Is ethnicity destiny?

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

2. The protagonist´s differentness as a symbol for her individuality

3. Ethnic norms of Barbadian society in New York City

4. Selina´s rebellion against communally prescribed ethnic norms.

5. Selina as an untypical representative of the second generation

6. Conclusion

Bibliography

Is ethnicity destiny? The challenge of individuality and a self-determined life as an immigrant in second generation in Paule Marshall´s Brown Girl, Brownstones

1.Introduction

“Know who you are and you know what to do!” (Japtok 305). But if you do not know who you are, you will not know what to do. This is what characterizes Selina Boyce, the protagonist in Paule Marshall´s Brown Girl, Brownstones who displays the difficulties that emerge for an individual who lives between two cultures. Born and raised in New York City during the interwar years, she is an immigrant in second generation from Barbados. On the one hand her family is not able to give her the feeling of belonging to anywhere, which is caused by her parents´ different ideas of the American Dream. On the other hand she experiences the fact that within the Barbadian society she is only accepted if she follows certain prescribed ethnic convictions towards life in general. Furthermore, she realizes that she has to confront racism within American society, which restricts her in her personal development. The unique position of the second generation immigrants can either be a positive and fulfilling experience or a negative one, depending on how those immigrants confront their situation. The individuals have to make a decision from different options presented to them. Typically they incorporate themselves into one of the two cultures and reject the other or they accept what is best from both cultures and create a new consciousness, a new identity. Selina, however, is neither able to find her identity as a Barbadian immigrant nor as an American which eventually leads to an inner and external resignation. After all she recognizes that the only possibility to find her identity is to distance herself from her environment.

The protagonist Selina Boyce displays the challenge of finding an identity which immigrants in second generation have to face. Nonetheless, she seeks to find her identity on her own and rejects people who try to determine her identity by prescribed ethnic norms or by prejudices.

2.The protagonist´s differentness as a symbol for her individuality

The protagonist Selina Boyce is portrayed very extraordinary, which serves as an indicator for her individuality. Selina is a strength of a character which is also shown by her appearance and emphasizes her individuality. At the beginning of the novel she is described very individually and in a different way children are supposed to be. So her appearance is indicated by a “[] wide full mouth, small but strong nose, eyes which were not the eyes of a child, [] weighted with scenes of a long life.”, “[] eyes too large and old []” (2, 3). The author especially accentuates her eyes as a representation of a person´s soul, which serves as an indicator for her inner and outer differentness. The rest of her body is described in an unbecoming way, “[] scuffed legs and a body as straggly as the clothes she wore.”, which stands in contrast to her sister: “Ina was thin but soft and [] gracefully.” (2, 4). This again proves her differentness, not in general, but even within her family. Furthermore, her appearance corresponds with her character which the author also depicts very extraordinary, especially for a child aged ten. Selina is very thoughtful that is a remarkable characteristic trait for a young child. She keeps thinking about the family who had lived in the house before she and her family moved there. She even describes her home as a “museum of all the lives that had ever liver here” (3). Another characteristic trait is the inner sadness she constantly bears. This sadness is indicated by her perpetual feeling that she does not belong to anywhere, not even to her family. Here the novel contains a symbolic scene which expresses her excluded perception very clearly: “[] the family photograph [] did not include her. She wanted suddenly to send up a loud importunate cry to declare herself. “(4). Although Selina had not been born at that time the photo was taken, the photo reflects her inner feeling of invisibility. The feeling of not being a part of her family occupies her all life, which is why she is not able to answer the question where to belong and thus to find her identity. She even brings it to the point by saying to her friend Beryl she didn´t belong to her family (48). In this context Japtok argues that the author deliberately putted the protagonist as a character a little apart from her family in order to express her individuality (307). Selina´s expressive eyes, her differentness contrasting her sister and her melancholic being consequently distinguish her from her environment. Thus, Selina´s special depiction created by the author serves as a symbol for her individuality and simultaneously predicts her rebellion against ethnic norms at some point later in her life (Japtok 307).

3.Ethnic norms of Barbadian society in New York City

Barbadian society in New York City creates ethnic norms that are indicated by materialistic values. Kuran defines ethnic norms as “the ethnically symbolic behavioral codes that individuals must follow to retain social acceptance. They are sustained partly by sanctions that individuals impose on each other in trying to establish good credentials.” (623). The behavioral codes of Barbadian society in New York City are strongly influenced by their reasons for migration. Obviously Barbadian immigrants came to the U.S. in order to have a better life. The protagonist´s mother Silla makes it clear by telling her daughter about life in Barbados which is indicated by poverty, hopelessness and desperation: “It´s a terrible thing to know that you gon be poor all yuh life, no matter how hard you work. “ (58). This desperation eventually leads to an inner resignation: “You does kind of die inside.” (58). So the American Dream of those immigrants which includes to “improve yourself [economically]” and to give their children a better future, “It´s because of the young people!”, becomes understandable (149, 188). In order to let this dream come true, the West Indians have to face American reality. The novel depicts their restricted “access to social institutions such as education, housing and employment that are key for upward mobility”, which is caused by racism (Francis 21). Therefore Barbadian society uses houseownership as a strategy to protect themselves from exploitation and to maintain the opportunity to reach their American Dreams. Consequently, this strategy leads to an extended development of materialistic values. The novel displays the “Association” as an organized Barbadian community which enables Barbadian immigrants to be provided with loans in order to be able to found businesses or to purchase houses. In this context Francis argues that confronted by racism the “Association” portrays a strategic political response in order to develop a new lower middle class (23). As part of the Barbadian society, Selina´s parents share the same values. Thus, she is influenced by parents who both follow materialistic values but both in a different way. Silla aims to possess a brownstone house, which refers to the novel´s title, and exposes her idea of the American Dream. Influenced by envy of other Barbadians, “Everybody buying []”, “envy darkened her eyes []”, she imposes her will although her husband Deighton is against purchasing a brownstone house (63, 61): “I´ll get it [] God is my witness.”, “I had to go to the loan shark for the money, but at least the piece of old house will be mine someday.” (112, 118). To make her American Dream come true, she even risks losing her family. Although purchasing the house after all, she is unsatisfied: “[] I wun mind if they did take the blasted house, I´m so sick of aggravating myself with roomers.” (191). She destroys her family because she only focuses on her economic improvement while forgetting about inner values. Therefore, she represents a whole generation who first immigrated to the U.S. and who finally realized they had not been able to realize their American Dream. Florrie, a Barbadian woman, sums it up very clearly: “I sorry for all the long years I din have nothing and my children din have and now I got little something I too fat and old to enjoy it and my only son dead in [] war.” (192). In this context the dead son also serves as a parallel for Silla´s dead family: her dead husband and Selina whom she has lost. Deighton, on the other hand, initially seems not to be materialistic. He is a dreamer, which stands in stark contrast to the pragmatic and realistic Silla. He constantly seeks acceptance in the white world, which becomes visible through his attempts to overcome the racist barriers concerning job mobility: “Her father was there, [] studying a correspondence course in accounting he had just started.“ (6). In opposition to Silla, he enjoys city life which is indicated by his ritual on Saturday to go out (18). But in fact, his main objective to be immigrated to the U.S. is materialistic too. He aims to get rich as soon as possible in order to return to “poor-poor but sweet” Barbados where he desires to build his own house “just like the white people own” (8, 9). As well as Silla, he is that convinced of his dream that he is even risks to leave his family behind (73). Francis claims that the reason for Deighton´s wish for returning to his homeland is his wish for being a first class citizen and for regaining his masculinity that Silla threatens through her position as the family´s bread winner (22). Deighton´s dream is, after all, that strong that he eventually loses his family and breaks inside after recognizing his American Dream is not realizable anymore. In the end the different ideas of their American Dream reflect the family solidarity they have lost: “[] she seemed to reflect the love they had lost.” (22). Thus, Selina grows up in a family in which materialistic values have a greater importance than familiar values. Despite of Silla´s and Deighton´s different ideas of the American Dream, they both represent typical Barbadian thinking which is clearly indicated by the desire to live economically well.

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