A Look at Asian American Studies - Emery McKee - Ryan Caragher - Emma Rohrer - Gabe Velazquez

MARRIAGE AND MINORITIES The essence of the American acceptance of Asian immigrants is captured in the film, Sayonara. Although the marriage between a white male and an Asian woman was in question in the United States, the War Brides Act of 1945 permitted military personnel to bring back their spouses and dependent children back to the United States. However, not all Americans were in agreement with this. In Sayonara, Gruver, a U.S. Air Force major, is opposed to the inter-racial mixing that is occurring between American soldiers and Asian women abroad. However, he quickly falls in love with a Japanese dancer, Hana Ogi, and begins to go against his prior beliefs. What he begins to realize is that back home, he has been trained to follow a strict form of masculinity and anti-racial mentalities. However, his relationship with Hana Ogi makes it apparent that none of those constructs are the only correct ways of thinking. Gruver then intends to make her his wife, and plans to bring their children back home to the United States. Evidently, the overbearing American mentality that was planted on Gruver was eliminated once he had a human and emotional connection with a woman abroad. It shows that despite what is being told to Americans back home, a genuine connection between two people will prevail. In addition to this, the U.S. was readily willing to accept these brides because they played into the “model minority” stereotype. This transitions us into the discussion of Asians and Blacks. Despite the importance of African Americans in U.S. history, they were still not deemed “model minorities” simply because they went against the grain and had political influence in the U.S. Asian immigrants, on the other hand, had close to no say politically and would often play into the nuclear family structure of the U.S. Therefore, they were ideal not because they were free, but because they had to play into the “model minority” role. As can be seen, the United States is a place where people of varying backgrounds can assimilate, but only on the terms that are set for them.