Custom essays on Mona in the Promised Land

The main character’s multiple identities
As the matter of fact, the problem the main character faces in “Mona in the Promised Land” is a widely-spread problem in the US, where people from all over the world attempt to find their identity as they move to the US in search of a better life. For such people as Mona and her parents, the US is a sort of Promised Land but this Promised Land is a strange land, with a strange culture, where people cannot always find their cultural identity, find their place in the society, while the process of assimilation can be long-lasting and quite painful. In such a situation, many people face the problem of self-identification, especially when they move from one country to another (Ede, 2007). People face the problem of identification because their cultural identity, which they have shaped in the course of their life, may come into conflict with their new cultural environment, which is different from their traditional cultural environment (Stewart, 2008). As a result, people cannot always identify themselves with certain social group, either ethnic or cultural, and they need to modify their identity and adapt to the new cultural environment.
Many people who have such problems tend to develop multiple identities, which imply the use of different models of behavior in a different social environment (Ede, 2007). What is meant here is the fact that an immigrant, for instance, can have one different model of behavior when he or she is in his or her community and another model of behavior when he or she interact with the dominant cultural or ethnic group. In fact, this is the case of Mona because she rejects the cultural identity imposed on her by her parents. Instead, she searches for a new, truly American identity which could help her to get integrated into the American society, gain the recognition and approval of her peers and simply become one of them. As a result, this individual may have different identities because in his or her community he or she has one model of behavior, obeys to certain cultural and social norms and traditions, whereas being outside of his or her community he or she needs to develop a different model of behavior and accept social and cultural norms of the dominant group (Ede, 2007). As a result, it is possible to speak about the multiple identities as well as about the problem of the self-identification of an individual.
Being minority and identity of the main character
Mona lives in the minority community, where people always feel their difference, their belongingness to a different cultural group which differs from the mainstream culture. In such a situation, the new generation of immigrants faces the problem of the multiple identities. The problem of multiple identities is particularly obvious in minority communities. In this respect, communities which have extremely different cultural background compared to the dominant group are particularly vulnerable to the problem of development of multiple identities.

In this respect, it is possible to refer to the problem of the main character of the book “Mona in the Promised Land” Mona, who faces the problem of the multiple identities. To put it more precisely, she cannot identify herself with a certain cultural group. She does not identify herself with the ethnic group her parents belong to. Instead, she changes her identity respectively to her wants and current position. Hence, she pretends to be a Jew, or even an African American. Mona lives with her parents and she needs to develop models of behavior and accept cultural norms and traditions of her parents’ culture. However, she does not really want to accept these cultural norms and traditions because she does not feel being like an Asia, she is rather American than Asia. This is exactly where the major problem arises because other people tend to perceive her as Asian American but she wants to be an American. She needs to be assimilated and integrated closely into the American society. In this respect, the author lays emphasis on the fact that readers should not underestimate the impact of the cultural environment of the main character. Mona is under the permanent pressure from the part of her parents, peers, and mass media. She learns biased views and stereotypes which simply forces her to find her identity. She wants to belong to one of the mainstream cultural groups but her ethnic background, her origin and her family prevents her from getting integrated fast. As a result, she moves from one cultural group to another in search of the one, where she can feel comfortable and at ease.
In such a way, Gish Jen shows that the main character does not need to move from one country to another to have problems with definition of her identity. In such a way, the author of “Mona in the Promised Land” attempts to show the audience that the concept of cultural identity is a very complex concept which is vulnerable to changes in the course of the personal development and under the impact of social environment of an individual. At this point, it is worth mentioning the fact that the main character is vulnerable to the impact of stereotypes. Being a teenager, Mona wants to like other teenagers. She wants to feel being a part of the large community. She does not want to be an outcast but she is doomed to be the one as long as she identifies herself with her Asian American community and culture. This is actually why she moves from one cultural identity to another in search of the best one. She beliefs that she can choose any identity. She can choose to become a Jew or an African American but what she really wants to be and to associate herself with is American. In such a way, the author shows the overwhelming impact of the American culture on an individual, especially a representative of a minority group like Mona. In fact, the US is a sort of melting pot, where being an American is important for all people but for many representatives of minority groups this goal is unattainable because they cannot give up their cultural identity as well as the society cannot change their biased and stereotypes attitude to them. As a result, people are doomed to look for their cultural identity as Mona does.
On the other hand, the book shows that Mona is still capable to maintain positive relationships with representatives of different groups and she is not alone in the search of her identity. As the matter of fact, the problem Mona faces in her life is the problem common to many people in the US. The desire to be an active member of the American community forces people to change their identity or to find the cultural group where they feel comfortable to belong to.
Conclusion
Thus, taking into account all above mentioned, it is important to lay emphasis on the fact that the main character of “Mona in the Promised Land”, Mona, faces the problem of multiple identities and she attempts to find her cultural identity that is of the utmost importance for the teenager. However, her desire does not meet her actual opportunities. The process of assimilation is long-lasting and needs time to get an individual integrated closely into the American society. At the same time, the assimilation occurs under the permanent pressure from the part of the social environment of an individual and often people are practically torn apart, as Mona is, their families and their cultural background and their desire to belong to the mainstream cultural group.
Works Cited
Ede, L. The Academic Writer: A Brief Guide. New York: St. Martin Press, 2007.
Jen, G. Mona in the Promised Land. New York: Vintage Press, 1997.
Stewart, R. The introduction to the Modern Drama and Literature. New York: Random House, 2008.