Lost In Time And Words A Child Begin Anew Language Analysis

Analyzing the Pressure of Cultural Identity and Assimilation As a nation that many people immigrate to America has many individuals with diverse cultural identities. These minorities are pressured by the dominant Americans to assimilate into American culture. The concept of cultural identity and the challenges associated with assimilation are recurring themes in literature. Elizabeth Wong's "The Struggle To Be An All-American Girl" and Oscar Hijuelos' "Lost In Time And Words, A Child Begins Anew" both explore the struggles faced by individuals as they navigate between their ethnic heritage and the desire to fit into the dominant culture. Through their personal narratives, Wong and Hijuelos shed light on the complexities of assimilation, highlighting

Hijuelos recounts his upbringing as a Cuban-American child and the challenges he faces in connecting with his cultural roots due to his isolation from his heritage and his health. Hijuelos’s bad health caused his lack of contact with his cultural heritage and language. His isolated stay at the hospital while only being surrounded by white english speaking people caused him to forget most of his spanish and feel like an outsider when he returned home. But because of my disengagement from Spanish and my frail health, the apartment became something of a prison. (132) This created a huge strife between him, his mother and his cultural background causing him to struggle with his cultural identity. This can be seen most when he can't understand his mother when he returns home. My most frequent companion was my mother, who had begun to regard me, her muy americania son. “¿Por qué no hablas español?” “Why don't you speak in spanish?” I had more than a few problems communicating with her, and I began to experience a stranger's solitude. (133) While at the hospital he picked up the English language and rarely spoke spanish. Without his parents and people around him speaking Spanish it led to an internal struggle between his Cuban heritage and his english saturated mind. This memory highlights the impact of familial factors on cultural identity formation and vice versa, emphasizing the role of parents in shaping their children's understanding of their