A few possible questions for consideration....
#1: At the beginning of today's reading, Carlos relates, "I will never let them touch me with their filthy hands! I will never let them make a domestic animal out of me" (152). How do domesticity, obedience, and subservience play into the next part of the narrative? Do the occupations, which are given to Filipinos ones which are able to allow for any movement along the social hierarchy?
#2: Bulosan is at a loss to explain the paradox of the "kind" and "cruel" Americans. How may these contradictions be justified in terms of any of the characters of the story, either American or Filipino? Is it unfair to conclude that any group of people must be either one way or another?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
#1--I think that domesticity, obedience and subservience play a huge role in the next part of the narrative. The Filipinos are in America struggling not only to make a living, but for survival in general. It seems like they can do nothing right. First of all, the fact that these people are Filipino gets them into trouble right off the bat. Their ancestry spells doom for them no matter what their actions are, honorable or not. Second of all, the Filipinos in this narrative are just trying to make a living like everyone else in America. As they try to find work to earn money for food and shelter, they are constantly ridiculed and seem to be unable to find steady work and pay. Once the Filipinos actually do find work, it is usually hard, laboring work in the fields like picking peas just as Carlos did. Even though they labor all day long, they receive hardly anything for their work. The occupations given to the Filipinos allow no movement along the social hierarchy. They are given little to no respect for the work they do and even if they are given a decent job, they still receive less than adequate respect for it. It seems as it life in America for Filipinos in this narrative is hopeless.
Post a Comment