Immigrants and the American Dream
According to Miyares (2009), the United States has and will continue to be an important immigrant-receiving country. The country is widely known as a significant destination for international migrants, coming from Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and even Europe. Immigrants are an essential part of American life and culture, also playing a pivotal role in shaping the social, economic, and political landscape of the country in the modern era.
Real Women have curves that portray the story of Ana, who is the youngest daughter of Latino working-class immigrants from Mexico, Carmen, and Raul. Ana’s family, together with her older sister, lives in a community in East Los Angeles. The story is set in 1987 and perceives the story from Ana’s point of view and the challenges as she grows and survives in American society. The pursuit of education is a strong and recurring theme in this film, as evidenced by Ana, who is a motivated and determined student.
On the other hand, making your home among strangers is a reflection by Lizet Ramirez, who is set as an adult in the theme. She is a first-generation Cuban-American immigrant who reflects on childhood memories of Miami, which is a “city she used to call home.” In her depiction, the city is crisscrossed with canals, and many of her memories are centered on those canals. However, now she works as a scientist working to save coral reefs and rehabilitate bodies of water. Lizet amuses her coworkers with the tales of all the “illegal” things which her parents used to dump in canals, like motor oils and dead hamsters. She even narrated an instance when her father found a dead body in a canal but did not tell anyone- until the corpse got worse and worse. The recurring theme in the story is how different her life had become, and the significant contrast between her past and her present. For instance, as a child, she didn’t care about being thrown into canals around her house, but now her present life is dedicated to keeping water bodies clean and clear. The author, as pointed out, shows this contrast to show the readers that what they are reading about is very different from the adult Lizet.
Comparison between Lizet and Ana
Both Lizet and Ana struggle to manage their families’ expectations of them. On the one hand, Ana has to contend with her family’s demands to take care of them to the extent that her mother fakes an illness so that Ana wouldn’t have to go to school and stay at home. For Ana, she almost fees like she has to choose between her dream of going to school (and subsequently college), and her parents’ desires for her to stay with them. On the other hand, Lizet also contends with her family’s expectations of her family. Her struggles are further compounded by her mother, Lourdes, especially after her increased involvement with Ariel Hernandez, a young Cuban boy who has arrived in Miami after being rescued by the coastguard. Lourdes spends much of her time in a rally for Ariel, leaving Lizet at home to take care of her family.
Lizet and Ana also share a lot in that they are both faced with the dilemma of having to sacrifice their dreams for the sake of their families. For instance, Ana, who had received an acceptance letter to Columbia University, was considering giving up this opportunity because of family obligations, to the extent that her instructor, Mr. Guzman, had to intervene. Lizet is also faced with the same challenge, was considering giving up her internship offer as she thought she was needed at home.
Both women are alike in the sense that they did not allow their families’ expectations or demands to deter them from pursuing what they wanted to achieve in life. Lizet, despite all the backlash, decided to go to California against her family’s expectations. Despite being contrary to her family’s needs of her, she was doing this for her benefit and future. California allowed her to look for and start a new life, and she wasn’t letting go of this chance. Ana, on the other hand, despite her mother’s constant backlash on her weight, decided to embrace herself as she was, contrary to her family’s expectations of her weight loss.
The contrast between Lizet and Ana
While the two characters share a lot in common, they also have specific differences between them. First, the thematic issues are different. While Ana battles her family’s perceptions of her, especially regarding weight loss, Lizet contends with her family’s need for her to stay and take care of them.
Moreover, the two authors have different reasons for highlighting their stories. Lizet aims to show the contrast between her past and present life. At the same time, Ana aims to show that appraisals and comparisons between others can often lead to low self-esteem, but that it is also possible to reject nay-Sayers and negativity and change one’s self-appraisal, Guerrero (2012).
References
Miyares, I. (2009). Immigrants and the American Dream: Remaking the Middle Class. By William A. V. Clark. Economic Geography, 81(2), 233-235. Doi: 10.1111/j.1944-8287.2005.tb00268.x
Guerrero, Jeanne. (2012). Real Women Have Curves: A Look At The Challenges Faced By Young Latina Immigrants To The United States Real Women Have Curves: Mulheres Verdadeiras Têm Curvas: Um Olhar Nos Desafios Enfrentados Por Jovens Imigrantes Latinas Nos Estados Unidos. Raido.