This
tale written by Sui Sin Far is extremely heart wrenching, but not unheard of to
people who are exposed to the tribulations of immigration. Many people who come
over to the States have the impression that the roads here are paved with “gold”
and are ignorant towards the hardships that may follow when actually reach this
country. There is an insistence on a better life and many immigrants will do
whatever is necessary to get to what they think will be an improvement, which unfortunately
may come with several sacrifices. I
could not fathom as to why the men at the customs would not allow Hom Hing and
Lae Choo to bring their child with them. I thought it to be a bit inhumane to
tear apart a family the way that the men at the U.S.C did. Apart from the men
at the customs, the lawyer who was to help bring the child back to his parents
was more concerned about compensation for his services than he was for the
well-being of the child. Also, words probably could not describe how difficult
it can be for a mother to give away her child. I almost expected a “not without
my child” attitude from Lae Choo but because her culture at the time places
woman in a subservient position, she was forced to listen to her husband.
My question is would you allow one of your children to get
taken away, if I meant possibly providing you and them with a better life?
I think to answer this question, I'd really have to think about the culture I was raised in. Our culture seems to recognize a bond made between a mother and her child and respects that, so growing up in this setting would make it very difficult for me to allow that to happen to me. Because I grew up with these ideas, it is hard to say I could play the role that Lae Choo did. I think history has shown repeatedly, though, that overcoming the social norm is more challenging than we would like to believe it is.
ReplyDeletewould you allow one of your children to get taken away, if I meant possibly providing you and them with a better life?
ReplyDeleteIf my child was taken from me, I would not have a better life.
And I'm not sure that the child would either. A "better" life, in my opinion, is not limited to an American life. A child deprived of his culture will ultimately feel that deprivation later. I would never "let" my child be taken from me, especially in an unfamiliar country.