“…moving from Mexico into the US was like crossing into a new world…” page 222. Young Reyna had a misconception regarding America; she imagined that life was entirely different i.e. Americans did not face the problems that they were facing in Mexico. For example, the existence of social classes that limited some essential needs such as education and healthcare services to a particular population. Individuals often fail to identify some of the benefits their home country offers them thus magnifying the misconceptions regarding the foreign nations.
The contrast between Reyna’s expectations and the reality are highlighted when she gets into America and recognizes that life is not as easy as she and other children her age had been made to believe. While Mexico America was the promising land built on the principle of equality regardless of race and class. Therefore, every individual was entitled to education and prosperity. Since such opportunities were not present in Mexico, a good percentage of the population fail to get out of poverty thus encouraging the idea of immigration. However, Reyna finds it hard to get integrated into the new nation due to the language barrier as well as her family’s’ conflicts that are brought about by the disappointments the father feels due to the unfulfilled …show more content…
Such a belief often gives people the illusion that once they get there, they can quickly secure a job and accumulate a considerable amount of wealth which will improve the living standards of their families. Although job opportunities might be available accessing them is often impossible especially for the undocumented immigrants thus forcing them to settle for low paying temporal positions. Immigrant children also face considerable challenges as they try to adapt to the new environment. For instance, Reyna states that the freedom and familial attachments they had experienced at home was no longer available in the new home. She also explains that getting along with other children was a challenge due to her accent. The outcome of such hardships is often highlighted in the family setup in the form of domestic