Introduction
I have always considered that immigration is helpful and important for the US. People coming from other countries contribute greatly to our economy, as well as other spheres. However, while I admitted the role of immigrants, I had never realized how hard it was for those people to accommodate to the entirely new environment. Reading John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath and Helena María Viramontes’s Under the Feet of Jesus altered my understanding of the problems related to migration and immigration. These novels helped me see the numerous issues faced by individuals who were forced to change their native place for another country.
Main body
Immigration is one of the hottest topics in the US society, many people considering that immigrants take away jobs and other advantages from the US citizens. However, evidence indicates that the country’s economy benefits because of people coming from foreign lands at least in three aspects. According to the immigration attorney Jacob Monty, the advantages refer to the spheres of entrepreneurship, food supply, and security, and the job market (“Immigration Vital To U.S. Economy” 9).
Maynard also notes that blaming migrants for taking jobs from “native-born workers” is not warranted. On the contrary, immigrants frequently fill low-wage jobs that the Americans are not willing to take, such as dishwashing or home building (Maynard). Research by Bohanon and Curott shows that $2 trillion is annually contributed to the gross domestic product by immigrants. Goldstone also notes that migrants are important for the economy since their wages have no effect on those of native-born Americans.
All of the mentioned pieces of evidence and opinions coincide with my prior attitude towards immigrants and their role in U.S. society. However, what I did not know was the additional hardships that those people experienced. Not only do they work harder for lower salary but they also have to sacrifice many things that constitute their identity when they move to another country or even another state. In Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, the hardships of a family that has to travel from Oklahoma to California in search of a better life are depicted.
One of the main characters, Casy, describes the immigration hardships in the following way: “Fella gets use’ to a place, it’s hard to go” (Steinbeck 34). In these words, all the sorrow of migrating people is enclosed. They have to leave their houses, all of their belongings, graves of their deceased family, childhood memories, and many other things that someone who has never been forced to leave one’s native land never imagines.
The narrator’s grandmother, Ma Jones is devastated when she realizes when will have to leave her home place. She says, “I never had my house pushed over <…> I never had my fambly stuck out on the road. I never had to sell ― ever’thing ― Here they come now” (Steinbeck 52). This desperate expression of the ache one experiences before moving is echoed in millions of voices of present-day immigrants. Meanwhile, instead of offering these people support, the native-born Americans offend immigrants and try to depreciate their contribution to the country’s development and prosperity.
George J. Borjas, a Hispanic immigrant, and Harvard professor have dedicated much of his career to explaining how much immigrants lose in comparison to how much they add to the development of the US (VerBruggen 38). I think he has a point because indeed, these individuals are merely victims of the situation. If they had an opportunity to be treated equally with the U.S. citizens, they could earn much more and provide for their families. Instead, they only contribute to our economy and happiness, having no time to think of their own joy.
The second novel, Under the Feet of Jesus, written by Viramontes, also had a great impression on me. The author describes the hardships of a family of laborers, emphasizing the many things that can affect these people’s living conditions. “It was always a question of work, and work depended on the harvest, the car running, their health, the conditions of the road, how long the money held out, and the weather” (Viramontes 12).
Then, the author sums it all up with an ironic statement: “which meant they could depend on nothing” (Viramontes 12). These and other excerpts from the book demonstrate that even when people are working very hard, they cannot be sure that their efforts will be properly rewarded. The book by Viramontes deepened my sympathy toward immigrants and their strenuous work.
Conclusion
There is much statistical evidence of migrants’ beneficial effect on the US economy. Although many citizens are opposed to giving immigrants employment, they are not willing to take the low-paid jobs. Meanwhile, non-native-born individuals are willing to do anything to be able to save their families from starvation. The novels by Steinbeck and Viramontes intensified my positive attitude towards immigrants and made me feel even more respect for these brave people who sacrifice many things to come to the US and help develop its economy.
Works Cited
Bohanon, Cecil, and Nick Curott. “Increasing immigration would help economy.” Indianapolis Business Journal. 2018. Business Collection. Web.
Goldstone, Jack. “The U.S. Needs More: Without Young Workers, the Economy Can’t Grow.” Reason. 2018, Business Collection. Web.
“Immigration Vital To U.S. Economy.” USA Today. 2018, p. 9. Business Collection. Web.
Maynard, Micheline. “Immigrants and the Economy.” CQ Researcher. 2017. Web.
Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. The Viking Press, 1939.
VerBruggen, Robert. “Harvard’s George J. Borjas: Adding up the Cost of Uncontrolled Immigration.” The American Conservative. 2017, pp. 37-41. Global Issues in Context. Web.
Viramontes, Helena María. Under the Feet of Jesus. Plume, 1996.