This paper is a discussion of the internal contradictions that exist within and among Asian American communities. The clash between the culture of origin and American culture creates a number of significant inner stresses in individuals attempting to bridge both worlds. In addition, the variety of cultures grouped under the general heading of "Asian" encompasses a remarkable range of perspectives, histories, religions, and customs. This diversity exerts stress on individuals attempting to reconcile these various cultures. This is particularly true of American immigrants with ties to more than one Asian culture. This paper uses Roshni Rustomji-Kerns' anthology, Living in America: Poetry and Fiction by South Asian American Writers, as the means to consider some of these contradictions.
Throughout its history, the United States has symbolized freedom and the opportunity to build a life independent of caste or class. As such, it continues to lure immigrants from across the globe, fleeing religious persecution, economic deprivation, political oppression, and familial restrictions, hoping to achieve the American Dream. Asian immigrants, though initially restricted by racist laws, have been well represented in this stream of immigration.
Whatever their country of origin, immigrants begin their journey with an inherent contradiction: however much they love their homeland and treasure their cultural heritage, they are leaving home to become part of a new culture. The combined label they then assume - Korean American, Japanese American, Asian American - represents this conflicting tug on their loyalties. As Rashmi Sharma asks, "After giving up my native citizenship and becoming American, how do I reconfigure my personality? . . . Am I forever trapped as an 'Indo-American,' a split personality, neither here nor there, incomplete and trapped in my partially metamorphosed state?" (21).
Rustomji-Kerns includes a poem by Indra...