The Message in Girl in Translation
There always have been immigrants since the early days in the United States. The number of immigrants continues to grow throughout periods of time. “As in 2006, the number of immigrants is 37.5 million. After 2000, immigration to the United States numbered approximately 1,000,000 per year. A recent survey by Gallup showed that there are about 165 million adults worldwide named the United States as their top country where they would like to migrate permanently” (Immigration, Wikipedia). What is the reason why there are such a large number of people wanting to go to America, even though they are well aware of the difficulties awaiting for them there? Girl in Translation is one of the books that can help to …show more content…

Since then, I have wondered if we would have survived the winter without that gift from the gods. The material was heavy and carpet like, not having been intended as clothing, and when I slept under our new blankets, I woke with my limbs aching from the weight. However, at least they covered our entire bodies at once, unlike the piles of clothes we’d used in the past, and they were warm (77).
To earn a living, Kimberly and her mother worked at the clothing factory managed by Aunt Paula’s husband. Due to the author’s superb description technique, readers can imagine and have a clear image of the factory and feel the need and desperation from the people who work there. The immigrants were working in an unhealthy environment, they are always covered with sweat and fabric dust, they were “deafened by the roar of a hundred Singer sewing machines”. They had to stay all night when there was a shipment going out. They were paid 1 to 2 cents a piece, which is illegal. There were other children like Kimberly working at the factory, they all hoped to help their parents finish their work earlier and earn some more money. Some of these children would finally end up replacing their parents to work in the factory while their children, like them, would come to help. It was the circle of the factory life that many immigrants could not escape. Kimberly’s mother did not want this to