The Role Of Immigrants In The Circuit, By Francisco Jimenez

It is human nature to want something better than what you have, or to be successful. This idea has fueled immigrants and refugees from around the world to find a place where they can achieve their idea of success. Immigration is a typical subject in current news, with anchors telling stories of people coming across the border illegally, or backstories of fear and prejudice that they experience before making the journey. Many citizens have conflicting opinions, which can both help and hinder the progress of refugees coming in search of safety or a new life with better opportunities. The overall immigration experience is dependant on the person’s background and past, as well as the expectations they hold that can blind them from what life would
1st body: The American Dream is what immigrants around the world want to achieve, but some do not understand the difficulty of actually experiencing it. In Francisco Jimenez’s novel, The Circuit, Francisco is a young child who is brought to the United States with his parents and his brother Roberto. Their life in Mexico becomes incredibly difficult, forcing the family to find anything that would be easier to deal with. Francisco curiously wonders what their new life would be like, asking Roberto questions such as “‘What’s California like?’ ‘I don’t know,’ he answered, ‘but Fito told me that people there sweep money off the streets,”’ (Jimenez 12). The boys believe that their new life would be easy, and happy, and successful because of what others tell them. However, they are not aware of the challenges that they will have to face. These questions demonstrate the influences of the media and how naively-unaware they are of the reality in California. Contrary to what Francisco believes, in 30 Days: Immigration, the Gonzales
In 1994, Ruairi O'Ceallaigh arrives in America from Ireland, not exactly sure what to prepare for but having some ideas of what to expect. In the interview he says, “My expectations of America were that it would provide me the opportunity to reinvent myself so I could be able to provide for a comfortable standard of living,” (Personal Interview). Coming to the US, Ruairi knew of the opportunities he would have and expected to be able to achieve them. His personal journey is overall positive, and is similar to what many other immigrants believe will happen when emigrating from a different country. Similarly, the narrator in Jhumpa Lahiri’s short story, “The Third and Final Continent,” immigrated for the opportunity of work and a stable income to support a family in the United States. He had originally not intended on leaving London, but America contained many new and interesting possibilities that sparked his interest. Before arriving in America, the narrator says, “I was offered a full-time in America, in the processing department of a library at MIT. The salary was generous enough to support a wife, and I was honored to be hired by a world-famous university,” (Lahiri 174). The narrator needed an opportunity in which he earned enough money to support a soon to be wife as well as himself, so immigrating was the best choice.