April Synenberg
Mrs. Thomas
English 1101
January 23, 2014

The three assimilation phases of Judith Ortiz Cofer’s, “Silent Dancing”

In “Silent Dancing”, Cofer presents three paramount influences of assimilation. These influences are presented in family different family members in a black and white movie playing throughout Cofer’s mind of her family’s holiday party. The assimilations were presented through three essential women in Cofer’s life; her mother whom was in middle assimilation, her fully assimilated cousin, and her newly assimilated cousin’s brother’s girlfriend.
Cofer’s mother is in the middle phase of her assimilation. Cofer’s mother wanting to stay in El Building, whilst her father yearned to live somewhere else, because she never got over the yearning for la isla “The Island”. Her mother only cooked with foods she could pronounce the names of which were some of the same brands her own mother had used. Cofer’s mother shopping outside of La Bodega going to Sears, Penney’s and Lerner’s, showed a willingness unlike the other women to shop in American stores but still held onto the small comforts that reminded her of her home land. (53-55)
Cofer’s cousin is fully assimilated into American life. She claims it herself, she is and American woman and will do what she pleases. She has bleached her hair where others left there’s the same black they had come with. She also had an American boyfriend. The irony of Cofer’s cousin is that she became impregnated by her boyfriend, was forced to have an abortion, and was sent back to the island of Puerto Rico, because of her full assimilation. (57-58).
Cofer’s cousin’s brother’s girlfriend is newly assimilated. She was called la novia meaning just up from the island. Also she showed her Humilde being humble towards the camera. When looked at she would shutter her eyes and look downwards instead of staring into the camera. She showed humility in all of her actions as proper Puerto Rican women do. Being newly assimilated to the country this female was only acting in the way she knew how and had been taught. (57).
In Judith Ortiz Cofer’s” Silent Dancing”. Cofer gives us a vast assimilation of women in her life. Cofer drew this assimilation of these three different women to show the vast aspects of just arriving to America to fully accepting the American way of life. Cofer’s mother was in the middle of her assimilation holding on to the people and specific brands of food in her past that brought her comfort yet her willingness to go out of the normal La Bodega stores and shop. Cofer’s cousin shows a full assimilation when she herself states that she is an American woman and tells of her American boyfriend and her willingness to conform even her looks. Cofer’s cousin’s brother’s girlfriend shows her new assimilation by being very much humbled and shy towards everything and everyone.
In a Way Puerto Rican Women do not vary vastly from ourselves in new situations that we have to become accustomed to. Being fully assimilated your actions would be familiar and unafraid to embrace everyone and everything in the situation, or being middle assimilated your actions should show willingness to adapt yet a reservation of completely submerging yourself into the situation, or being newly assimilated your actions showing a shy and reserved person not willing to move out of your personal comforts.