Significance of John Wayne in the short story Grandma

It is important to learn about the backgrounds of Grandma and John Wayne to form a basis for this analysis. Throughout the short story we learn that Grandma is 94 years old and has lived a hard life. She experienced three wars, one of which is the Vietnam War, and came to America for a chance at a better life. The narrator describes Grandma’s experience as, “America, besides, was not all that good for her” (20). One other limitation for

The Vietnam War left many Vietnamese refugees looking for a better life in the United States. While it is not specified in the short story, readers can assume that this was the same time frame in which Grandma and her family came to America. As stated before, “the American dream was not all that good to Grandma” (20). This is probably due to Grandma’s old age. The narrator explains, “She had been confined to the second floor of our big Victorian home, as her health was failing, and she did not speak English” (20). Often it is more difficult for an older adult to adjust to a new land, learn the language, and find a job. Grandma is left to soak in the new culture through television, limited observation, and most importantly her grandchildren. Historically in the United States, we employ a policy of assimilation of those who have come to our country. We therefore make it difficult for other cultures, economical and societal, to establish a place in fulfilling the American Dream. While Grandma is left to experience America on her own, John Wayne is making movies that define how Vietnamese people are portrayed in America. Orion Bloom writes, “the portrayals of Asians in each film are based on how the United States felt about them at the time and John Wayne is used as a symbol of the U.S. to show us how to act towards them” (http://mcel.pacificu.edu/jwasia/papersfinalOB.html).

The John Wayne movie “The Green Beret” supported the action of the U.S. in Vietnam. This is also the same movie Grandma, the narrator, and Eric are watching in the short story. The narrator describes, “John Wayne shot dead five guys. Just Like that. But Grandma didn’t mind, really. She’s seen Americans like John Wayne shooting her people in the movies before” (21). During her life

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