Essay Example on Immigration in USA: Bich Nguyen's Story

Over the last several years, immigration has increasingly been realized in the United States; this activity has spread roots across all edges and has seen multiple individuals join the United States of America daily. However, the experience of the immigrants is something that has created an atmosphere worth noting. For instance, Bich Nguyen's involvement has raised a lot of concern regarding the survival of the immigrants who often land to their new country with barely anything left for them to survive on. This illustration will mainly focus on Bich Minh Nguyen's experience as an immigrant into the United States of America and her overall experience, which she garnered while in the United States of America. The struggle to stay afloat in the USA by Bich makes her undergo certain loopholes, which also prompts her characters and culture. The effort to survive even impacts her attitude regarding a series of life aspects.

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To begin with, Bich spiritedly brawls with the existing conflict regarding her ambition to be part of American culture and also her prevailing overreaching central resistance to assimilation. The desire to be American after joining America proves futile to her previous culture; this also results in a lot of effort to maintain her lifestyle, which is also seen to be of less value in the United States territory. The cultural difference results in to increase in Bich's desire for assimilation; quitting her previous culture posed a threat to her moral justification. As a result, the fear of resorting to the new cultures superseded her desires to protect her previous bringing culture. Also, the availability of the new culture in the United States further undermines her desire to protect her past culture. As a result, the conflicts in her ambitions increase.

Nguyen's desire for American food exceeds her hopes for the Vietnamese home-prepared food. This was also evident in her statement, "I wanted something to be smashed and broken – the paradigm unspoken that ran between us like the chain-link fence in the backyard" (Nguyen, pg. 68). Through the epic on the "stealing Buddha's diner," Nguyen portrays the desires for the American foods, her desires continuously grow, this depicts the aspect of the struggle to make ends meet through the attainment of basic needs such as food. In addition to her food desire, the desire to be part of the American depicted as real people also took a great piece of her, which was also evident with her words, "real people did not eat cha gio. Real people ate hamburgers and casseroles and brownies. And I wanted to be a real person, or at least make others believe that I was one" (Nguyen, pg. 56).

Her desire, however, exceeds her previous desire for their Vietnamese food, which was often home prepared. In this Nguyen focus on food to illustrate her information clearly shows the aspect of the struggle to attain food as a refugee, she is also seen as not having enough choice of basic necessity to satisfy herself. Nguyen's upbringing by the stepmother also illustrates the desire for food. This comes in the sense that living with stepmother often denied her a range of choices in the aspects of food, which in turn results in her desires for food at a later stage in life.

Her Buddhism development also impacts Buch. Rosa effectively plays a vital role in enhancing Bich's development, Bich is equipped with primary education and to Buddhism religion which later all impacts on her actions. Similarly, her training regarding the involvement in Buddhism also impacts her way of thinking at a later stage. This consequently plays a vital role in the shaping of individual character.

In addition to the above mentioned, Buch's desire for American food is relatively seen to concepts with her desire for information about her left behind mother. Throughout the book, Bich is portrayed as having an extralong desire for American cuisine. This desire also results in Bich's reflection of her mother perceived to have been left behind in Vietnam; these actions consequently result in her struggle to maintain her identity while in the United States of America. This desire is, however, faced with challenges as she is unable to acquire adequate information vital to assist her in her mission aspect, which also evident in the stealing Buddha's dinner. Despite the challenges Nguyen's underwent she does not leave behind the thought of her mother whom she left behind, 'While I studied fractions and followed once again the path of the Joads along Route 66, immigrants in their own country, my real mother was out there, too, threading her way to the United States' (Nguyen pg. 130)

Nguyen struggles with the aspect of Christianity; she develops a critique of the same while she compares to the Buddhism beliefs. The USA is a nation full of Christianity beliefs, poses a threat to Ngunyen's spiritual development. For instance, she is seen struggling with the conception of Christianity as it is depicted to have several cases of rejection of its believers. She ends up acknowledging the existence of Christianity as a result of the continued alienation emanating from the whites.

She also undergoes a challenge in the distinction of moral and social values regarding her upbringing, especially her home ideas aaBm the Christianity desires, which is, however, met with a challenge as she ends up finding it hard to live with Christianity also being a dominant religion in the United States. More often, religion plays a vital role in society; it also enhances the acceptance in a given community. The difficulty of Nguyen embracing Christianity, which was also a dominant religious belief, minimizes her recognition as an American. This also affects her general sociability. As a result, she further develops an interest in her past religion. On the other hand, Bich struggles with the trauma as a result of separation from her mother. The divorce unscientifically impacts on her general wellbeing; she ends up fighting with her mother's memories. Because of the impact, it develops in her life.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the life of immigrants is associated with several milestones that need more than just perseverance to overcome. This life is also attributed to a series of cultural assimilation, which is often depicted to hurt personal wellbeing, just like Nguyen stated: "She only made sense here, in this hidden-away place, this undercover club with its coded foreign language" (Nguyen, 112). Life as an immigrant only made sense while at that particular state. Therefore, individual living as immigrates should embrace the actual culture from the respective nation to blend positively with the natives of that specific nation to minimize the negativities that might be attributed to the act of immigration.

Work cited

Nguyen, Bich Minh. Stealing Buddha's Dinner: a Memoir. New York, N.Y. : Penguin Books, 2008 Stealing Buddha’s Dinner (Viking 2007)