American Son

On nonpareil circulate, globalization created an build of modernity and pleasur adequate living taking us on the despatch of development spree, yet on the differentwise hand this very Globalization created paradoxical complex situations in the lives of our youthful ones. These young ones who on one hand want to break all the cords of conventional thoughts and ideologic patterns that were dominating in their societal world and on the other hand want to enter into the world sh avouch to them by the materialistic guild of today.Childrens dreams and images of the glamorous world shown to them in the American society are liberal to turn their versatile mind to state of wards the fulfillment of realization of their goals. But more and more children from different parts of the world trying to follow the ideals of the glamor and government agency showered on them by Hollywood, more and more they arrive themselves compound into the web of unsuccessful endeavors resulting in lash ing a crystallizest each other. This very stupid position of their counterpart carriage cheekd by the children has been captured in the heterogeneous words of American son.The novel revolves around Filipino immigrants, and the printing that the American culture in Globalization world have on them, the problems they are facing in searching their own identity and the groundless effects on them resulting from the racism. The attraction of the children for the materialistic goods, their desire for luxurious life and the lack of familial bond they had to face take them to the path of abhorrence green soap them for stealing and coveting.Globalization brought the glamour world into the souls of the generation next coaxing them into following unattainable ideals of the fashionable world, and when success remains aloof from these young Filipino Americans, they resort to crime and violence. The society of Filipino American youths so revealed in 1993 in California by Brian Roley refle cts the underbelly of the modern immigrant accept ( defend cover). The dilemma of the Filipino youths is seen through the eyes of Gabrielito Sullivan, fifteen-year- gray American son.He was a boy who was born and brought up by white father and Filipino mother. The social unit family strove to maintain a balance between their traditional values raise by the voice of Uncle Betino in the Philippines through his letters and the attractions of the genre gradation of the American society, living in West LA. Gabrielito, nickname Gabe, his mother, and his older associate Tomas, emigrated to America almost ten years before, had to fight at every stage of their life to regain their identity in the multifarious metropolis of Los Angles.They had to rely on menial or dead end jobs external from their families, as seen by Rhacel Parrenas, partial citizenship, the pain of family separation, the experience of contradictory ground level mobility, and the feeling of social exclusion or non-bel onging in the migrant partnership (Parrenas, 12), speak volume of the sufferings they had to go through and the trauma of the violent acts they had to face due to poverty that had put all the concepts of Globalization lay bare. Gabe did non see his father, since the day he got drunk and returned from his station in Germany.He fluid remembered that darkest phase of his life when his father thrashed the children and making fun of Filipinos and her family, the father told Tomas that he lone(prenominal) married their mom because he wanted someone spiritless and obedient, exactly had been fooled because she came with a nagging extended family. (Roley 24) When his father left the home, Gabes mother would often call up her brother in the Philippines to examine his advice on how she should bring her children up.She would often receive letters from Uncle Betino to send her sons back to Philippines to imbibe in them some of the Asian virtues of the family heritage. (Roley 201) These letters did not resign Gabes mother to come out of her roots and neither allowed her to in full assimilate herself in the American society. Even though economical hardships loomed jumbo on her face, she still did not want to go back as she could not bear the heat, showers that spread smell, the insects, diseases, and relatives who make tsismis about each other behind their backs (Roley 33).Tomas tried to reconcile himself into the American family and defying the racist and discriminatory military strength by showing his masculinity. He would often end up in the family parties with his muscles all covered in gangster tattoos and his head shaved nap to stubble and his eyes bloodshot from pot. (Roley 15) This character and personality adopted by Tomas spread the spark of rebel and violence against his own self and against the duplicate society. He was al focuss finding himself in the company of tough Mexicans and his tattoos the likes ofwise postured the Mexican identity.His tat toos are mostly gang, Spanish, and old-lady Catholic, Gabe observed, as he noted the unadulterated of Guadalupe tattoo that covers his back from his neck down to his pants. (Roley 17) Tomas tried to use the stump and racists attitude of the society to fulfill his commercial gains. In his business of Dogs, he uses the language that signifies the stereotype image that is breathing in the American souls. He uses German language to sell his dogs and all to the rich people and celebrities. (Roley 15) He uses the tactic of story telling with nationalized concept to draw in the assist of his clients towards his dogs.He is often heard saying to his clients that his dogs have pedigrees that go back to Germany, and that they go from dogs the Nazis use and that his training is a Teutonic art that goes back to the Prussian war states. (Roley 20) Its lonesome(prenominal) by proclaiming himself as Nazi that he is able to find himself recognized and legitimate citizen among high-class soci ety of America. The most tantalizing part lies in the fact that all lies are easily interpreted for granted, as building block society is inflexed with racism. Since ages, Asian males had been subjected to mistreatment and exclusion laws.Their masculine power were thought of as a crime and considered as harmful for the whole society as they were thought of to be terminator of diseases, miscegenation and informal corruption. Majority of the males were put to work considered as feminine in nature and were poorly paid and were represented in Media as hypersexual. In a bid to develop a viable his identity as a macho man, time and again, Tomas would succumb himself in violence and goes to an extent of thrashing his brother, whenever he looked at his subservient attitude.Though both Tomas and Gabe loved their mother provided they would get frustrated at their helplessness and by the financial difficulties that they had to endure and to overcome this Tomas involved himself in all pet ty crimes like assaulting others, jailbreak into the houses of other people, and robbery. By the end of the novel, he took Gabe on with him for stealing the goods of other people and past again selling them only with a hold to increase their wealth and along with that the status of their mother. Tomas stole the items like disposal sinks faucets and bathroom fittings and in exchange bought a new bed for her mother.Once in a house of Brentwood Park, Tomas told Gabe, Look for the pearls. Or anything with gold on it. lug the silver stuff. It wouldnt look good on her brown skin. (Roley 147) As it was to the full clear to them that their success and to make themselves recognized in a society, wealth is the most important and established proposition, in what ever way it is shited. To gain the status and position in American society, the most important fashioning is how wealthy you are. And Tomas was following the same path.He was showering his love for mother by well-favored her all the wealthy possessions, which were constantly figured in various forms of media like glossy magazines, television, film and advertisements attracting Filipino youths. Spending the life in a capitalist society surrounded with materialistic wealth still not having any thing for themselves, the lives of Filipino youths was fitting similar to a thirsty person surrounded with sea. Its like water is everywhere but not a single drop to drink. In the social and semipolitical spheres that engulfed America in the nineteenth century it was impossible for them to earn notes in a legitimate way.There were very few options left for them to earn the status and legitimacy among high and legendry class. In his quest to acquire wealth, Tomas became a hustler. As said by Mercer and Julien, the figure of the hustler is intelligible as a valid response to conditions of racism, poverty and exploitation, it does not challenge that formation of oppression but rather accommodates itself to it illegal means are used to attain the same normative ends or goals of consumption associated with the patriarchal commentary of the mans role as breadwinner.(Mercer and Julien, 114) They think themselves as American Son only if they act violently. The violence and crime can only gratify them. They showed their pugnacity by beating Ben, one of the schoolmates of Gabe, who was also, son of rich American woman. Ben peril them to collect eight hundred dollars from their mother as she by erroneous belief knocked at the womans land Cruiser, which was in front of their school. And dapple hurling the tire iron at Bens legs, Gabe thought that, I feel a rush not of anxiety but of confidence.In a scary way I realize I like it. Strangely, that only makes my stomach worse. (Roley 215) In the end of the story, when Tomas placed his hand over Gabe just like a father would do to his son, showed the volume of the self leave power and reassurance they are giving to each other. With the help of bo th unlawful as well as legitimate ways, both the protagonists enabled themselves to get along with the ways of the world full of prejudice and disproportionate disposition.They may not be now trans-migrants like their mother, but they forgot their values and traditions and defied both woo and law. The most crucial aspect of the novel is the inner conflict of the protagonists that arises from their own self and society that is shown in Gabes nature too who was before a submissive child but soon followed Tomas way of life. When defeat by his brother, his inner instinct told him to go and take revenge and so he took revenge on Tomas by stealing his car and dog.He then ran away to Northern California so that he can find himself get rid of his family and from his brothers violent behavior towards him but his bonds for his family succumbed him to return and join Tomas. Todays youths want to unleash the old conventional ways of life and grasp the wealth and power, and when they dont ge t it they resort to crime. They want to ask questions and seek reliable answers from society and from their life, and when they do not get the answer they find their own way whether it is crime or other wise.This is a way of the world as they are the youths and sons of this world. WORKS CITED Mercer, Kobena and Isaac Julien. Race, Sexual Politics and Black Masculinity A Dossier. Male Order Unwrapping Masculinity. Ed. Rowena Chapman and Jonathan Rutherford. London Lawrence & Wishart, 1988. 97-164. Parrenas, Rhacel Salazar. Servants of Globalization Women, Migration and Domestic Work. Stanford CA Stanford UP, 2001. Roley, Brian Ascalon. American Son. New York Norton, 2001