American Daydreamer

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American Daydreamer
What does it mean to be American? In her essay “American Dreamer”, Bharati Mukherjee poses this question to the reader. Mukherjee is an American citizen, and this is something she takes great pride in, but she was not born here. As an immigrant, she was exposed to different cultures, which gave her a unique perspective on freedom, culture, and the American dream. In her essay, she attempts to define the meaning of American by her experiences in other cultures, as well as, exploring what being American looks like from the outside in.
“I am a naturalized U.S. citizen, which means that, unlike native-born citizens, I had to prove to the U.S. government that I merited citizenship” (355). Mukherjee is an American citizen; although she originally be from a different culture, she has integrated and contributed to our society. For Mukherjee, being an American was more than just a check in the box. Being an American meant that she was free to choose her own path. In her family, she was expected to participate in an arrange marriage, be an obedient daughter, and stay within the limits of her caste (356). To be American meant freedom from the chains of her old world, and freedom is earned. How did Mukherjee prove that she merited citizenship? She enrolled in an American college, impulsively married an American, paid her application fees, took a citizenship test, and alienated herself from her family (356). After all, what is more American than moving out, getting hitched, and disappointing your overbearing parents?
Mukherjee compares her experiences in Indian culture, Canadian culture, and finally American culture in her quest to describe “American.” In India, she was a part of a primarily “…Hindu, Bengali-speaking, a...

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...ing, and above all, to participate in the improvement of society. Society is improved when cultures are mongrelized in the American fabric. The ultimate goal of her essay was to reach out to all Americans in a plea to define what America truly is and to “…come to an agreement about who ‘we’ are, and what our goals are for a nation” (358). “Who is American and what is American” (357) is the wrong question to ask. We are American, we are the people, we are one nation, and we must work together to further the American dream. Her title, “American Dreamer” is a play on her hopes and wishes for these things to happen, but at least this is America, where all your dreams can come true, or so they say.

Works Cited

Mukherjee, Bharati. "American Dreamer." The McGraw-Hill Reader: Issues Across the Disciplines. Ed. Gilbert H. Muller. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2013. 355-360. Print.

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