Often times the immigrants to a new nation are never completely accepted as members of that nation. They are seen by the natives are aliens that are completely different than themselves. They are from a different planet with strange customs, whether they’ve been in the country for years or only a few days. The films Brother from Another Planet and West Side Story give accurate portrayals of this attitude towards immigrants.
In Brother From Another Planet, one scene that just jumps out as being a perfect example of this attitude towards the foreigner is the scene in the bar when the two white men from Indiana walk in. They are subsequently met with stares from the bar regulars. These tourists are the outsiders and obviously just don’t belong. Even though they are Americans by virtue of birth, in Harlem they are the “aliens.” Now, arguably, Indiana is a completely different world than New York City, but that’s beside the point. These men obviously did not fit into the scene and did not “belong” in that bar. Ironically, “the brother” who actually was an alien, is treated as more of an “insider” and belonging member, seemingly just because he looks like he belongs. When he first walks in to the bar after crashing to Earth the regulars call him “brother” and offer him a drink. He is largely treated like one of them, and not an outsider.
West Side Story tells a similar tale and expresses the same attitude towards the “foreigner” as being an outsider and not belonging to the group. Though the Puerto Ricans and the “Sharks” are not new immigrants to the United States and have been in America for years, they are treated as strange aliens, not to be intermixed with the white community, the “Jets.” One moment that I feel illustrates this division very clearly is at the dance. The whites and the Puerto Ricans stay on extreme opposite sides of the room with what seems like an invisible, but very real wall between them. It’s like they are in two different worlds. The languages spoken are different, as is evident when Maria is introduced to those already at the dance, as well as the style of dance. When they are forced together in an attempt to get them to mingle, they give each other looks of disgust and scurry away from their chance partners in order to dance with one of their own kind. As Alberto Sanchez mentions, even their appearances are radically different. All of the Sharks look similar and all of the Jets look similar. There are no darker skinned or dark haired Jets—to be darker would lead to being closer to being part of the rival gang, which can’t happen. During the “America” scene, it is remarked by various members of the Sharks that they aren’t any worse off than any of the Jets. They work hard and have assimilated, while some of the parents of the Jets haven’t—yet they are the ones that are the “immigrants” and discriminated against. Like in Brother From Another Planet, the fact that they look different is the reason why they are treated as second class citizens, if citizens at all. While they may be further down the road to complete assimilation culture wise than the families of the Jets, they will never be seen as fully assimilated and will have to continue to prove themselves by the stereotypical, golden-boy “Americans.”
