Pursuit of a Sense of Belonging in “Los Vendidos” and “Everyday Use” Anonymous 11th Grade

In Alice Walker’s Everyday Use the construct of cultural identity is addressed through the characters Dee, Maggie, and Mama. It addresses the struggle of seeking an identity as a black person in America in view of the stigma from slavery and exclusion. Similarly, Luis Valdez’s play Los Vendidos explores the issue of cultural identity for Mexicans in America, referencing stereotypes and prejudices in society and their impact. It revolves around the salesman Sancho who sells Mexican stereotype robots; a manual worker, thug and radical that represent the racial perceptions superimposed on Mexican-Americans. Moreover, the contemporary Mexican-American prototype that represents the assimilated perception requisite in America, similarly to Miss Jimenez, the purchaser, who also represents this social identity. Through the literature and history, minority races face challenges finding or embracing their cultural identity in America due to pressures of acculturation, stereotyping, and social exclusion evoking identity crises. Thus, both literature illustrate that minorities and immigrants should embrace their cultural identities as opposed to only assimilating into a different culture for social acceptance to attain a true sense of...