Immigration seems to be one of the main themes this semester because the autobiography in English class, Brother I’m Dying, discusses the similar difficulty of the transition immigrants suffer through.
This new land, most likely New York, is depicted as a refuge for people who have to escape the horrors from their own country. The main character, with the intention of bringing his wife and daughter over, leaves home because he and his family are being oppressed. These feelings are evident from their fear-ridden facial expressions, the deserted streets, and the lurking shadows of scary-looking claws. We can sense that there is something dark and evil present although, we might not be able to pinpoint exactly what, or who, it is.
Every person the main character engages with talks about his past and the horrors his country possessed, which were, surprisingly, all different. The first man faced mass genocide in his country, which possibly depicted the Holocaust. The old man escaped the damages of war in his country. All here now working with a huge smile on their face did nothing but encourage the main character to achieve this kind of life too. The “American Dream” being not the riches of the world on your doorstep but being the chance of peace and safety. With this fact, one can lead a happy, mostly mediocre financial, life.
As I wrote in my post, I think the animal on the front cover is emblematic of the confusion that immigrants had to face when they moved to America. Imagine moving to a new country where the language, area, food, customs, architecture, education, work, and even pets are different. When we first saw that animal, we probably thought, “huh?” But I feel like that’s how immigrants felt when they saw…well, just about everything in this country. It’s just a theory.