her and her community. She also has been around these thoughts and ideas of others her whole upbringing that it has begun to take a toll on Esperanza. This is the part where Esperanza starts to feel shame of her culture and this shame doesn’t allow her to show her true identity and it starts to hold her back. This is an example that doesn’t just pertain to the book but also in everyday life for immigrants. Stigmas such as this are staring immigrants in the eyes and have been so ingrained in both Americans and the immigrants its hard to break them. This is just an example from The House on Mango Street showing the bias surrounding Esperanza and her challenges she faces every day.

          

            “Life was neither something you defended by hiding nor surrendered calmly on other people’s terms, but something you lived bravely, out in the open, and that if you had to lose it, you should lose it on your own terms.” (Danticat 201) This quote from the Dew Breaker is one from the Dew Breaker himself. This is him speaking to Ka about the culture and how she should embrace it. This quote is so important and could be very influential to all immigrants no matter where you may be from. Despite the bias and the stereotypes that float around it shows how embracing and a sense of being proud is a way for immigrants to maintain their culture and heritage. Throughout both books not just The Dew Breaker there is a sense of hiding the community’s culture while trying to adapt to accommodate others. The Dew Breaker wants the embracing of where you are from and being proud of your heritage. The quote is stating that your culture is also a part of your identity and is a way to form your own identity. Esperanza for example feels shame and she finds it much harder to embrace her culture instead of using it in forming her identity.

            

              The unique thing I found in these books was the point of view the story was being told from. The immigrants where the narrators and they were the ones giving us the insights and how they felt. Throughout reading I argued that racial bias and stigmas surrounded immigrants on a daily basis. My analysis between the two and relating them to real everyday life is scary. Immigrants all across the world face these situations everyday and have to live with the social bias surrounding them. With all this it is difficult for immigrants to keep their sense of heritage or culture while experiencing these things. This gives us a sense of the difficulty and also gave us insights into the forming of an individual’s identity. Immigration bias and stigma engulfs this world every day. Through the lenses of the authors I was able to argue this, and I am able grasp the authors take through there writing and continue the informing of others on this theme.