Adolescent Children of Immigrants, Essay Example

Toni Morrison’s “1922”, Alice Walker’s “Every Day Use”, and Amy Tan’s “Half and Half”, each describe the struggles of faced by adolescent children of immigrants. The main characters in each work, find themselves trying to balance the expectations of their parents with the realities of life in America. At the same time, these characters face the traditional problems of the teenage years, including introductions to romance and sexuality. While Tan and Morrison are somewhat critical of traditional culture, Walker’s writing supports tradition entirely and rejects the selfishness of modern American life.

In “1922,” Sula and Nel both have trouble with their parents’ lives. Nel dreads the neatness of her home life, which she finds oppressive. Meanwhile, Sula dreads the disorganization of her home. Sula’s problems with her parents become more apparent when she overhears her mother telling another woman that she loves Sula but does not like her (Perkins and Perkins). In “Half and Half,” Rose Hsu also struggles with her mother’s expectations. Her mother disapproves of her choice to date an American boy, who Rose confesses she is attracted to because he is brash and so different from the Chinese boys she knows. Rose also struggles to understand her mother, who has lost her faith but still clings so much to tradition. Rose is particularly troubled by her mother’s reaction to her brother’s drowning death – the event that caused her mother to lose faith in God. Finally, in “Every Day Use,” Dee struggles with her mother’s views so much that she completely rejects them. She throws herself into modern life and criticizes every aspect of her mother’s world. She rarely visits and when she does come, it is only to take items that she believes have monetary value. She changes her name, changes her style and feels superior to her mother and sister (Perkins and Perkins).

The girls in each of these stories also struggle with the modern world. Nel becomes the victim of Irish bullies at school because of her color. She is saved only by Sula’s calm, brave behavior. Meanwhile, in “Every Day Use,” Dee’s slower, plainer sister Maggie suffers from Dee’s actions and treatment of her. She accepts that Dee is better than she is, and doesn’t try to stop Dee from taking items that are rightfully hers. It is her mother who finally stands up to Dee (Perkins and Perkins).

In every story, some of the girls discover romance and sexuality. For Sula and Nel, the first introduction to these realms is coarse and sexist. It comes in the form of a young man referring to them as “pig meat.” Even though the introduction is somewhat ugly, the girls are delighted by it. Sula also gains some exposure to sexuality when she meets with the “lusty” glances of Shadrack and leaves her belt behind in his home. Rose’s introduction to romance is more innocent. She becomes involved with Ted in a politics class, after he offers to pay her for notes and she accepts coffee instead of money. But the love she experiences if one that is somewhat dominating. Rose says she “played a victim to his hero” and that the cycle of her needing a savior and him saving her became an addicting cycle which was how they made love to each other (as much as anything they did in bed) (Perkins and Perkins).

Dee, meanwhile, let’s romance and sexuality change her whole identity. In her involvement with her boyfriend, she changes her name to “Wangero.” Her relationship makes her hostile toward oppressive Americans and she, along with her boyfriend, assumes identities that are rather counter-culture (Perkins and Perkins).

All of the characters emerge from the stories with a better idea of how to face the struggles in their lives. Nel and Sula gain strength for one another and feel strong enough to live the way they wish to, rather than succumbing to the will of either society or their parents. They reject both cultures in favor of their independence. Amy Tan emerges from her struggle, strong enough to win the house from her husband after he has an affair and demands a divorce. She embraces more of her mother’s culture and rejects modern limitations. Dee rejects her mother, but her mother also stands up to her. Dee, then, emerges angry, but her sister Maggie emerges stronger, her mother finally favoring her. Maggie, then, embraces her mother’s life and expectations (Perkins and Perkins).

Although each story ends differently, each author offers a realistic perspective on the struggles faced by minorities in America as they grow up.

Works Cited

Perkins, George and Barabara Perkins, The American Tradition in Literature. 12th Edutuib. Vol. 2. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2009.