The Asian American Experience
America Is In the Heart, Carlos Bulosan (excerpts)
Study Questions
1. Is Bulosan a reliable narrator? How much can we trust his account of the
Philippines in Ch. V?
2. How does Bulosan’s narration compare to that of the naïve narrator, Kiyoshi, in
Murayama’s “I’ll Crack Your Head Kotsun?” What is the significance of telling a
story through the voice of a naïve narrator?
3. In the introduction to America Is In the Heart, Carey McWilliams writes “one of
the best ways to view and understand a society is to see it from the bottom,
looking up.” Do you agree? What kind of political/social scene does Bulosan
depict?
4. What are the images of necessity and extravagance in Part I of America Is In the
Heart?
5. In her work, Reading Asian American Literature, Sau-ling Cynthia Wong writes,
“America is founded on myths of mobility…Since its birth as a political and
social entity, it is safe to say, America has customarily defined its uniqueness in
terms of the enhanced mobility it can offer: the opportunity to go where one
wants, do what one wants, shape life anew.”
a. Identify some of these myths of mobility.
b. What does mobility mean in Asian American literature? How do
writers conceptualize the Asian American’s relationship to the
American landscape?
c. How does America Is In the Heart compare with traditional works of
American literature that use the mobility/journey motif?
d. What motivates Allos’ travels? What modes of transportation does he
use?
6. Is this an autobiographical novel? What is the significance of the protagonist’s
name change from Allos (in the Philippines) to Carlos in America?
7. What does Bulosan mean when he writes, “it is a crime to be a Filipino in
California?”
8. What does Bulosan mean when he refers to the paradox of America? Is America
inherently a paradox?
9. Consider the definition of America which Carlos’ brother, Macario, puts forth at
the conclusion of Part II (Macario’s manifesto on America, Ch. XXV, pp. 188189). Do you agree with his definition of America? What does America mean
for you? What are the components of the American dream? Does the American
Dream exist or is it a sham? Haw the new world replaced the old world today?
10. Consider Carlos’ relationships with his two brothers, Macario and Amado. Each
has a different approach towards life in America. What are their different
approaches? Which do you think is the most effective way of living in America?
11. One critic argues that America Is In the Heart is a subversive critique of the
American Dream rather than an idealistic affirmation. Do you agree? Is the
“naivete” of the narration merely an ironic narrative strategy?
America Is In the Heart Study Questions
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12. What images in America Is In the Heart resonate with Takaki’s “Dollar a Day,
Dime a Dance: The Forgotten Filipinos” and the documentary, “Dollar a Day,
Ten Cents a Dance?”
America Is In the Heart Study Questions
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