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Many immigrants often have trouble with cultural pressure as well as the pressure to assimilate into American society while at the same time preserving their heritage. An example of this within the story is shown in Gogol’s struggle to navigate the complexity of his Indian heritage alongside the pressure of assimilating into American culture, with him looking to reconcile his American upbringing and his Bengali heritage. #Assimilation

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A common theme that immigrants unfortunately are placed under is the “forever foreigner” stereotype, with many immigrant groups, in this instance Asian people, are oftentimes seen as outsiders, regardless of their citizenship status within America. This stereotype is well portrayed in the novel when Ashima Ganguli, on several occasions, encounters situations where she is treated as an outsider, which only helps to reinforce her feelings of isolation within society and displays the challenges that immigrants face on a daily basis within American society.

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2. Asian Americans and the ‘forever foreigner’ stereotype

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Asian Americans are often seen by others as foreigners, regardless of their citizenship status or how long they or their family have lived in the U.S.

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A 2024 study found that over 1 in 5 Asian adults in the U.S. experience workplace discrimination due to their race or ethnicity, which includes being turned down for jobs, promotions, or being laid off unjustifyibly. This relates to the story in how Ashoke Ganguli, even with all of his qualifications, still faces challenges in his professional life that shows the struggles that immigrants have in securing jobs. #UnequalOpprotunity

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“Honor our civil rights”: New legal fund helps Asian Americans fight workplace discrimination

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Over 1 in 5 Asian adults say they’ve experienced workplace discrimination because of their race or ethnicity, per a Pew study.

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After giving birth to Gogol, Ashima thinks about the absence of her family, stating

“Without a single grandparent or parent or uncle or aunt at her side, the baby’s birth, like almost everything else in America, feels somehow haphazard, only half true.” (Lahiri 47)

This quote shows the difference of cultures in how In India, during times like childbirth, women are often surrounded with family in support, while in America it seems to be the opposite. #HalfTrue

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Following the sudden death of Gogol’s father, Ashoke, Ashima encounters challenges in the form of the lack of empathy from hospital staff who are unfamiliar with the Ganguli’s cultural practices, which shows the cultural obstacles that immigrants often face. (Lahiri 182) #CulturallyUnaware

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Immigrant Experiences in the United States

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Immigrant Experiences in the United States

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During America’s lifetime, there has always been a significant amount of immigrants flowing into the country, which has only increased by the millions each year. While many immigrants look for economic refuge and safety from persecution, their efforts to escape those are oftentimes futile when confronted with discrimination and oppression from America’s own citizens. #oppression

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Group of Immigrants Cabinet of American Illustration

In the late 1800s, people in many parts of the world decided to leave their homes and immigrate to the United States. Fleeing crop failure, land and job shortages, rising taxes, and famine, many came to the U. S. because it was perceived as the land of economic opportunity. Others came seeking personal freedom or relief from political and religious persecution, and nearly 12 million immigrants arrived in the United States between 1870 and 1900. During the 1870s and 1880s, the vast majority of these people were from Germany, Ireland, and England - the principal sources of immigration before the Civil War. Even so, a relatively large group of Chinese immigrated to the United States between the start of the California gold rush in 1849 and 1882, when federal law stopped their immigration.

With the onset of hard economic times in the 1870s, European immigrants and Americans began to compete for the jobs traditionally reserved for the Chinese. With economic competition came dislike and even racial suspicion and hatred. Such feelings were accompanied by anti-Chinese riots and pressure, especially in California, for the exclusion of Chinese immigrants from the United States. The result of this pressure was the Chinese Exclusion Act, passed by Congress in 1882. This Act virtually ended Chinese immigration for nearly a century.

Immigrants entered the United States through several ports. Those from Europe generally came through East Coast facilities, while those from Asia generally entered through West Coast centers. More than 70 percent of all immigrants, however, entered through New York City, which came to be known as the "Golden Door." Throughout the late 1800s, most immigrants arriving in New York entered at the Castle Garden depot near the tip of Manhattan. In 1892, the federal government opened a new immigration processing center on Ellis Island in New York harbor.

Although immigrants often settled near ports of entry, a large number did find their way inland. Many states, especially those with sparse populations, actively sought to attract immigrants by offering jobs or land for farming. Many immigrants wanted to move to communities established by previous settlers from their homelands.

Once settled, immigrants looked for work. There were never enough jobs, and employers often took advantage of the immigrants. Men were generally paid less than other workers, and women less than men. Social tensions were also part of the immigrant experience. Often stereotyped and discriminated against, many immigrants suffered verbal and physical abuse because they were "different." While large-scale immigration created many social tensions, it also produced a new vitality in the cities and states in which the immigrants settled. The newcomers helped transform American society and culture, demonstrating that diversity, as well as unity, is a source of national strength.

To find other documents in Loc.gov relating to this topic, use such key words as immigration or immigrants, or include the names of specific immigrant or ethnic groups, such as German, Irish, Scandinavian, Swedish, Norwegian, or Chinese.

Documents

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Immigration to the United States, 1851-1900 | Rise of Industrial America, 1876-1900 | U.S. History Primary Source Timeline | Classroom Materials at the Library of Congress | Library of Congress

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In the late 1800s, people in many parts of the world decided to leave their homes and immigrate to the United States. Fleeing crop failure, land and job shortages, rising taxes, and famine, many came to the U. S. because it was perceived as the land of economic opportunity.

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An early example of discrimination against immigrants in America was shown with the early treatment of Chinese immigrants. These immigrants, initially drawn by the gold rush starting in 1849, wanted to migrate to America to take advantage of this opportunity. The increasing influx of Chinese laborers created a shortage in jobs and ultimately led to escalating resentment against Chinese immigrants due to the lack of jobs. This drastic increase of Chinese immigrants eventually leads to the eventual creation of the Chinese Exclusion Act, which halted Chinese immigration to the U.S. for almost an entire century. This is one of the earliest examples of mass discrimination within America, and it most certainly wasn’t the last. #ChineseExclusion

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Milestones: 1866–1898 - Office of the Historian

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Many other immigrant groups have also been exploited for reasons such as cheap immigrant labor, which offered immigrants much lower wages than their native-born counterparts and also introduced a significant pay gap between women and men. These social tensions were intense, with many immigrants taking the abuse and not being able to do much about it. #ExploitingImmigrants

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‘They treat us like machines’: migrant workers’ conceptual framework of labour exploitation for health research and policy

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The exploitation of migrant workers ranks high on global political agendas including the Sustainable Development Goals. Research on exploited workers, using assessment tools where exploitation is defined by professional experts, indicates serious…

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In the book “The Namesake” by Jhumpa Lahiri, one of the most prominent themes within the story is the difficulty of figuring out one’s own cultural identity. The main character, Gogol, grows up in an Indian household with culturally devout Indian parents, being named “Gogol” by them, which is an uncommon name in America. The difference between his name and the others in America causes him to go into a large downward spiral and feel ashamed of his heritage, which creates a desire to change his name so he can fit in with the rest of the Americans around him. Furthermore, he also struggles with the culture that he originated from, being the Bengali culture. As he grows, up he is often conflicted between identifying himself with a Bengali or American identity, with him eventually accepting his roots and fully embracing his Bengali heritage.

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Downfall of Gogol’s and Maxine’s relationship

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Downfall of Gogol’s and Maxine’s relationship

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Gogol’s relationship with Maxine, his girlfriend at the time, is good at showing the cultural gap between his Indian heritage and her American upbringing. He thinks of her family as

“owning the moon that floats over the lake, and the sun and the clouds.” (Lahiri 155)

This shows the contrast between Gogol’s very grounded and relatively down-to-earth upbringing and Maxine’s more priviledged and American-styled upbringing. This helps to connect the dots in order to show how the differences between their upbringings and culture eventually contributes to the end of their relationship later on. #CulturalUpbringings

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Ashima compares being a foreigner in America to

“a sort of lifelong pregnancy-a perpetual wait, a constant burden, a continuous feeling out of sorts.” (Lahiri 54)

This thought process shows her sense of displacement and the challenges of assimilating into this new culture. #OutOfPlace

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Ashima, Gogol’s mother, attempts to recreate her favorite Indian snack using American ingredients; however, it tastes nothing like it should have. She describes it as

“tasting nothing like the street food she craves from Calcutta.” (Lahiri 6)

This moment shows her deep longing for her homeland and the disconnection she feels in America. #Disconnection

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The immigrant experience in the US, as has been depicted through real life events, as well as the novel “The Namesake” has shown not only the challenges that immigrants may face, but also the strength they gain from it. Things such as cultural isolation, discrimination, and the pressure to assimilate into American society are all felt by immigrants. Characters like Ashima, Ashoke, and Gogol in the book show us how most immigrants experience the feeling of being out of place as well as experiencing the struggle to find their true identity. However, through these struggles, they find strength and growth. Immigrants build new lives, find strength in where they come from, and create a better society for future generations.

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This video summarizes the struggles of a man with Indian heritage to either fully assimilate into American culture, or maintain his Indian culture, and the judgment that sometimes comes with that.

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The ABCs of Assimilation | Shivansh Srivastava | TEDxGilbert