Introduction
The two books “What is the What” and “The Interpreter Of Maladies” seek to give an insight into the challenges and triumph immigrants face while chasing the American dream. These stories give a glimpse of their lives in America. Most of the stories highlight matters regarding citizenship, religion, gender, and other social issues.
How different character identities affect their perceptions of America.
In the book, “the interpreter of maladies” the author delves into how the different characters perceive America and the different conflicts they face while attempting to blend into the society. These conflicts cut across different social issues from employment to gender and were portrayed by the different characters.
Lila
Lila is a little American born Indian girl, who has been absorbed by the American lifestyle, she meets Mr. Pirzada, a Pakistani immigrant on a study scholarship. Initially, Lila appears to be more concerned with the events in her current life unaware of her history and her background. For instance, she calls Mr. Pirzada an Indian man due to her childhood innocence, since they speak the same language and share culture, unaware he is Pakistani but starts looking keenly at Mr. Pirzada once she learns he is not of Indian origin.
Lila has embraced American culture, much to the disapproval of her father who is disappointed that she has alienated her roots. For example, she takes part in celebrating Halloween, to the dismay of Mr. Pirzada, who thinks the celebration is strange (Lahiri 36). As a child, Lila also feels isolated and struggles to mature since she feels that she is reliving what the lives the adults lived before.
Mr. Pirzada
Mr. Pirzada is a Pakistani immigrant on scholarship in America and during his stay; he usually goes for dinner at Lila’s house whose family is from India. Reports on the news talk of an impending war between India and Pakistan; this raises the tension between Lila’s parents and their guests. Though they are many miles away, there is a clear divide between the Muslim Pakistani and the Hindu. For example, when Lila calls Mr. Pirzada “Indian man”, her father quickly corrects her that he is not Indian, even though he is from Bengali, and that he is also he is Muslim (Lahiri 25).
As a result of their differences, Lila starts to look more closely at their guest, trying to see how different he was from them after discovering he was not Indian. The character shows the relationship between Muslims and Hindus in this story.
The narrator in “the third and final continent”
The story “The Third and Final Continent” is a story of triumph over uncertainty. The narrator is excited by the idea of moving to America after his studies, even though he had read a guidebook that America is less friendly, and the pace of life will be new he is not discouraged (Lahiri 174). He marries Lala and moves to begin his new life in America, full of optimism about his future in this new country.
He meets Mrs. Croft his landlady, who is extremely friendly and helps him settle down to his new life. The two share a strong bond and the narrator grieves for her when she dies. Despite the difficulties faced in the beginning, the narrator is not deterred to achieve his goals. The narrator clearly shows strength and determination and proves that a better life can be achieved even in a new land. The narrator and Lala live a long and happy life in America and have a son who ends up joining Harvard. The relationship between the narrator and Mrs. Croft also shows that there can be a positive interaction between immigrants and natives.
Mrs. Sen
The story “Mrs. Sen’s” is a contrast of the story “the third and final continent”. Mrs. Sen is not willing to be assimilated into the new life in America and is distraught about being far from her ancestral home in India. Mrs. Sen makes no effort to adjust but wraps herself in a cocoon to try to shield herself from change. For example, Mrs. Sen despite being an adult refuses to learn how to drive in protest to the new life in America; she also dismisses the fish saying they are inferior to the ones back home (Lahiri 123). Her husband Mr. Sean tries his best to tolerate her unwillingness to embrace the new life to no avail: his wife remains stubborn and their relationship begins to suffer.
Mrs. Sen babysits Eliot, a boy aged eleven, who does not see his mother enough but instead uses him to channel her disappointments. Here, the author attempts to show how differently immigrants embrace their new surroundings.
How Achak Deng’s experiences affect his perception of America
The book “What is the What”, talks of a young Sudanese boy Achak who was separated from his family by a civil war in his home country Sudan. It follows his journey and the hardships he faced while escaping from the Janjaweed militia to the safety of the refugee camps in Ethiopia and finally Kenya, where he found his way to America. His experiences at his war-torn home of Sudan and deplorable humanitarian conditions at the refugee camps strengthened him, bolstering his hope for a better future. America was his hope for security and a new beginning. A clear example is when Achak arrived in America; he saw the clearing skies as a symbol of a fresh start (Eggers 475).
America was the Promised Land for this young refugee boy. While he was starting over in this new country, he faced similar challenges immigrants undergo when trying to settle in a new land. He had to adapt to the first moving world in America and learn new languages and customs since they were different from African culture. Fortunately, Achak was positive in embracing the changes and his new home hence fulfilling his ambitions and living the dream.
Immigrant Perceptions of America and its society
The two books open the eyes of the reader to see America from a different perspective. It enables the reader to appreciate the challenges that immigrants face. The majority of immigrants come from humble backgrounds, and they come to America to improve their lives and making a stable future for their families. America is deemed as a land full of opportunities for everyone and immigrants believe anything is possible in America.
For instance, the author portrays how Achak felt excited once he finally arrived in America for the first time, and the feeling of optimism he experienced (Eggers 475). American society is more liberal; people from diverse backgrounds find a common ground in this country; where elsewhere that may not be the case, for example, Lila’s family and Mr. Pirzada could dine together even though their countries were at war. Although immigrants may find it hard to settle, those with the will usually make it in this great land.
Works Cited
Eggers, Dave. What is the what: The Autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng : a Novel. San Francisco: McSweeney’s, 2006. Print.
Lahiri, Jhumpa. Interpreter of Maladies: Stories. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1999. Internet resource.