How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents
How cultural transitioning affected the Garcia Family
Cultural shock is a common feeling a person experiences when transitioning into a completely different environment and living situation. Throughout the world, immigrants experience many difficulties when assimilating into a new culture.
The novel How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents, by Julia Alvarez, illustrates these challenges. Throughout the novel, we see how different aspects of culture shock impact the Garcia family. In this essay I will discuss how particular events change each family member’s Dominican cultural values and identity.
As the family became immersed with the traditions of contemporary American culture, they began to forge conflicting identities and values, which led to the dissolution of the family. One effect of culture shock was the dramatic changes in family relationships, which were caused by conflicting values among family members. This family matter was the primary struggle throughout the novel. Another aspect of culture shock is the life style changes a person undergoes when transitioning into a new foreign culture. A person is likely to change certain ways of living in order to survive in the new country. In the novel each girl slowly deviated from certain traditional Dominican cultural values that she grew up with. This typically causes emotional distress, identity loss, and inability to adjust. The most prevalent form of cultural clash is a language barrier. The person who is moving into a foreign country usually must learn the countries native language and customs in order to successfully communicate with citizens of the domestic country. Another impact associated with cultural shock is the difficulty to accept prevalent values and beliefs within the foreign culture. Identity loss occurs when a person feels as if his or her identity has become replaced or eliminated due to a change in social status or place in society. Despite the numerous disadvantages
Cultural shock is a common feeling a person experiences when transitioning into a completely different environment and living situation. Throughout the world, immigrants experience many difficulties when assimilating into a new culture.
The novel How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents, by Julia Alvarez, illustrates these challenges. Throughout the novel, we see how different aspects of culture shock impact the Garcia family. In this essay I will discuss how particular events change each family member’s Dominican cultural values and identity.
As the family became immersed with the traditions of contemporary American culture, they began to forge conflicting identities and values, which led to the dissolution of the family. One effect of culture shock was the dramatic changes in family relationships, which were caused by conflicting values among family members. This family matter was the primary struggle throughout the novel. Another aspect of culture shock is the life style changes a person undergoes when transitioning into a new foreign culture. A person is likely to change certain ways of living in order to survive in the new country. In the novel each girl slowly deviated from certain traditional Dominican cultural values that she grew up with. This typically causes emotional distress, identity loss, and inability to adjust. The most prevalent form of cultural clash is a language barrier. The person who is moving into a foreign country usually must learn the countries native language and customs in order to successfully communicate with citizens of the domestic country. Another impact associated with cultural shock is the difficulty to accept prevalent values and beliefs within the foreign culture. Identity loss occurs when a person feels as if his or her identity has become replaced or eliminated due to a change in social status or place in society. Despite the numerous disadvantages