The meaning of the American passport to Gracina in "Caroline's Wedding"
Set in the United States and Haiti in the late 1900s, "Caroline's Wedding" is the last story in Krik? Krak!, the compilation of stories about Haitian by Edwidge Danticat. If in "New York Day Women" Danticat introduces us to the struggles and pitfalls of Haitians when they first arrived in the United States, then in "Caroline's Wedding" she shows us the solution to those struggles and pitfalls. There are plenty of topics that appeared in "Caroline's Wedding"--from cultural understanding to family relationships to adapting to American's culture. Among these topics, one thing stood out the most for me: the anxiety when Gracina applies for her naturalization papers and her utmost happiness when she receives her American passport. For many American citizens, these documents are just a piece of paper that people are bound to have when they were born, but for Gracina, they are her "weapons", her bullet-proof vest, and her armor in the battlefield called U.S.A (Danticat 198). Why does these piece of paper mean so much to her like that?
The United States is known for its immigrant history. From its founding, United States was built by immigrants all around the world. They came for different reasons: some wanted to seek fortune, some wanted to change their life, and some wanted to find a new place to practice their religious beliefs. All in all, they all had one thing in common: they wanted to make the U.S. a great country. And they did. Over the years, the U.S. grew stronger and stronger, and gradually became the powerhouse of the world. Because of that, many people around the world also wanted to go to the U.S., to reach the "American dream" inside them. However, as more and more people sought the "American dream," troubles also came along: terrorism, crimes, unemployment ... In response to these problems, the U.S. put out more laws and regulations restricting immigration, making the "American dream" harder and harder to achieve. Moreover, immigrants in the U.S. around the 20th century also faced discrimination - ironically, from the other immigrants who had migrated earlier than them. People blamed immigrants for many things: job stealing, causing crimes, dirty, petty, ... Because of that, even when immigrants risk their lives to enter the U.S., those who made it continue to live "as a second-class citizen in a shadow world of poverty and fear" (Hauser 123).
Similar to other immigrants, many Haitians wanted to achieve freedom in the U.S. (Hauser 113). Due to political turmoil in Haiti, many Haitians escaped their country and fled to other countries, predominantly the U.S. However, once they entered the U.S., they faced similar issues like other immigrants: discrimination, poor living condition, fear of deportation by law any time, ... For many, even when they entered the U.S., it was still like living in hell.
However, with a booklet called American passport, all of those problems can be fixed. With that booklet, immigrants are now legal citizens, so they can legally work, don't have to fear the deportation law anymore, and especially, that piece of booklet, is like the recognition that they are in a new home, a "new world" called the United States.
Gracina and her family went through all sort of trouble to enter the U.S., but without the American passport, she is just an outcast in a prosperous world called the United States. But with the American passport, she can finally relax now and not worry about other things related to immigrants, like "an indentured servant who had finally been allowed to join the family." (Danticat 198)
- NH
Citation:
Danticat, Edwidge. Krik? Krak! Soho Press, 2015.
Hauser, Pierre N. Illegal Aliens. Chelsea House Publishers, 1990.
The United States is known for its immigrant history. From its founding, United States was built by immigrants all around the world. They came for different reasons: some wanted to seek fortune, some wanted to change their life, and some wanted to find a new place to practice their religious beliefs. All in all, they all had one thing in common: they wanted to make the U.S. a great country. And they did. Over the years, the U.S. grew stronger and stronger, and gradually became the powerhouse of the world. Because of that, many people around the world also wanted to go to the U.S., to reach the "American dream" inside them. However, as more and more people sought the "American dream," troubles also came along: terrorism, crimes, unemployment ... In response to these problems, the U.S. put out more laws and regulations restricting immigration, making the "American dream" harder and harder to achieve. Moreover, immigrants in the U.S. around the 20th century also faced discrimination - ironically, from the other immigrants who had migrated earlier than them. People blamed immigrants for many things: job stealing, causing crimes, dirty, petty, ... Because of that, even when immigrants risk their lives to enter the U.S., those who made it continue to live "as a second-class citizen in a shadow world of poverty and fear" (Hauser 123).
Similar to other immigrants, many Haitians wanted to achieve freedom in the U.S. (Hauser 113). Due to political turmoil in Haiti, many Haitians escaped their country and fled to other countries, predominantly the U.S. However, once they entered the U.S., they faced similar issues like other immigrants: discrimination, poor living condition, fear of deportation by law any time, ... For many, even when they entered the U.S., it was still like living in hell.
However, with a booklet called American passport, all of those problems can be fixed. With that booklet, immigrants are now legal citizens, so they can legally work, don't have to fear the deportation law anymore, and especially, that piece of booklet, is like the recognition that they are in a new home, a "new world" called the United States.
Gracina and her family went through all sort of trouble to enter the U.S., but without the American passport, she is just an outcast in a prosperous world called the United States. But with the American passport, she can finally relax now and not worry about other things related to immigrants, like "an indentured servant who had finally been allowed to join the family." (Danticat 198)
- NH
Citation:
Danticat, Edwidge. Krik? Krak! Soho Press, 2015.
Hauser, Pierre N. Illegal Aliens. Chelsea House Publishers, 1990.
I thought you did a nice job of giving an introduction to the significance of Gracina's passport. It is a very important thing to have, especially for a recent immigrant.
ReplyDeleteI also liked he quote you ended with. It gives a good view to what that must have felt like.
-BG
I like how you incorporated quotes from the story and stayed central to the topic while still branching out and talking about personal feelings, good job:)
ReplyDeleteDT
A U.S. passport really is the ultimate force field for a naturalized citizen. It is awesome how that little blue book can make you feel legitimate, invincible, and untouchable. Nice post!
ReplyDelete