THE MELTING POT Hana Zawahid 12th Grade

A melting pot is a metaphor for a society where people with different cultures and social statuses blend together as one. Many immigrants find great difficulty when trying to integrate into a western society, causing them to become part of the ‘melting pot’ process. These newcomers face several challenges such as the barrier of language where communication between the two societies affects interaction with one another. Another obstacle immigrants must overcome is cultural differences, where issues such as attitudes towards gender, religious diversity, ethnicity and sexuality differ vastly between countries. The main protagonists, Kimberly Chang, in Jean Kwok’s Girl in Translation and Lilly, from Camilla Gibb’s Sweetness in the Belly, come from cultures where being accepted requires conforming to the norms of others, which is requires in being the “perfect” woman or wife. Kimberly and Lilly face challenges to their own beliefs and values when they are introduced to a foreign culture; a culture where to be accepted one can be themselves and will be accepted no matter what.

Both Lilly and Kim are seen as outsiders in their newly adapted societies. They don’t seem to fit in or belong anywhere they go and are constantly viewed as...