Similarities Between The Golden Door And Italian Immigration

Gruesz explains the various definitions people of different nationalities and positions deemed the definition of ‘America’ to be. She explains that, “America carries multiple connotations that go far beyond its literal referent…[it] implies a consensual understanding of shared values, not just shared passports; the literal and figurative meaning tend to collapse into each other” (Gruesz 16). America is illustrated in two means in The Golden Door. The Italian immigrants see America as a new land; moldable to their power. They hold certain expectations and perceptions about it. To them, this is a place where diverse people are able to coexist while sharing different values and beliefs. Their anxiety towards becoming what it meant to be an American

can be felt.
Walt Whitman stated, “America is the race of all races” (17). When he said this, he is implying that America is an idea that accepts anyone and all, preventing the oppression of other races or those not born in America. However, in the film, that idea becomes contradictory. During the immigration process, the foreigners undergo numerous humiliating tests to determine whether they are adequate to enter America.
Although America is a new land with new possibilities, Salvatore utilizes an opportunity in the education testing to recreate his own home away from home.
Although Whitman gives off the impression of America’s inclusiveness, it carries a tone of arrogant pride. Implying taking only ‘the best of the best’ is illustrated when Lucy asks why they are preforming such exams. They explain their plan to integrate only the ‘smartest’ persons into America to avoid diffusing ‘simple minded’ folks. Their choice to play God opposes the notion of including people of different values. They put walls up separating the literal and figurative meaning of America by shattering the immigrant’s fantasy of America.