Immigrants: An Analysis

It seems like the stories of immigrants and their children suggest that at first children reject their parents’ culture and ideas as archaic and non-applicable in the new world, but later in life these children start to see the importance of their past roots and where they came from. They find a way to both assimilate and accomplish American ideals, while still not rejecting their history. In my own life I find this extreme applicable. The three books which I have cited all relate to the many directions in which my heritage goes: my maternal grandfather’s Chinese-originating family had been in Hawaii for many years before my mother was born there, my maternal grandmother immigrated to Hawaii from China, and while my paternal grandparents immigrated to California from Canada and England before my father …show more content…
My father never spoke any Hebrew, while his past generations definitely did. My parents are both prime examples of the same type of first generation bridging assimilation we see in the three novels. My mom tells me stories of making Don Tat custards with her mother but also of applying to colleges on the mainland with an itching desire to move out of Hawaii and delve further into American academics. My dad is the quintessential Los Angeles Jew who attended Americanized Hebrew School once a week and participated in Jewish teen organizations aimed at perpetuating secularized Jewish culture more so than the overly-traditional version of the religion itself. In a way, they both have almost nothing to do with their parents’ home countries as they both are now a settled American family living in Oakland with two kids, but in other ways they have maintained an understanding and appreciation for where my family comes from. As a Second Generation child, I have been taught the importance of both remembering my cultural background and also succeeding in modern