Drifting House is a collection of stories that portray an authentic depiction of hardships Korean immigrants face. A memorable part of the book was when Mrs. Shin agreed to marry her way into America. She shared a hot, cramped apartment with a male stranger whom she feared would abuse her. The book’s significance is that it exposes the unknown reality of how much distress immigrants undergo.
After encountering this book, I felt intrigued by the dramatic immigrant stories, which led me to ask my parents for theirs. My father left China and spent six years in Japan working twelve to fourteen hours every day until he was finally able to afford a trip to America. He worked in restaurants and manufactured car parts. Desperate for money, he said, “There wasn’t much choice”. Arriving in New York at the age of twenty-seven with minimal English, even understanding the news was impossible due to the language barrier. The lack of English also deprived him of financial opportunities. Since he grew up in China, all of his connections were back home. Immigrating to America robbed him of connections and lacking english made it harder rebuild it. My mother immigrated from China at the age of twenty-three. She worked as a restaurant cashier and lived in a house that her boss rented for his employees. It was a …show more content…
She studied English every morning from 7 am to 10 am and every night after thirteen to fifteen hours of labor. She explained how straining it was to constantly work and how her lack of sleep led to health issues. Next, came the most heartbreaking confession. I grew distressed as she confessed that she once left a pre-written apology note in case she ever commit suicide. That drove me absolutely insane; I definitely underestimated their struggles. I could not sleep that night, but I was glad my mother grew resilient because her strength influenced me to be independent and never ask for