Second generation immigrants like Tan often have the most difficult time, pulled between two cultures. For example, she describes her Christmas Eve dinner using words like "appalling," "slimy," and "disappointment," which I thought was a bit excessive. At the end, however, she states that dinner was comprised of "all [her] favorite foods" (8). It became clear to me then that her previous exaggeration was a parody, a way to poke fun at her younger self. It took Tan "many years" (8) to realize the truth of her mother's lesson that her "only shame is to have shame" (7).
Personally, I've never faced the issue Tan describes. I attribute this to living in Troy, where there are many other Chinese families. It never occurred to me to be shameful of my race, since so many of my friends were the same as me. Growing up in Troy sheltered me from the pressure to conform to American culture, ironically, by pressuring me to conform to Chinese culture.
Her story makes me wonder, though, what would have happened if I had stayed in Connecticut. I lived in Branford before I moved to Troy, as one of a few Chinese Americans. Even back then, I had already started to assimilate: all of my friends played baseball, so I played baseball (except I was terrible at it). I can only imagine that I would be very different today--and I definitely would have faced the tough choice of being part of the group vs. sticking to family tradition.
The environment we grow up in, it seems, drastically changes our self-identities.
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| On a side note, this is rock cod, and it is delicious. |
Newton, your 100% right. Although my Dad didn't grow up here, he felt the pressure to assimilate. My Dad tells me stories about being one of the only Indians in Texas and how he was kind of forced to assimilate. He used to be a vegetarian but lost a lot of weight in Texas because there were not many vegetarian options and he can't cook (Luckily my Mom's got it covered). He was forced to become an omnivore simply because of his environment.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting take on assimilation. It's true that we in Troy don't have to be ashamed of our race. Growing up with many asians makes it unnecessary to abandon culture. It was also interesting that you played baseball newton. After all the years i've known you, the only sport I know you played was tennis.
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