New Narratives for a New Diversity

The  May 14, 2018, issue of The New Yorker includes a short story by Edwidge Danticat entitled "Without Inspection" that can be viewed as representing a new narrative for a more diverse America.

This country has always been a nation of immigrants (after it was "discovered" by European explorers at any rate), but until relatively recently, the vast majority of the newcomers were Europeans who arrived legally.  Thus, the classic immigration story has long been one of persons, parents or grandparents who arrived from the "old world" at Ellis Island in New York harbor and after various trials and tribulations, often including discrimination, eventually achieved the American Dream, if not for themselves for their offspring.





But Ellis Island closed in 1954 and subsequent immigration has been different: arrivals by plane as opposed to by ship; arrivals from parts of the world other than Europe, and significant numbers of illegal arrivals. It's a new narrative and as these peoples have gained a foothold, one increasingly hears that they have not been given adequate voice in American society.

The publishing industry, in particular, has been accused of being a bastion of white culture.

"Without Inspection" tells the story of one illegal immigrant -- a Haitian named Arnold -- who washes up on a south Florida beach after being unceremoniously ordered out of a speedboat -- and who, at least initially, is taken under the wing of a guardian angel with a similar background. But unlike the classic American immigration story, all does not end well.

Ms Danticat, a Haitian who arrived in the U.S. when she was 12 years old and is an experienced writer of short stories, novels and essays, uses an interesting stylistic device to tell her tale. It takes the form of a flashback that supposedly occurs within a timeframe of about six and one half seconds. But in a New Yorker interview, the author admits to having pushed the boundaries of plausibility in so doing.

"The story kept demanding more: more time, more space," she said.

Well, one could argue James Joyce stretched the plausible when he jammed everything contained in "Ulysses" into one day.  On the other hand, Virginia Woolf's "Mrs. Dalloway" is perfectly plausible within the limited timeframe in which it is set -- if one is willing to accept certain key coincidences.