Advanced Essay #2: Beginning Again- Immigrant's Struggle To Start A New

Introduction-

You will be noticing the conflicts that immigrants face, that many of us are ignorant to. They are judged by American society and with this essay I hope that the readers get insight on examples of what personal issues immigrants go through. Examples of how from departure to arrival to settling to living they are faced with personal conflicts.

Advanced Essay:

Imagine you having to relocate and forget everything that was once so familiar to you. Knowing you may never see your parents again, maybe leaving a child behind, even knowing that you may not make it to your destination. And if you make it, your life will never be the same. Shedding a new skin, taking a new form; making adaption your number one goal in life. For many people this is the case, the horrible reality for many choosing to migrate.

When immigrating one of the many sacrifices having to be made is separation. Separation from family, friends, as well as the life individuals used to live. In the book Exit West by author, Mohsin Hamid, the topic of new beginnings and leaving the former behind is emphasized. The main characters Saeed and Nadia embark on a journey away from their home country which has been engulfed in war and violence. In the book Saeed and Nadia had to say goodbye to Saeed’s father before heading on their trip. “He had come to the point in a parent’s life when if a flood arrives, one knows one must let go of one’s child…because holding on can no longer offer the child protection, it can only pull the child down…” (p.96) This quote from the book shows one of the struggles that many parents encounter during life… letting go. In Saeed’s father’s case him holding on to his son could put his life in true danger. After his wife dying Saeed was the last thing to remind him of what true love is. Even though this book is fiction it depicts many real world conflicts that are faced by the families of those who immigrate. Letting go of a child is something that all parents fear. To have your child leave knowing that once they get to their destination, they may not be able to come back home ever again.

For the children of parents who immigrated successfully, one of the main conflicts that arise in their lives will be what aspect of life do they allow to identify them. For the main character of the namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri, Gogol, this is the internal conflict that he faces throughout his life. Gogol struggled with his name, with his Bengali heritage and standards of living that contradict with the American ways that he starts to embody. He starts to date American women (that his mother disapproves of). But later on in the book he starts to become interested in a Bengali women that he grew up with, they became engaged and began to plan a wedding. “From the beginning it was safely assumed by their families, and soon enough by themselves, that as long as they liked each other their courtship would not lag and they would surely wed.”(p 225-226) Through this quote, the author is portraying the sense of community that is felt when an origin is shared. In the quote it says that “they would surely be wed”, these are the customs in which they were used to in their culture. To be lucky enough to fall in love with someone who shares the same customs as you. But, when being first generation in a new place the customs your parents once knew seem as old wise tales. Earlier in the book as Gogol was becoming interested in girls he wanted nothing to do with those of Bengali descent merely based on rebellion. Why does finding someone just like you matter when being a descendent of immigrant parents?

After touching on the struggles that may occur for the family of someone who immigrates, it is time to consider a conflict the immigrant faces. For those who create families and gain citizenship they now have to face the problem of being connected to the customs and life they once knew. Gogol’s mother, Ashima, disapproved of the American he brought home, not based on character but on the fact of nationality. She wanted him to stay as deep to their roots as possible. “She is terrified to raise a child in a country where she is related to no one, where she knows so little…”(p.6) Ashima, felt that it was bad enough that she had to start a family in America where “she knows little.” To think that her grandchildren could be Americanized even more if their mother was a white American. On her and her husband’s behalf it was a struggle keeping traditions of their heritage so strong so far from where those traditions derive from. Ashima’s fear was becoming an American in her spirit. This is an internal conflict that some immigrants face. In other cases, such as Gogol’s, some battle the feeling of obligation to carry traditions with them no matter how much they embrace the culture of their present surroundings.

We in America would never truly understand the trials that occur in the lives of immigrants. They deal with separation of family, starting a whole new life, juggling two identities, and much more. Without books, biopics, real life testimonials, and encounters with immigrants, would we really understand the circumstances in which they live among us in? Even though the sources that were used are fictional, the strife that is felt in an immigrants life is real. The emotions are real, the motives are real, the issues are very real. Some of us may never know what living life like this feels like. Forgetting life as you know it, risking your life to start a new, maybe even losing who you once were. These are things that seem out of a story book, but for those who immigrate this is everyday life.

The namesake Jhumpa Lahiri-Mariner Books, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt-2019

Exit West Mohsin Hamid - Penguin Random House - 2017