Immigration is one of the most complicated aspects of the human experience. Even though they may share species, people around the world are very different, with each culture housing its own world. Even though the United States of America was a country designed for and by immigrants, it has developed its own way of life that the people that go there have to adapt to. Many people soon see that the American Dream is really an illusion and that they must constantly fight to keep themselves afloat. There may be many similarities between how people react to this change in mindset, yet there are many differences as well, especially when one considers variations in the baggage that each of them bring. In this sense, Junot Diaz, a Hispanic male, has a different experience of becoming an American with respect to Maxine Hong Kingston, a Chinese female.
The main aspect that these two texts have in common is the importance of their family. This could be thought of as especially relevant in contrast to the disintegration of the American family, as it is not seen as a value in this culture. In Diaz’s tales, this seems to be related in part to the fact that his mother is poor and must work, so he and his brother must be watched over by their uncle or grandfather. However, this only means that family is important as an idea, as the father is seen having a mistress.
On the other hand, family plays a much more important part in Maxine Hong Kingston’s narrative. In it, she shapes her identity through her heritage, including her aunt, mother, grandmother and even the legendary Fa Mu Lan. She presents her story, but through the telling of many other stories as well, pointing to the fact that identity and self are constructs that come from more than just the individual. In this sense, she gives an even greater weight than Junot Diaz to the family, as she makes it build her identity. However, they both see family as being an essential part of their life.
Their socio-economic class is also similar, as they are both relatively poor when they arrive to the United States of America. Nevertheless, this plays a much more important role in Drown. At first belonging to a single-parent family, Yunior is poor to the point that he does not have anything to eat. He frequently stays with his grandfather or his uncle so that his mother can go to work, as stated earlier. Nevertheless, this slightly changes when they move to the United States of America Yunior’s father, Ramon. He must work to help pay the rent, while she undertakes a non-prestigious job as a housekeeper. Even though his father does his best, his efforts barely allow his family to keep afloat. The reader is treated to Ramon’s experience as an immigrant as well, and one can see the many sacrifices he makes in order to gain a proper status in his life for his family, including marrying a gringa to obtain US citizenship.
Nevertheless, the two texts are very different, as they present the experience of immigration through different sociocultural lenses. The two points that result the most obvious when one attempts to account for these differences are culture and sex. In this regard, Diaz manifests the Latino experience, while Hong Kingston expresses a more traditional Asian heritage. Furthermore, the former is a male and the second is a females; this is important not only with regards to how they are treated in America, but how they construct their self through their own cultural parameters with regards to gender.
Chinese culture is at the center of The Woman Warrior, being an important part of Kingston’s identity. One can see the customs and the cultures on display, as Kingston shows how her family has shown her the traditional customs. Furthermore, she represents herself through the Chinese tradition and folklore, establishing her identity through it.
Latino culture is completely on display in Diaz’s Drown. Perhaps the most curious way one sees this is through his constant use of Spanish words mixed into the English text. This would seem to simulate the appropriation process, as they are more frequent when they are in the Dominican Republic, with respect to when he is living in New Jersey. Furthermore, the sheer bravado and brash style that he employs to narrate these tales could be related to the Latin culture, known for being fiery and passionate. However, “In the world of Drown, though, people are not confined to their particular national, ethnic or racial spaces” (Frydman 136). Therefore, even though the narrator may be a Latino with all that it implies, these labels only represent a fluid aspect of their identity.
Appropriately, women in these tales are only hinted at, as being a male in Latino culture is very different than being a female. The voice in most of these tales is male, and women are only seen as an accessory. They do not have much of a say in what goes on with the family, and are led to hold it together even though her husband is cheating on her. The machismo in Latin culture is also in full display in the story “Drown” leads towards the disbandment of a good friendship just because one of them is a homosexual, even though he will probably end up having the better life. Furthermore, one can see the male characters as having a sense of duty towards their family in terms of economy. The men in this story are constantly worried about how they will provide for their family, and this seems to be their most important worry, even what makes the have a self. Therefore, masculine culture is very important in Drown, conditioning the immigrant experience of its characters.
On the other hand, Kingston explores femininity through many different ways in her book. She compiles the lives of many different women before her in order to explore what it means to be a female. This text shows that there are many “contradictions male dominance creates for women who are at one and the same time subordinated by a culture, and yet, embroiled in its interstices” (Hunt 5). The treatment and portrayal that the women receive in the novel lead them to define themselves with respect to men. One can see this in the way that her mother talks to her about her aunt, saying that she must not humiliate them as she has started to menstruate, which is one of the most blatant symbols of femininity. She soon begins to act against these stereotypes, determining her behavior in contrast with what they expect of her, which may be seen in her self-sabotage in terms of grades. Nevertheless, one must note that there are many different female voices in the story, and Kingston must try to make her way through them and choose. This may be the biggest contrast with respect to being a man: femininity is something that one has to construct through many different and often opposing positions, while masculinity is more set and obvious.
In conclusion, the experiences of the characters in both of these texts show similarities and differences due to their conditions. The importance they give to their family and their socio-economic situation is alike. Nevertheless, coming from a Chinese or a Latino background, and being a male or a female are very different. As one can see, the immigrant condition may be difficult for all, yet there are many variables that one should take into account when it comes to analyzing each person’s particular experience.
Works Cited
Frydman, Jason. “Violence, Masculinity and Upward Mobility in the Dominican Diaspora: Junot Díaz, the Media and Drown.” Bloom’s Modern Critical Views: Hispanic-American Writers—New Edition. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2009. 133-144. Print.
Hunt, Linda. “"I Could Not Figure out What Was My Village": Gender vs. Ethnicity in Maxine Hong Kingston's The Woman Warrior.” Melus 12.3 (1985): 5-12. Web. 17 May 2016.
