Quotation: “Money in Detroit wasn’t pretty the way it was back home, or even in Canada, but she liked this money better. Why should money be pretty, like a picture? Pretty money is only good for putting on your walls maybe. The dollar bills felt businesslike, serious” (Mukherjee).
Comment: This quote is the first time Jasmine begins to dismiss her Trinidadian culture in order to assimilate to American culture. There is a part of her that believes there will be a better chance of life and opportunity for her if she assimilates. In order to do this, she then attempts to maintain a lifestyle of what she believes to be an American. Subtly, through comments such as this quotation, she almost second guesses herself on what is “proper” culture. What we also see in this short story is Jasmine questioning what she should share about herself to American people, and how it can prevent her transition to America. Her acknowledgment of her homelands money when examining American money can speak to the idea of diasporic tensions parker writes about in the Post Colonial and Race Studies chapter. It displays how Jasmine faces tension in both wanting to assimilate to American culture while also experiencing drawbacks of her own culture. An example would be her judgement but almost envy of Viola and Loretta.
Question: Can any location in the US really be considered a melting pot of culture, or does the tendencies of assimilation always linger? How is it different for children to assimilate compared to adults? Is it more normalized for children to adapt American culture over their own culture?
