Introduction
Earlier Asian immigration to the United States was driven by dreams of a better life espoused in the American dream. Even today, America is among the most preferred destination countries by potential immigrants. For most people, the desire to migrate is to escape extreme poverty locally and build a new life in the United States, even though the economic reality is different. The book, Girl in Translation, dwells on the socioeconomic struggles, prejudice, and sacrifices Asian immigrants make to realize their dreams of a better life in America. Through the protagonist, Kimberly (Kim), it becomes apparent that hard work and focus can be a pathway to success for her family, even in the face of hardships, pervasive stereotypes, and pressure to conform to dominant cultural norms. The central idea in Chapter 3 of the book is Kim’s struggle to balance work and school and the enormous determination needed to succeed. The overarching theme in this chapter is that disadvantaged Asian immigrants in America prioritize education as a pathway to a better life.
Summary Response
Kim and Ma learn that their apartment’s radiator is faulty, as the winter cold bites. Ma’s many requests to have the heater fixed go unheeded. While working at the factory one afternoon, Kim lies to Matt about her week-long truancy but he admits regularly skipping school too. She later confesses this habit to her mother and after a pep talk, she promises to focus on her education for Ma’s sake. In class the following week, Kim experiences an embarrassing moment after asking for a “rubber” instead of an “eraser” from during a math test (Kwok, 2010). However, Annette comes to her aid, and the two become friends after the incident. Annette assists Kim with English and she teaches her Mandarin. As the weather becomes colder, Ma and Kim put on heavy clothes and resort to turning the oven on to keep warm but in vain. At school, her teacher, Mr. Bogart, is unimpressed with Kim’s good performance, instead, he makes fun of “the fairer sex” and incompetent female learners (Kwok, 2010, p. 51). Kim likes a boy named Tyrone, Mr. Bogart’s favorite student who scores exceptional grades.
The ideas from the chapter illustrate the struggles of children who are forced to combine work and school. One claim that can be made here is that the American laws do not protect migrants, even legal ones, as would be expected. Abuse of the rights of minorities is seen in the landlord’s failure to fix the radiator despite Ma’s persistent calls. While apartments located in areas that get cold are required to install heaters, Ma and Kim do not demand that the property owner repairs theirs sooner. This situation implies that they are unaware of their rights or lack the power to push the landlord. Further, Kim and Matt are forced to work in the factory to survive by their families despite being minors. Again, here the illegal practice of child labor is tolerated despite its harmful effects on the children’s futures. Minors working under exploitative conditions are likely to skip school (like Matt and Kim did) or drop out completely. Therefore, Ma advises Kim to avoid Matt and other children like him that value work more than education.
A second claim is that academic success is highly valued by Asian immigrants as a gateway to the American dream. Therefore, poor performance increases fears of failure among migrant children. It is in Kim’s motivation for going back to school after talking with her mother. Ma tells their predicament of being entrapped in poverty if Kim fails to work hard in her education. Kim explains, “I had to go back to school on Monday. Pa was dead and no one could save Ma from the factory life” (Kwok, 2010, p. 51). To realize this dream, she had to overcome cultural barriers and assimilate into the American culture first. In class, Kim is disadvantaged for being shy and speaking poor English. For example, Kim’s naming of an eraser as a rubber leaves her embarrassed but increases her resolve “to perfect her English” (Kwok, 2010, p. 90). Mr. Bogart’s sexist comments and Kim’s poor language skills contributed to her bad grades in tests. However, she does not reveal her struggles to anyone, possibly to shield Ma from disappointment. Kim’s admiration of Tyrone shows how she wanted to perform well like him.
Conclusion
The central argument in this paper is that education remains the main gateway to the American dream for students with a migrant background. Kim is depicted as an exceptional student keen on using her intelligence to overcome poverty. For her, academic success is the only key to a better life. As such, she had to assimilate into the American culture to keep her dream alive. Kim’s experiences in this chapter illustrate the hardships that Asian immigrants face in trying to assimilate into mainstream culture. They have to work twice as hard as other children in school, learn English, and conform to new social norms and standards. The least we could do as Americans are to advocate for minority rights and better opportunities for migrant families.
Reference
Kwok, J. (2010). Girl in translation. Riverhead Books.