Cultural influences in American society

In Bharati Mukherjee “A Father,” Joy Harjo “The Path to the Milky way Leads through Los Angeles,” and Mistuye Yamada “A Bedtime Story,” the reader finds the common theme of different cultural influences that impact American Society. America is melting pot filled with all several beliefs, colors, dreams, and religions. Each writer discusses the importance of understanding our ethnic culture in America.
In Bharati Mukerjee “A Father,” a Hindu family comes to America to start a new life. The father of the story, Mr. Bhowmick, is a very religious man who prays intently to his God Kali-Mata, every day. Shortly after he comes to America he discovers that his daughter Babli has become pregnant. At first Mr. Bowmick was fine with the news, but once he learned that the baby had no father he became very angry. "Mr. Bhowmick lifted the rolling pin high above his head and brought it down hard on the dome of Babli's stomach."(pg 665) In American culture it is accepted for a woman to have a baby and not have a father, but not for his culture. Mr. Bowmick felt that the influence of American culture made his daughter become pregnant, without trying to understand the cultural differences between the two societies.
Joy Harjo “The Path to the Milky Way Leads through Los Angeles,” speaks about an immigrant coming to America and having trouble fitting in. The speaker says, “The city named for angels appears naked and stripped of anything rembling the shaking of turtle shells, the songs of human voices on a summer night outside Okmulgee.” (line 5) He does not know what to do or where to go. American society is so wrapped up in the fake and great attractions of life that we sometimes miss the deper meaning. For example the speaker says, “Everyone knows you can’t buy love but you can sell your soul for less than a song to a stranger who will sell it to someone else for a profit.” (line 17) Love is something that needs to be found, it can not just be purchased in a rapid consuming world. Our fast paced country makes it quite difficult for an immigrant to find a way to fit in.
Finally Mitsuye Yamada poem “A Bedtime Story,” tells a story within a story of a Japennese woman who finds beauty in sleeping outside ontop of a hill. She is not accepted from anyone in her town to stay with, but turns the sitution into good. Even though she was miserable because everyone had rejected her, she was still able to find the joy in our world. At the end of the poem the child being told the story says, “ That’s the end?” (line 45) This poem relates back to the importance of trying to understand the power of cultural impact and society. People can be cruel, but you can always find something meaningful about a bad situation if you look deeper. American’s are often always looking for more so they can answer their own questions without looking into the true meaning.
Bharati Mukherjee short story “A Father,” Joy Harjo poem “The Path to the Milky way Leads through Los Angeles,” and Mistuye Yamada poem “A Bedtime Story,” all demonstarted the importance of cultural impact and influences. In American socitey it is extermely important we open our eyes in understanding their own ethnic culture, a well as the one they life in.