In My American Girls: A Dominican Story, all three of the daughters have an identical upbringing. They all grow up in the same crammed house in Sunset Park. They all grow up going to school while their parents work two jobs each to support them. They all grow up exposed to their Dominican Republic roots through their family traditions. Yet they each are very distinct individuals who represent different American experiences and identities.
The eldest, Monica, is the most removed from her Dominican roots. Going to an Ivy League college, she fulfills the American dream of achieving a prestigious education. Her American identity is further strengthened by her disassociation from the Dominican crowd. Instead of living with the rest of her family in Sunset Park, she moves to an upscale, more expensive neighborhood with her American boyfriend. This change in her living situation is a clear attempt on Monica’s part to distance herself from the community she was raised in. The neighborhood intrinsically does not harm her ambitions in any way, but rather the community hinders her attempts at “making it.” She does not wish to rebuff her hardworking parents, but she does intend, and humbly so, to elevate herself in society. And while she is physically and culturally separated from her family in Sunset Park, she recognizes that each of her achievements is a first for any of her family members in America. It was interesting to note how swift her career shift from neuroscience to acting was; such a change is only possible in America, where people is able to alter their future goals on a whim in order to enjoy the [American] experience by doing something they truly enjoy.
Aida, the middle child, also discusses jobs and a future, despite being only sixteen. She wants to have money to buy things, something that most American teens take for granted. Her parents struggle to barely support the family and pay the bills; they certainly cannot support a life of materialism that is prevalent in today’s youth. Instead, Aida feels the need to get a job so as to support her desire to shop. She starts out by working at McDonald’s-what she considers a classic job. (“I mean, it’s McDonads.”) Fired for her tardiness, she recognizes that now she will have more time to study for the SAT’s- a priority in the eyes of her teacher’s but not her own. Despite not being the most conscientious, Aida does orate that she wishes to break away from the pattern of not graduating, a rampant problem among many Dominicans.
The youngest, Myra, has complete disregard for the concerns of her two older sisters. She contributes to the statistic of Latinos not doing well in school; she fails math and has to attend summer school. An American experience that she considers import is hanging out with her friends. For her, friendship is more of a priority than school work-an idea that causes her to clash with her mother. While the oldest daughter barely acknowledges her Dominican roots, Myra is clearly the most conflicted by her heritage. She desperately tries to be a normal American teenager, but feels confined by living in Sunset Park. There are intercommunity problems where she lives: at one point, she is harassed by other children and needs her mother to smooth things out. The declaration of her desire to go live in the Dominican Republic, despite never having grown up there, reflects an important aspect of her identity crisis as an American teen. She feels that the possibility to have a normal American existence is hindered by her identity; she believes that she would belong in the Dominican Republic.
Since the parents work late hours, the daughters are stuck watching television all night. The daughters recognize that because of their unique identity as Dominicans, their American experience is not the average one. The family infuses their heritage into their daily life through language and food in addition to returning to the Dominican Republic for vacation. Specifically because of financial and cultural hardship, the daughters acknowledge that their experience in America is second rate. Identifying with the American culture, unfortunately, is not enough to have the ideal American experience, identity, and existence.
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A question that resonated throughout the course of the movie was whether or not the second generation felt any obligation to the first generation –the parents- to succeed and achieve the American dream. The movie made me feel very guilty as I watched the parents toil from early in the day until the late hours. Yet the children showed both appreciation and disregard for what their parents did. A clear theme that was prevalent was that the parents were willing to sacrifice their well being for the sake of their children achieving success and having a better life than they did. But did their children necessarily wish to reciprocate this easier way of life? Certainly, their upbringing was not one that was enviable. Nonetheless, were they in a way taking the better lifestyle they have, compared to their parents’, for granted?
