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According to Maryam, Dave is "so American". He takes up too much room and he just can’t leave things as they are. Maryam feels herself shrinking in his "larger than life" presence.
I wonder. Is Maryam's description of Dave, or Americans for that matter, accurate?
I suspect she is either afraid of letting someone into her life or she doesn't really love Dave, and she is using his nationality as an excuse.
But at the same time, maybe Dave is a typical American, thinking he can understand the subtleties and nuances of her culture and traditions. He doesn't know that the New Years party and Haftseen table cannot be the same in the U.S. as when they are celebrated in Iran. Maybe America is so used to absorbing whatever immigrants and cultures come to our country, but Dave doesn't realize that Maryam does not want to be absorbed.
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Hi Jennifer, you raised a very good question about "American"... i.e., "Is Maryam's description of Dave, or Americans for that matter, accurate?"
ReplyDeleteWhat would be your assessment as an American?
I've heard many people saying the similar thing about American...they nicely but gradually take up others' space...
I am curious to learn about whys from American :-)
Great question Claudia! I think Americans value efficiency, improvement, and problem solving. We do like to fix things, and for the most part, we believe that our actions can and will have positive results. We are definitely a future-oriented culture, and we value our scientific and technological advancements. I think it would be hard for us to sit back and just let things take their course. Perhaps it comes from our colonial and pioneer roots, we think we are in charge of our destiny. If we don't like things as they are, we can move to another place and start over. We can try again. As the Nike commercial says "Just do it!"
ReplyDeleteThanks Jennifer! Your answer in fact leads me to think of another question: how have these American values (future-oriented, individual-driven, etc.) shape Christianity in this country? This of course has nothing to do with the book.
ReplyDeleteWow Claudia! That's a big question that I'm not sure I can tackle. I imagine that some of those American values I mentioned have been shaped by the religious beliefs of the Pilgrims who settled in Massachusetts back in the 1600s, but I would have to do some more research on that! : )
ReplyDeleteClaudia had an interesting question. I've always accepted how early American Christianity shaped American values. Hadn't considered how American values shape American Christianity.
ReplyDeleteAmerican Christianity seems to be more concrete and less mystical. Most churches organize a plethora of community events (picnics, etc...); community service/outreach programs; and offer a ton of "groups" (youth/Moms/men/elderly) /group activities for its members.
As far as the American focus on future, advancement, improvement... this could probably explain the strong evangelical streak in our Christian communities.
Just received this opinion column from my colleague: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/24/opinion/24brooks.html?_r=2&th&emc=th
ReplyDeleteThe author talks about how even in the current economic crisis, Americans continue to believe in the power of their own actions to improve their lives. He also talks about our skepticism of "big government". I'm curious to know what you all think.