Alec Heininger
November 9, 2013
Sociology 001

* Helen Thorpe’s novel, Just Like Us, details the coming of age of four Mexican girls, of whom two are illegal immigrants, as they struggle to break free of the burden placed upon them by the prejudice of the American society. * C. Wright Mills defined the sociological imagination as "the vivid awareness of the relationship between experience and the wider society"(Mills, 1959). This important sociological principle is “the ability to see the impact of social forces on individuals; especially on their private lives” (Scheible, 2013). Thorpe establishes her aversion for illegal immigration not because of the effect it has on America but because of the hardships it forces the immigrants to suffer. The author witnessed the impact of social forces on Marisela as each of her friends was accepted into universities. Marisela had to feign her enthusiasm, knowing she would not qualify for the same opportunities because of her legal status (Thorpe, 2009, 45). Thorpe used the sociological imagination to understand the internal pressures of Marisela’s status. By imaging how the social burdens of Marisela’s status affected her, Thorpe saw how it impacted Marisela’s private life. In addition, when Yadira’s mother was arrested for using a fake Social Security card, Thorpe looked into how this affected Yadira, and realized that Yadira was not recognized as “[existing] in the eyes of officialdom” (Thorpe, 2009, 137). By applying C. Wright Mills’ definition of social imagination, Thorpe was able to visualize the internal conflicts caused by the social pressures on Yadira. * The rational choice theory has many applications to the decisions of Marisela in Just Like Us. Marisela used rational choice to determine that she should indeed invite her former boyfriend Fernando, a boy that her parents forbid her from seeing, to the prom (Thorpe, 2009, 11). She managed to hide all knowledge of her date to her parents, which minimized the cost of secretly inviting Fernando to the prom. By doing so, she ensured that the rewards would be greater than the risks. Marisela’s acting in self-interest and thus, risked her parent’s trust for her enjoyment. In addition to acting in accordance with the rational choice theory, Marisela followed the principles of functionalism. * Functionalism expresses that society functions as a whole and that each part of society has a function. Marisela, for instance, assumed the role of a caretaker of her family and a speaker for immigration reform at a protest. As Thorpe watched Marisela address a crowd of thousands of marchers, she noted that “(Marisela) did not stay long” after her speech because she was required to watch her unsupervised siblings (Thorpe, 2009, 246). She was assuming the role of a voice for her situation as well as helping her family with ensuring the children were under her care. She formed with the social stability of functionalism by allowing her family to provide jobs while she cared for her siblings. * In addition to contributing the main theories of functionalism to her lifestyle, Marisela acted in accordance with the conflict theory, because she, a member of society, was constrained by other members because of their power (Scheible, 2013). Thorpe noticed, “if a student from Palo Alto expressed a worldview antithetical to her own, as often as not Marisela would allow it to go unchallenged”(Thorpe, 2009, 182). This observation showed that the members of Marisela’s class who were from a wealthy town held the power in the class and Marisela, a member of society without the power, constrained her views in accordance with this inequality. This follows one of the assumptions of Functionalism where “a society rests on the constraint of some of its members by others’ power”(Scheible, 2013). * Throughout college, Marisela experiences role conflict as her responsibilities continued to grow as her free time decreased. She struggled to maintain the requirements of each role and responsibilities collided as a result (Scheible, 2013). “Marisela never had enough time for Ramiro, never had enough time for her parents, never had enough time for her classes” and as a result suffered from role conflict (Thorpe). She had many responsibilities and each required a time commitment that she was struggling to fulfill. While her family needed her help at home as a provider and caretaker, she also had to maintain her role as a college student by going to class. In addition to this conflict, Ramiro wanted her to spend time with him because that is what is expected of a girlfriend but it became difficult as Marisela began to spread herself so thin. * Reality manipulation is present throughout Just Like Us, as Thorpe tended to refer to illegal immigrants as “[lacking] legal status” or being “undocumented” (Thorpe, 2009, 23). This presented these individuals as not being the same as illegal immigrants or being in a less serious situation. Reality manipulation allows a negative thing to be viewed in a more positive light such as “passing away” instead of “dying.” The use of reality manipulation by Thorpe presented the girls in a situation unlike the murderer later in the novel. * Deviance plays a huge role throughout this novel, from the view of Marisela’s parents to the country’s view on illegal immigration. People view someone as deviant for attributes they hold or when they violate a social norm. Illegal immigrants are viewed as deviant and untrustworthy. Luke, a friend the girls made at college with conservative views, said that he “couldn’t trust (Clara)… (he) wouldn’t want to be friends with (her)” if she was illegal (Thorpe, 2009, 120). The association between illegal immigration and untrustworthy behavior is strong throughout this book. This labeling occurs as a result of illegal immigration. The girls were afraid of being labeled because of their lack of legal status and were “secret deviants.” This type of deviance is when an individual violates a social norm and society is unaware (Scheible, 2013). * The predictors of youth crime correspond almost identically to the murder of the police officer in the book. Gomez Garcia, the shooter, was a young illegal immigrant from a poor part of Mexico, the same as Marisela. He was also male and had lower levels of parental involvement given that his family turned him in and his grandmother was unaware that he was her kin (Thorpe, 2009,156). Gomez, compared to a chart of adolescent crime, was at the peak age for violence, especially murders (Scheible, 2013). In addition to these other attributes, he lived in a multi-family household with his friend, showing his low economic status. * The Dream Act is a bill that has been proposed to give illegal immigrants who entered the country as children and have graduated high school an opportunity to for a six-year conditional path to citizenship. The conditions are that the individual complete a college degree or two years of military service and have entered the country prior to the age of fifteen. This program would give thousands of youth the opportunity for a means of acquiring secondary education and citizenship (Scheible, 2013). This program would be great for immigrants who are currently forced to risk their residence in this country in order to attend higher-level education. For example, many financial aid applications require a Social Security number, a number that illegal immigrants do not have. Marisela encountered this when she went to fill out a financial aid form from the University of Denver. The application “[asked] for a Social Security number, or a passport number, and there [was] a box that [asked] whether you are a permanent resident or not”(Thorpe, 2009, 77). Cases like these coax many immigrants to lie about their legal status in order to be allowed to apply. In Marisela’s case, she remained honest while forfeiting an opportunity for aid. If the Dream Act would pass, they would be eligible for student loans and work study thus, giving students an opportunity for a higher education. * The Dream Act’s offering of deferred action allows for work during the time of deferred action. This would prevent situations similar to those that occurred when Yadira surprised Thorpe. Yadira said that she “just bought a fake Social Security card” from the black market and showed it to Thorpe (Thorpe, 2009, 161). In this situation, the Social Security number was taken from another individual or was not real and did not offer legitimate work access. By passing the Dream Act, legal work opportunities would become available. * In addition, offering conditional permanent residence to people under the Dream Act would reduce the need for coyotes to return to the country if they were deported. This would no longer occur, as they would not be deported unless they did not follow the conditions of the Act. Marisela’s suggested that if she were to be deported visiting her parents, she “[has] an uncle who is a coyote, so [she] could just come right back” (Thorpe, 2009, 128). This is dangerous and the thought that this is a reasonable means of returning is disconcerting. However, a passing of the Dream Act would eliminate this for eligible individuals. * The Dream Act would also stop the common feeling of being invisible and non-existent in the eyes of the legal system. Thorpe was “struck by the way that Yadira never seemed to exist in the eyes of officialdom”(Thorpe, 2009, 137). This feeling is not unique to Yadira, as many immigrants need to purchase black market Social Security cards and licenses in order to be recognized in a false manner. The Dream Act would allow for these individuals to be recognized by the government as a resident and exist in a legal manner as well. * Thorpe was able to give the reader many real-life examples of major principles in sociology. Her effective use of research gives a detailed view of the situation of illegal immigrants in America and helps to shed light on an otherwise unknown perspective of this controversial topic. * * * * * Refrences * Mills, C.W. (1959) The Sociological Imagination. New York: Oxford University Press
Scheuble, L. (2013). Introductory Sociology Lecture. University Park: The Pennsylvania State University.

Thorpe, H. (2009). Just Like Us. New York: Scribner

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