“ Mona in the Promised Land ” is one of the most successful and celebrated plants written by Gish Jen. The chief character of the book undergoes consistent alterations under the impact tof her cultural environment in the class of the book. At the same clip, she challenges legion societal and cultural norms because she does non desire to be an ordinary individual. Alternatively she attempts to happen her cultural individuality. In fact, the job of individuality is one of the nucleus jobs and one of the major subjects of the full book. In fact, the individuality is a really of import issue which, nevertheless, evokes heat arguments because of the consistent alterations in the life of the modern society. Traditionally, individuality is closely associated with the designation of an single with certain group, cultural or cultural, which has certain set of values, norms and criterions. At the same clip, it is of import to put accent on the fact that individuality is rather a composite construct which should be viewed at different degrees. In this regard, it is possible to separate personal and societal degree of an person ‘s individuality. What is meant here is the fact that each single shapes his or her ain individuality but, at the same clip, the person ‘s individuality is influenced by the impact of the societal environment of an person that leads to the formation of his or her cultural individuality, i.e. individuality at the societal degree ( Ede, 2007 ) . On the other manus, the single individuality is still homogenous because, usually, single does non hold a dual individuality. Therefore, the construct of individuality can be defined as a set of norms, criterions, values and theoretical accounts of behaviour shaped by an person in the class of his or her personal development under the impact of his or her personal experience and societal environment, including the impact of societal dealingss, cultural traditions, bing societal norms and criterions ( Stewart, 2008 ) . In such a context, the chief character of “ Mona in the Promised Land ” attempts to happen her individuality and in hunt of her individuality she tries different cultural individualities which do non run into her demands and outlooks but the procedure of seeking for the individuality and self-identification of the chief character reveals the procedure of cultural assimilation of people in the US because, on the one manus, the chief character does non accept her cultural individuality, whereas, on the other manus, she can non happen yet her new American individuality because she does non hold a cultural or cultural group to tie in herself with that prevents her from close assimilation and integrating into the American society.

On analysing the narrative of the chief character of Gish Jen ‘s book, “ Mona in the Promised Land ” , it is of import to put accent on the fact that the chief character lives in the Asiatic American household. at the same clip, the writer describes a complex period in her life, when her cultural individuality is merely determining. In fact, the chief character undergoes consistent alterations because she is in the context hunt of her individuality. Unusually, she does non desire associate herself with Chinese Americans as her parents are. Alternatively, she looks for a new individuality which could hold allowed her to be a truly American, a individual, who belongs to one of the traditional groups in the US society ( Ede, 2007 ) . The major trouble that arises in the class of the formation and definition of individuality of the chief character in the modern society is the job of the turning cultural diverseness of the modern society. What is meant here is the fact that traditionally an single individuality formed under the impact of a steady cultural norms and traditions bing in the society but the modern universe grows more and more diverse because people interact with each other more dynamically than they used to in the yesteryear ( Stewart, 2008 ) . The modern society is a globalized society where representatives of different civilizations interact with each other and cultural differences tend to vanish. In this regard, it is possible to mention to the illustration of immigrants who arrive to a new state, such as Mexican immigrants that move to the US, where they expect to happen a better life and new occupation chances. In fact, immigrants have their ain cultural individuality, which is wholly different from the traditional American civilization. Therefore, immigrants face a job of clangs between their ain cultural individuality and the cultural individuality of the dominant cultural group. Often, immigrants feel being foreigners in a new state, where they feel as if they are aliens who have nil in common with the local community. As a consequence, cultural barriers arise and immigrants face the job of self-identification because they need to happen the group with which they can place themselves. In respect to Mexican immigrants they tend to make their ain community where they maintain their traditional life style and civilization and where they can continue their individuality. However, they need to interact with the American community and when they are outside of their community they need to develop a new theoretical account of behaviour to run into criterions bing in the American civilization. Mona lives in a culturally diverse society, where she has to happen her individuality to acquire assimilated and integrated in the American society that is non an easy undertaking. On the one manus, she has ample picks of self-identification with either cultural group, whereas, on the other manus, she does non truly belong to either cultural group physically and mentally. Bing a adolescent, she keeps looking for the group she can place herself with.

As the affair of fact, the job the chief character faces in “ Mona in the Promised Land ” is a widely-spread job in the US, where people from all over the universe effort to happen their individuality as they move to the US insearch of a better life. For such people as Mona and her parents, the US is a kind of promised land but this promised land is a unusual land, with a unusual civilization, where people can non ever happen their cultural individuality, find their topographic point in the society, while the procedure of assimilation can be durable and rather painful. In such a state of affairs, many people face the job of self-identification, particularly when they move from one state to another ( Ede, 2007 ) . People face the job of designation because their cultural individuality, which they have shaped in the class of their life, may come into struggle with their new cultural environment, which is different from their traditional cultural environment ( Stewart, 2008 ) . As a consequence, people can non ever place themselves with certain societal group, either cultural or cultural, and they need to modify their individuality and adapt to the new cultural environment.

Many people who have such jobs tend to develop multiple individualities, which imply the usage of different theoretical accounts of behaviour in a different societal environment ( Ede, 2007 ) . What is meant here is the fact that an immigrant, for case, can hold one different theoretical account of behaviour when he or she is in his or her community and another theoretical account of behaviour when he or she interact with the dominant cultural or cultural group. In fact, this is the instance of Mona because she rejects the cultural individuality imposed on her by her parents. Alternatively, she searches for a new, truly American individuality which could assist her to acquire integrated into the American society, derive the acknowledgment and blessing of her equals and merely go one of them. As a consequence, this person may hold different individualities because in his or her community he or she has one theoretical account of behaviour, obeys to certain cultural and societal norms and traditions, whereas being outside of his or her community he or she needs to develop a different theoretical account of behaviour and accept societal and cultural norms of the dominant group ( Ede, 2007 ) . As a consequence, it is possible to talk about the multiple individualities every bit good as about the job of the self-identification of an person.

Mona lives in the minority community, where people ever feel their difference, their belongingness to a different cultural group which differs from the mainstream civilization. In such a state of affairs, the new coevals of immigrants faces the job of the multiple individualities. The job of multiple individualities is peculiarly obvious in minority communities. In this regard, communities which have highly different cultural background compared to the dominant group are peculiarly vulnerable to the job of development of multiple individualities. In this regard, it is possible to mention to the job of the chief character of the book “ Mona in the Promised Land ” Mona, who faces the job of the multiple individualities. To set it more exactly, she can non place herself with a certain cultural group. She does non place herself with the cultural group her parents belong to. Alternatively, she changes her individuality severally to her wants and current place. Hence, she pretends to be a Jew, or even an African American. Mona lives with her parents and she needs to develop theoretical accounts of behaviour and accept cultural norms and traditions of her parents ‘ civilization. However, she does non truly desire to accept these cultural norms and traditions because she does non experience being like an Asia, she is instead American than Asia. This is precisely where the major job arises because other people tend to comprehend her as Asiatic American but she wants to be an American. She needs to be assimilated and integrated closely into the American society. In this regard, the writer lays accent on the fact that readers should non undervalue the impact of the cultural environment of the chief character. Mona is under the lasting force per unit area from the portion of her parents, equals, and mass media. She learns colored positions and stereotypes which merely forces her to happen her individuality. She wants to belong to one of the mainstream cultural groups but her cultural background, her beginning and her household prevents her from acquiring integrated fast. As a consequence, she moves from one cultural group to another in hunt of the 1, where she can experience comfy and at easiness.

In such a manner, Gish Jen shows that the chief character does non necessitate to travel from one state to another to hold jobs with definition of her individuality. In such a manner, the writer of “ Mona in the Promised Land ” attempts to demo the audience that the construct of cultural individuality is a really complex construct which is vulnerable to alterations in the class of the personal development and under the impact of societal environment of an person. At this point, it is deserving adverting the fact that the chief character is vulnerable to the impact of stereotypes. Bing a adolescent, Mona wants to wish other adolescents. She wants to experience being a portion of the big community. She does non desire to be an castaway but she is doomed to be the one every bit long as she identifies herself with her Asiatic American community and civilization. This is really why she moves from one cultural individuality to another in hunt of the best 1. She beliefs that she can take any individuality. She can take to go a Jew or an African American but what she truly wants to be and to tie in herself with is American. In such a manner, the writer shows the overpowering impact of the American civilization on an person, particularly a representative of a minority group like Mona. In fact, the US is a kind of runing pot, where being an American is of import for all people but for many representatives of minority groups this end is unachievable because they can non give up their cultural individuality every bit good as the society can non alter their biased and stereotypes attitude to them. As a consequence, people are doomed to look for their cultural individuality as Mona does.

On the other manus, the book shows that Mona is still capable to keep positive relationships with representatives of different groups and she is non entirely in the hunt of her individuality. As the affair of fact, the job Mona faces in her life is the job common to many people in the US. The desire to be an active member of the American community forces people to alter their individuality or to happen the cultural group where they feel comfy to belong to.

Therefore, taking into history all above mentioned, it is of import to put accent on the fact that the chief character of “ Mona in the Promised Land ” , Mona, faces the job of multiple individualities and she attempts to happen her cultural individuality that is of the extreme importance for the adolescent. However, her desire does non run into her existent chances. The procedure of assimilation is durable and needs clip to acquire an person integrated closely into the American society. At the same clip, the assimilation occurs under the lasting force per unit area from the portion of the societal environment of an person and frequently people are practically lacerate apart, as Mona is, their households and their cultural background and their desire to belong to the mainstream cultural group.