The one thing that as a society we don’t want to think about, and one of the pervasive themes in “Negocios”, is the truth behind the “American Dream.” The broken lives the majority of the immigrants have and must endure in order to marginally improve their conditions in America.
When Ramon left his home on the Dominican Republic, he had a dream of making a better life for himself, the prototypical dream most, if not everyone, wants in life. However, what he was not expecting were the conditions and the hardships that he would have to endure in order to partially realize that dream. He has a naive notion of life in Americahaving supposedly said, “I got two hands and a heart as strong as rock.” Because Ramon had no plan, and because Ramon had a very limited idea of what the “American Dream” entailed, thanks, in so small part, to the media who only focus on how one has, or can, increase their life to the point of being in the lower-middle-class.
Ramon’s optimistic point of view is slightly shattered one morning when, during his morning routine of push-ups, the cleaning lady responds to him with, “If you had a job, you wouldn’t need exercise.” This only shows how shattered this woman is after potentially chasing after her own American Dream and failing, miserably. Ramon is undeterred and quickly finds a job. But it’s not enough; it’s never enough in the land of opportunity. Ramon has to share a, from what we can assume, two bedroom apartment, with three other men and is forced to sleep on the floor then on a mat on the floor.
The only time Ramon improves his condition is when he practically has to force himself on Nilda and moves in. This, however, is after walking the majority of the way from Virginia to New York, “He walked in his bad shoes, froze....” and after working for 18-20 a day just to be able to pay for rent and the basic necessities for living-- anywhere. But somehow, miraculously Ramon still holds tight to the idealized notion that America is the land of opportunity and that it’s the only place anyone can improve their condition in life. Even after having to endure hardships that no one should ever have to bear, and being scammed our of $800, he’s still so positive about being able to attain his dream of a better life.
However, when stories like his are reported on the evening news, none of this is mentioned or brought up. All that is focused on is how one person with a dream overcame “adversity and hardship” to reach a new standard of living; usually lower-middle class. This is not the case with Ramon, he’s one of the few exceptions to that generalization. He uses Nilda as a means to an end in order to rise in the socio-economic ladder, “Within a month Papi moved out of his appartment into her house in Brooklyn. They were married in March. ...He lived in Nilda’s house, shared her bed, paid no rent...”
Diaz ultimately shows the story of the broken individuals that comprise the American Dream and shares with us one story, no matter how unreliable it may be or seem.
Ramons chase for the American dream in this story was a rough journey that lead to a rather unspectacular conclusion. I agree that Ramon went through a lot just to make small moves in America while chasing his American dream. It was like his goal was to reach a certain level of mental clarity,perhaps, or a stable lifestyle in America, that was similar to his lifestyle in his original country. Ramon goal was to move to America, a place with many opportunity, and integrate himself into an American lifestyle where he could pursue tons of his own personal goals while there. I believe that he reached his own personal goal.
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