The American Dream in And the Earth Did Not Devour Him,...

Millions of people of all nationalities came to America during the twentieth century with the hope of finding a new and better life for themselves. These immigrants were lured by the thought of obtaining the American Dream--life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness in the land of opportunity. Unfortunately, few immigrants were actually successful in achieving the dream. Most were faced with hardship and discrimination, instead of the expected equality and freedom. The dire living conditions hampered their ability to pursue happiness and created what W.E.B. Dubois called the veil, which refers to the fabric of racism that separates whites from other ethnicities and causes non-whites to see themselves under the distortion of a†¦show more content†¦When the ex-colored man proceeds to stand he is told to sit until the others are asked to stand. This scene shows the importance that is placed on classifying and separating within American society. He was oblivious to the con cept of black and white until the segregation was forced upon him. From that moment on he was insecure about his identity; not knowing whether to claim himself as white or black. Later, after witnessing a lynching of a black man he is conflicted with the shame that the black race would allow itself to be treated worse than animals and with the appalling idea that his country would allow a human being to be burned alive. Thus, he declares that he would neither disclaim the black race nor claim the white race. He eventually decides to pass as a white man because it seemed like the more secure path. He is constantly insecure in his decisions and is always questioning the differences between the races. He feels trapped by the expectations placed upon each race. His struggles display the ridiculousness of classifying human beings solely by their skin color. A similar theme is seen in Carlos Bulosans America is in the Heart. However, the protagonist of this literary work is a Filipino. America is seen through the veil of a Filipino immigrant, who represents the collective experience of the many Filipinos who came to America in search of the American Dream. HeShow MoreRelatedStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 Pagesreproduced, with permission, in this textbook appear on the appropriate page within text. Copyright  © 2013, 2011, 2009, 2007, 2005 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Prentice Hall. All rights reserved. Manufactured in the United States of America. This publication is protected by Copyright, and permission should be obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying