Stereotyping in MONA AND THE PROMISED LAN
Throughout the book, Mona in the promised land, the main characters are faced with stereotypes which they cannot control. Stereotypes in society shape the way people are perceived. Everyone deals with their stereotype's in a different way. The two characters who deal with the most stereotypes are Mona, and Barbara. According to their stereotypes, Barbara is a better all around person than Mona, due to her social class, but when it comes to dealing with stereotypes Mona is a much stronger individual.Like all people, Mona and Barbara choose to deal with their stereotypes in different ways. Mona chooses to deal with her stereotypes by trying to change them, while Barbara deals with them by changing herself. One of the first stereotypes that Mona is witness to in her life is when she misbehaves. Whenever Mona does not mind her manners her mother will snap at her, "You be a good Chinese girl." Mona recognizes this as a stereotype whenever her mother says it. She finally tells her mother, "I am not Chinese, I am American."
Mona too has to deal with religious stereotypes. "You don't look Jewish," is one of the most often heard sayings from the people at the pancake house who find out that Mona is Jewish. Mona's culture says that she should either be Buddhist or Christian. Mona's appearance, that of a Chinese woman, makes people think that she is not Jewish, only whites can be Jewish, according to stereotypes. Mona's cultural stereotype causes Rabbi Horwitz to lose his job at the temple. Even though her Rabbi is fired, Mona does not stop going to temple. Instead of taking it as a threat, Mona becomes more involved in temple life to show that Chinese people can be Jewish. By doing this Mona is showing her strength to overcome stereotypes. By telling her mother that she is an "American" girl, which implies to her mother that she is free to make her own decisions, Mona is trying to change the "Chinese" girl stereotype. This shows that Mona is a strong individual willing to fight stereotypes. Friends are sometimes thought to think alike, bu
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Approximate Word count = 697
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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