It took me a while to get into the spirit of things in this book. I like how the story is portrayed in small vignettes yet still tells the tale on this one little boy throughout his life. We see how he is bullied in school just because of his race, exactly how Mexicans and those of other nationalities were and still are treated in the United States. Reading this, and being an immigrant myself, I realize the importance of how Canada treats all those who aren't natives of this country (not many are). It pains me to hear the thoughts of this little boy who wants so badly to make his family proud, and can't stand the though of telling them of his unfair failure in such an early stage in life. However, it also pains me to think that not once in his thoughts does he mention the possibility of this being unfair treatment due to his colour of skin. The boy is still oblivious to the racy thought in the heads of those surrounding him when he is in their presence. A part of me wants to shake him and halt his naivite early on, just so he can work that extra mile to overcome the difficulties that will no doubt plague him for the rest of his life. However, that other part of me also wants to blind him, to keep believing that coming to the states will give him and his family that surge of freedom, hapiness, and opportunity that is so highly talked of. The situation of this little boy and many other unrelated immigrants flooding the states as we speak (or rather as you read), hopeful for a better future, will likely not improve. Maybe relatively speaking their lives will be better off than those left behind, however mexicans are mostly viewed in the states as those to do the 'bitch work' of the americans, who only view them as minimum wage workers with no education. This may be true of some immigrants, but especially recently, many do have the education needed to suceed, but will sadly be overlooked due to their origins. Before I digress too much on immigrants and the states, let me bid adieu and see you in class.
1 comment:
It seems that many of us have become distracted by the structure of the story, or indeed the cover, and have forgotten to address the central theme: the foreign worker experience.
I was glad to read your response, and enjoy hearing a reflection from someone who can identify with the circumstances, if not the experience. Ultimately, we will all end up feeling outcast at some point in our lives, wether we are immigrants or not. His naivety is both a burden and a blessing, but I think in this novel, for the boy, ignorance is bliss.
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