Monkey Bridge - Mai Nguyen's polarized relationship to assimilation into the U.S.

Essay from the year 2018 in the subject American Studies - Literature, grade: 2.0, University of South Florida (English Literature), course: Literature, Race & Ethnicity, language: English, abstract: In Monkey Bridge, Lan Cao among other things focuses on Mai Nguyen's polarized relationship to assimilation into the U.S. It is important to know that Mai in contrast to her mother lives in America since she was thirteen-years-old and therefore a teenager which is a difference to her mother in assuming the American culture. In my paper I argue that Mai desires U.S. American norms and values which has consequences in regard to destabilizing the normal mother-daughter polarization. Therefore, within this discussion my essay will examine the juxtaposition between mother and daughter which directly mirrors their desires and criticisms of U.S. norms and values. I will show that the destabilization of the normal mother-daughter polarization consists of three parts including the advanced language knowledge, independence and the social life of Mai compared to her mother Tanh.