kristinberry

After finishing American Son, I was pleased but not completely satisfied. I feel like the author avoids particular areas that is of certain discussion, such as the true meaning of the dogs and Tomas' relationship with his mother. This leaves many questions unanswered, one of my biggest pet peeves with books. Authors try to be mysterious by leaving the readers wondering what happens next, yet this is not the point to literature.
On the whole, I found the story entertaining and emotionally appealing. The tensions and silent battles between Gabe and his mother were very interesting and something many could identify with even if the surrounding conditions are different. However, the mother as a character was not appealing and I blame the author for that. The author makes her meek and unable to stand up for herself, making the assumption that that is how Filipina women act, or even how they are supposed to act. Even if this wasn't his intention, the feminst side in me picked up on these attributes right away. The mother could have been developed more without ruining the story.
The relationship between Gabe and Tomas was also interesting, and more realistic. Although Tomas had his tough side, Gabe in a way brought out his more sentimental attributes. Tomas related Gabe to the dogs and his mother, two things that made him come off of his high horse and back down to earth to show love. Yet it seems ironic that Tomas would want to bring Gabe into his dangerous world since he had been so ademant about protecting him previously, and even continued to do so. This part does not coincide with the themes of protection in the book.
Gabe and Tomas' mother was also protecting them, but sheltering them from her Filipino history and the life in the Philippines. By avoiding her brother's advice for so long, it is clear she wanted them to become more "American," and would live through any conditions to make it a reality.
I guess altogether, this was a good book, but as I mentioned before, did not incorporate further story lines that I felt was necessary.

American Son deals with many issues, especially the idea of identity and what it means to a family of immigrants. Tomas is a very interesting character. He abandons his Filipino and white identities and takes on a culture similar to Mexican Americans in his area. I believe this is because he has negative experiences in both arenas. His father is white, and the last memory he has of him is an image of running out on his family, violence, and disgrace toward his mother. His mother who is Filipino has only experienced degredation from her brother and x-husband. It is these characteristics that Tomas has learned to connect to the specific nationalities, leading him to abandon this background because of the negative attributes. Furthermore, in the area where the family lives, the Mexican American community is predominant, and the author speaks nothing about any kind of Filipino community. This is also why Tomas attempts to belong to this group so that there is some kind of connection and support.
Continuing on the idea of his mother, he feels the need to protect her. He constantly talks about how if someone disrespects her, he would hurt them. This mostly is a result of watching his mother being disrespected by his father. This is also why Tomas keeps Buster around. Although he says he keeps him because he is the only one he is attached to, he is only attached to him because Buster means something to his mother. The dog also protects his mother by lying with her on her bed and making her feel a little more safe.
The whole story line with Tomas training the dogs is a little hard to read into. While he is trying to abandon his white identity, at the same time he is embracing it by training the dogs in German, one of the most stereotypical anglo cultures.
Gabe is also struggling with his identity. Although he is not following in his brother's footsteps, he is struggling with what he really is. Although he sees himself as Filipino, he wants everyone else to see him as white and fears the moment when they may realize differently. The storyline with him and the tow trucker especially represents his dilema with sharing any kind of acknowledgement with his background.
However much Gabe and Tomas may be struggling with their ethnicities, I feel like they will come to some kind of understanding by the end of the story.

The ending of Carlos Bulosan's America is in the Heart is very long winded and concluded the story on a poor note. Bulosan's constant rhetorical questions and repetitive writing drown out the actual story. I disconnected with the story because Bulosan abandoned the innocent principles of right and wrong and got into talking about himself too much. To be honest, I was forcing myself to finish the book. I found the video on the International Hotel much more interesting and had a more realistic touch to it. Unlike the end of Bulosan's book, I kept interest and found it still pertinent all the way through.



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