Breadwinner
In Brian AscalonRoley’s “The American son,” the novel tells the story of two teenage boys who were from given birth by parents that were from two different races. The mother was a Filipino woman who had left her homeland in search of a better life in California. She got married to an abusive white man who later abandoned her with two sons, Tomas and Gabriel. The author allows the reader to identify with the challenges associated with multi-racial young adults who are in the process of growth and developing an identity. The novel takes the reader through the challenges that the family goes through after the two boys were left by their father and the mother was forced to raise them by herself. The family structure described in the novel is a single parent structure where the children are raised by a single parent. The two boys grew up without a father figure to guide them on how to behave but their mother was present in every step of their growth. Tomas who is the older brother, he tries to fill in the position that his father had left behind. Therefore, in the family, his role is a provider, a protector and a leader.
Tomas is the first born in the family. Without the presence of his father, he is trying to take up the position of the man in the house by acting as a breadwinner which is the provider. Tomas’s family is facing a financial challenge which is the mortgage and dealing with the expenses. It is because Ika wants to earn more money, she chooses to work two jobs. She works sixty hours at a department store’s shoe section and the second job is to look after a Jewish lady. This situation illustrates that Tomas’s family is in a lower social class. On the other hand, Tomas works with actions dogs and sells them at a high price to celebrities in order to earn a living (Ascalon 16). The money that he makes, he apportions some to his mother so as to take care of the bills at home. Moreover, Tomas goes to an old Hungarian lady’s house to steal some jewelry for his mother. He searches the drawers and telling Gabe “to look for pearls or anything with gold on it” (Ascalon 147). Tomas also remind Gabe “to forget the silver stuff, it is because it wouldn’t look good on [his mother] skin” (Ascalon 147). This example shows that Tomas wants to provide some luxury good for his mother in order to show that he has the ability to look after his family. In the research of the influence of single parent, the result shows that parental divorce and father absence will associated with lower self-esteem and lower feelings of competence in children and adolescent (Barber & Eccles). Therefore, this research explains that Tomas is trying to dress like a Mexican gangster in order to empower his power and increase his self-esteem (Ascalon 15). Also, by dressing like gangster, celebrity will not question him too much about the dogs or his background because of his “dressing”. Tomas is portrayed as a young man who is trying to be a father figure and look after the family.
Due to the fact that Tomas love his family, he tries as much as possible to fill in the “father position”. He wants to show the effort that he has the power to protect his family. Tomas’s father returns from his station in Germany, however, he got drunk when he went back home. His father not only is trying to insult his mother by making fun of Filipinos and his mother’s family but also attempting to hit his mother (Ascalon 24). This dishonor behavior makes Tomas so displeased. Tomas cannot control his angry, therefore, he drags his father outside the house and shoves a fist in to his side and then slammed his father’s head into the window (Ascalon 25). Although this is a violent way to give vent to his anger, this also brings up the idea of protecting his family. Also, when Ika bumps into another car which is a Land Cruiser, the mother in the Land Cruiser come out and feel angry about why Ika does not have insurance (Ascalon 175). The mother in the Land Cruiser wants Ika to pay her eight hundred dollars for the damage of the car in a rude tone in the phone (Ascalon 198). The mother who drives in the Land Cruiser is Gabe’s friend’s mother which is Ben. Tomas feels so mad that Ben’s mother humiliates his mother, he wants to protect his mother from this situation because he knows that they cannot afford eight hundred dollar. Therefore, Tomas and Gabe break into Ben’s house for stealing in order to give vent to anger.According to the article, “Abjection, masculinity, and violence in Brian Roley’s American Son and HanOng’s Fixer Chao,” written by Eleanor Ty, he explains that when Filipino American men find themselves unable to live up to the seductive or forceful image, they will frequently resort to violence or aggression. This situation explains that Tomas cannot afford eight hundred dollars, therefore, he choose to break into Ben’s mother house and relieve his anger. This action not only implies that Tomas wantsto protect his mother but also implies that Tomas sometimes feels helpless in the reality. Although it is a violent way, his real intention is to look after his family and make sure no one will hurt them or humiliate them. He wants to be a protector and keep his family safe.
Tomas is a leader role in the family. Therefore, he is trying to take up the position of the man and the father figure for the brother. This is indicated by the fact that he attempts to command his brother to work for him. Tomas forces Gabe in to act of thievery and violence by telling what his brother should do or should not do. Tomas is always making statement and command such as “Find the pearls (Ascalon 147)” ,“Take [the tire iron] with you (Ascalon 149)”. Also, Tomas forced Gabe to break the window of Eddy Ho’s van with the iron tire and got knifed by Eddy Ho (Ascalon 150). However, Tomas does not asking Gabe’s opinion and does not care about Gabe’s feeling even though Gabe does not want to do it at all. According to the research of the Adolescent Masculinity Scale, this explains that adolescent boy perceives the masculinity is concerned with the importance of portraying a tough and confident image and perceive a component of masculinity as the ability to tease and poke fun at male peer (Oransky& Fisher). This research illustrates that why Tomas always calls Gabe as Junior. It is because he wants to show that he has the ability to be mature leader and tell him what he should do. Tomas always says “Don’t look so sick, Junior” (Ascalon 148) and “Don’t look so deflated, Junior” (Ascalon 216) in order to show that Gabe as a “Junior” should listen to him. Moreover, when Gabe asks Tomas if he cries because of buster, he uses his fist to hit Gabe and tell Gabe not to disrespect him (Ascalon53). This situation demonstrates that Tomas wants to be a masculinity leader in order to be a father figure.As acting like a father, there is not questioning between the conversation, the younger one just need to follow and obey the rule and requests. In this single family, Tomas wants to become a leader in order to guide and lead his brother.
The writer uses the novel to express the struggles of multi-racial individuals who are struggling to gain identity particularly young adults who are still in the process of growth and development. The writer tells of the struggles that are associated with a family that has a single parent. Tomas and his brother struggle to develop an identity and contribute to their upkeep. Tomas is the highlight of the story as we see his struggle to take up the role of the father by being a breadwinner and trying to guide the brother.
Works Cited:
Barber, Bonnies L., and JacquelynneS.Eccles. “Long-Term Influence Of Divorce And Single Parenting On
Adolescent Family-And Work-Related Values, Behaviors, And Aspirations,” Psychological Bulletin
111.1(1992): 108-126 PsycARTICES. Web. 21May. 2015
Oransky, Matthew, and Celia Fisher. “The Development And Validation Of The Meanings Of Adolescent
Masculinity Scale.”Psychology Of Men & Masculinity 10.1 (2009): 57-72. PsycARTICLE.
Web. 21 Mar. 2015.
Roley, Brian Ascalon.American Son. New York: Norton, 2001. Print.
Ty, Eleanor. “Abjection, Masculinity, and Violence in Brian Roley’s American Son and Han Ong’s
Fixer Chao.” MELUS 29.1 (2004): 119. Academic OneFile.Web. 21 Mar. 2015.
