Becoming Americanized

The three literary works; "A Father" by Bharati Mukherjee, "The Path to the Milky Way Leads through Los Angeles" by Joy Harjo, and "A Bedtime Story" by Mitsuye Yamada all share a common message and theme. All three works describe what its like for a foreigner to live in America, and how usually the younger generation becomes “Americanized” far quicker than the older generation. All three works also provide a strong contrast between American culture and other foreign cultures.

In "A Father", we are very clearly shown how younger generations adapt and assimilate to new cultures quicker and with more enthusiaism than do the older generations. This story benefits directly from Bhararti Mukherjee’s personal experiences with being an immigrant, therefore enabling her to bring a real-life feel to the story that draws the reader in. Throughout the story we are given stark contrasts between the father’s Indian culture, and our American culture. The father is a devout Hindu who prays each morning and follows “each wanton Hindu superstition”, and his daughter, belonging to the younger generation, writes-off her Indian culture and adopts a completely American lifestyle and set of beliefs. Symbols of both of their cultures are given as well, the father with his goddess, “Kali-Mata,” and the daughter with her red Mitsubishi. Babli, the daughter, has become the “American woman,” independent, out-going and not afraid of anything. Her father even says, “She was headstrong and independent and he was afraid of her.” The father has remained stable in his cultural traditions and beliefs, and has resisted assimilation. In essence, it’s the divide between the father and daughter’s preferred cultures that keeps them so separate and unable to relate with each other. Babli does not understand her father’s “old-world” customs and he does not understand her self-sufficient attitude that makes her turn a cold shoulder to her family. Both of them are so stuck in their ways that it prevents them from ever truly having a relationship. If both were to become more open-minded; Babli to her heritage, and the father to his new surroundings, perhaps a basis for a relationship could be formed.

"The Path to the Milky Way Leads Through Los Angeles", the poem by Joy Harjo contrasts the American culture with the Native American culture. In the poem, our setting is clearly Los Angeles as stated in the title, but it is also within a Native American community within the city. In lines 6-8 the speaker is acknowledging how, “The shimmer of the gods is easier to perceive…when those who remember us here in the…marketplace…say our names.” This Native American community is almost a microcosm within the city, an individual world that has it’s own cultural symbols and beliefs, but is also forced to interact with the outside influences of Los Angeles. The speaker juxtaposes his/her cultural symbols, such as the crow, with American symbols such as “star maps” and love hotlines. The speaker uses this juxtaposition to uncover the message in the poem. He/she speaks of the crow, a scavenger who finds bits of food in trash. He/she then says that they will be like the crow and search for the bits of treasure in American culture to find their purpose in Los Angeles, therefore giving meaning to why they are living there in the first place. The Milky Way illusion is also interesting because it has a double meaning. It relates to the fact that many people become famous “stars” in LA according to American culture, and it also relates to the Native American belief that land, water, and sky are all one, letting us understand that Los Angeles has become the land that has become their “path” to which it will bring them to the sky or (a.k.a) afterlife.

The third culture these literary works cover is the Japanese culture. In "A Bedtime Story", the divide between first generation immigrants and second generation immigrants is clearly shown. The poem’s story involves a father, representing the first generation, telling an ancient Japanese story to his daughter, representing the second generation. The father tells his story which is meant to be full of wisdom and guidance, and the girl simply doesn’t get it, replying, “That’s the end?” So clearly what has happened is that the girl who has become “Americanized” and is use to stories such as Cinderella and Snow White which all have a happy ending though provide no wisdom or guidance. So when her father tells her this story she does not react the way he expects. He expected her to understand that this was meant to be a story that could give her incite to her life, but all the girl is looking for is a happy ending. The clear difference in the way first and second generation immigrants have become divided along the lines of “this is the way it is” and “this is the way is use to be,” is exemplified in this poem. As immigrants remain in this country for more and more generations they begin to loose their culture if it is not kept alive in their home life. It’s a shame and a beauty that America has become a “melting pot” because while its enriching to have many unique cultures in one country, its also beautiful that we can all come together and create a unified culture as well.