The American Dream In 'America Is In The Heart'

The American Dream in the 20th century can be interpreted as an ideal of prosperity that isn’t exclusive for just Americans but rather different people from across the world. The promise of freedom and a more successful life attracted mobs of immigrants and their families to migrate to America in hope of searching for better opportunities for them and their families. However the process of achieving this ideal American dream isn’t simple because it requires numerous amounts of determination and hard work. The process is exceedingly difficult and painful as those who attempted to strive for this dream had to sacrifice their humanity, their culture, and most importantly, their history. In addition to the challenging process the personality of

By accepting the background and history of one’s past, it allows the individual to be reminded of who they really are as a person. In the end remembering one’s identity can restore the faults of one’s past problems and potentially create a new future free from hardships. The novel, “America is in the Heart” is a story about a Filipino boy who struggles to escape the life of poverty in the Philippines. Allos, the main protagonist of the novel believes that America is the answer to all his struggles therefore sets foot on his journey to America only to be awakened and exploited by the cruelty of reality. During Allos’ years in the Philippines he shows signs of innocence and obedience. He is a hard working son and believes in the values of life and the teachings that his father passes down to him. An example can best be seen in chapter four where Allos helps his father cultivate his father’s borrowed land. “I tried to help him cut the tall grass with a broad cutting knife… I think you should go to town and live with your mother said my

She never had interest in her family’s history nor did she bother to embrace her cultural background. She lived the life of a completely assimilated Asian American where she attends school at UCLA to study law and after graduating she plans on marrying her girlfriend, Laura. However, as time progresses in the story, Jackie beings to learn more about her grandfather’s past and slowly realizes that her grandfather went through several struggles in order to survive in America as a first generation immigrant. Through this she was able to learn and understand more about her family’s history which helps her connect back to her roots. An example can best seen in chapter twenty three where Laura and Jackie got into an argument about the immigrants and the unfair laws that were being placed upon them, “The thai workers, the indentured servants. I heard they might be getting deported… but your boss is too concerned about his own selfish ass to speak out about it, isn’t he?” (Revoyr 224). Jackie’s anger and frustration demonstrates that she has now developed a strong care and passion for the other minority communities. She gains a better understand about the illegal immigrants that were constantly on the news in which she is able to relate with them thus giving her a more in depth view of the world. The disagreement that she has upon her girlfriend Laura also shows that