Immigrant Experience. Literature & Language Thesis Writing

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Immigrant Experience n Lahiri’s “Mrs. Sen’s” And “The Third and Final Continent”
Adjusting life in a foreign country is not always an easy task for immigrants. Such individuals have to shift from the lifestyles of their native countries and adapt to new ways of living. American is one of the countries in the world that accommodates individuals from all over the world. When people come to the U.S., they expect to fulfill their dreams. The belief that American is a land of opportunities has been a major contributor to attracting immigrants from different parts of the world. When individuals come to the U.S., they expect to leave a “good life.” However, this is not always the case given the challenges immigrants face in adjusting to the new life. Jhumpa Lahiri’s Interpreter of Maladies is an account of the experiences of immigrants in foreign countries. In particular, the short stories “Mrs. Sen” and “The Third and Final Continent” demonstrate how different immigrants have different experiences in American. While the main characters in “The Third and Final Continent” have a challenging but smooth transition to a new life, the character of Mrs. Sen in “Mrs. Sen” refuses to assimilate.
Immigrants experience displacement in foreign countries like American. Indian immigrants in particular not only experience geographical displacement but also socio-cultural dislocation. Reconciling native ways with the American’s pose a challenge to a majority of Indian immigrants (Alfonso-Forero). Immigrants in today’s world face numerous challenges including discrimination, lack of opportunities and nostalgia. These challenges make it uncomfortable for immigrants and cause them to have “homesickness.” Nostalgic feelings, for instance, can go beyond going back to the physical home. They can include psychological expression of a longing to recollect an emotional attachment with the native land. Lahiri’s short stories, “Mrs. Sen” and “The Third and Final Continent” in Interpreter of Maladies demonstrate different viewpoints regarding assimilation and non-assimilation. Through the experiences of the characters, Lahiri shows the dilemma immigrants face in a foreign land. Immigrants are expected to make continuous choices that may adversely affect their familial or societal expectations. How immigrants handle the concept of multiple belongings affects their stay in the foreign land.
On the one hand, “The Third and Final Continent” demonstrates how immigrants assimilate into the American way of life. In the story, the narrator, a first-generation Indian expatriate, transforms considerably after his stay in American for 30 years. The narrator demonstrates that it is possible to overcome alienation and adapt to the American ways of life. After living in the country for all that time, the narrator feels the need to assimilate into American lifestyles. The narrator indicates that “We are American citizen now, so we can collect social security when it is time” (Lahiri 197). This means that the narrator has accepted that America has become his new home. He has chosen to abandon the native country, India and become an American citizen. The narrator goes ahead and indicates that “Though we visit Calcutta every few years, and bring back more drawstring pajams and Darjeeling tea, we have decided to grow old here.” Such is a notion for immigrants who have decided to assimilate American life. The indication that the narrator indents to spend the rest of his life in American shows that he no longer values his native country the way he does with America.
Assimilation in “The Third and Final Continent” has been possible because the characters are open-minded. The narrator and his wife are open to new ways of doing things (Chifane). Instead of focusing on their Indian origin, the two are ready to embrace alternative lifestyles. The two are ready to learn more about America. They walk around discovering places where they can do shopping. At one point, the narrator discovers an individual in the streets selling fresh fish...