Construction of Identity and Socializing Agents

America the Beautiful

Oscar Wilde once said, “Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation.” He is saying that our identities are shaped by things outside of our own. Our identities are made up of a plethora of different socializing agents. Socializing agents shape how people think and behave; they teach us how to act in society.  The two different types of socializing agents, primary and secondary, socialize a person from birth until death. Everyone is shaped by society’s agents, but most do not realize to what extent they are being socialized. In The Farmworker’s Daughter, the main character Rose grows up in America and is shaped by the agents of socialization. She is subjected to primary socialization by her father and secondary socialization by the American Dream and through the education she receives. Much like Rose, I too have been socialized by the same primary and secondary agents of socialization such as parents, education, and the American Dream.

            Everyone has a biological father and a biological mother.  These are necessary to provide the blueprints for a person’s life. But there is a difference between giving life and being a parent. Rose was essentially raised by her mother from birth until around age six or seven. Her biological father did not take the effort to spend time with her and raise her. Parents are primary agents of socialization and are vital to the development of the child as a citizen and as a person. She did not have a father until her mother met Jose.  They married and Rose felt like “it was a natural flow. It was as if Jose had always been Papa and Tito was no more than a recurrent dream” (Guilbault 35). Jose married Marie Luisa because he loved her and wanted to help raise Rose.  It really says a lot about a man’s character if he is willing to raise a child who is not his. Rose looked to Jose as her father, as the title indicates. She becomes the daughter of Jose by accepting that he is a father figure in his life. She says that it was as if Jose had always been papa, saying that she considers Jose to be the primary agent of socialization that raised her. He instilled values in her like being frugal and putting family first. These values shaped Rose for the rest of her life.  Finally, Rose had a real father figure in her life that changed her idea of what a father is supposed to be like.

            I feel that I can identify with Rose in a certain way. I was adopted at birth and I am an only child. My biological parents were very young and poor and lived in the slums of Philadelphia. My real parents, as I call them, had such a desire to raise a child that they adopted me and made it their life’s work to raise a son. I can say I am very thankful for the parents that have raised me, but specifically my father. He is a man who has a very strong work ethic, much like Jose, but would always put his family first. He does whatever it takes to ensure the survival of his family. My father is a great person who holds no outward prejudices. I have greatly been shaped by him. Growing up I saw examples of chivalry towards my mother, a trait that I employ in my relationships.It is almost an instinct to open doors for my dates, bring them flowers before, and always pay for dinner. He taught me to never loan money to a friend, but instead just give it as a gift out of benevolence. My parents have been married for 25 years and have set a great example of what a relationship should be like. I know that when I eventually get married and have children, I will try to instill the same values that were instilled in me. My father has had an indelible impact on my life and I am forever thankful for it.
            School and education can play a large role in the formation of a person’s identity. For Rose, school was a place where she could learn about American culture and learn how to be successful in her new environment. Rose had a teacher who forever changed her life. Mrs. Rojas was a Mexican-American teacher who had immigrated to the United States from Mexico.  She instilled an idea in Rose’s mind. Mrs. Roja said, “I wanted to show world that a Mexican could be a teacher, and a darned good one”(Guilbault 87). Rose took these words to mean that she wanted to show the world that a Mexican could be just as or if not more successful than any white person could be. Rose became empowered to believe in herself and in education. Mrs. Roja recognized that every student had the opportunity to be great, but it took a certain amount of work to get them motivated.

            I had a similar experience with a teacher I had in high school. Mr. Nelson was my British Literature instructor my junior year. He would make every class interesting by thinking of creative ways to teach his lesson plans. I remember that he was a very smart man who seemed to know everything, even though he would often quote Socrates in saying “all I know is that I know nothing.” He sparked drive in me to learn and to become a teacher. Since then, I have become very interested in English and Literature. So much so that I plan on becoming a teacher after college in the hopes that I could be half as inspiring as this man was. One lesson I will never forget is when he told the class that “you are what you habitually do.” This has been a lesson I have often thought about in my day to day life. Our habits and our behaviors reflect a great deal about us. If one is habitually nice, then they are a nice person. If someone wants to change their identity, then they have to change how they habitually act.

             America has been called the land of dreams ever since its inception as a country.  Its resources and opportunities seemed endless to early explorers of the continent. The idea of the American Dream arose out of this notion that one could achieve their dreams in America. Rose Guilbault and her mother came to America searching for the American Dream to escape the rigid social structure and gender roles of Mexico. The concept of dreams is a motif in the story and is frequently alluded to. In Mexico, they lived a very hard and impoverished life. When they moved to America, Rose’s mother soon found work and a lover whom could support them and raise Rose. Once they started to accumulate money, they began to want things.  “A newspaper article would later describe the Sears catalog as ‘the best record of American material culture.’ But to many of us, this catalog transcended materialism. It was about making dreams come true”(Guilbault 55). The Sears catalog is a physical manifestation of the American dream. It was filled with pictures of happy families enjoying the product bought out of the catalog. All of the families lived in a nice house and wore nice cloths. Coming from nothing, Rose saw this catalog as a way of buying her dreams that she could never have fulfilled in Mexico. America’s economy depends on materialism to survive. Materialism is the life blood of the country. When Rose and her family began seeing the catalog as a representation of dreams, they began assimilating to American culture by chasing the American Dream, therefore altering their identity. . Because Rose’s mother, Maria, sought the American Dream, Rose was able to go to school and go to college so she could one day become a successful writer and journalist.
            The American Dream holds a special place in the heart of my family.  My father was born in Hungary under the ruthless rule of the Soviet backed communist government. Hungarian citizens were not free to move about and those that spoke out against this oppressive government would be killed. My grandparents decided that this was not the environment that they wished to raise their children. They risked death by fleeing through the woods to the north into Austria. My grandmother would often say “I could hear gunfire in the distance coming from Soviet rifles.” The Soviets did not want any citizens escaping their rule because everyone was treated as a means of production and had to play their part for the survival of the country. From Austria they traveled to London, then to New York City. From there they found a sponsor in Belmont and settled in the Bay Area. My grandfather was a skilled mechanic and worked at several body shops before being able to buy his own. My grandmother took business accounting classes and English classes so that she could be able to be prosperous in this new homeland. Through hard work, determination, and sacrifice, they were able to buy a home in Sunnyvale. They saved until they could afford to buy a second house, which they then rented out. They continued to buy houses until they owned over twenty five. My grandparents could afford to send their grandchildren to the best high schools and colleges in the country, allowing us to excel in our studies and eventually be successful citizens as well. I believe that the American Dream is real because I have witnessed it with my own eyes and have been directly affected by it. My family came to America with nothing and has achieved so much, instilling a value of hard work and effort that has remained part of me to this day. My identity has been shaped by the notion of the American Dream. I believe that anything is possible, so long as I work hard enough toward it.

            There are many aspects that make up a person’s identity. Most significant of them all are primary agents of socialization and societal forces like schools and the American Dream. Rose discovers and forms her identity much like I have through having a strong father to support her, an education system to inspire her, and having the American dream to drive her along the way. Like Oscar Wilde, I realize that I am what other people other have made me and that society has had a great impact on my identity. Socialization and assimilation to American culture, along with the formation of identity, is an ongoing and ever-changing process. In a time when media and technology are readily accessible to everyone, primary identity formation is shifting more towards secondary agents being the most significant socialization tool. I hope that people do not forget that underneath all of the social influences and pressures, there lies a choice between being the person they are or the person they want to be.