I denne study guide kan du få hjælp til at analysere novellen "Deportation at Breakfast" af Larry Fondation, som kan findes i antologien Looking for America (Systime 2005). Udover analysehjælpen kan du finde inspiration til fortolkning og perspektivering.
Præsentation af teksten
Titel: “Deportation at Breakfast” (1991)
Forfatter: Larry Fondation
Genre: Short story
Larry Fondation er en amerikansk forfatter, som både er kendt for at skrive skønlitteratur og sagprosa. Meget af hans forfatterskab er inspireret af bylivet i Los Angeles, hvor han har boet siden 1980'erne. "Deportation at Breakfast" har tidligere været udgivet i tekstsamlingen Unscheduled Departures: The Asylum Anthology of Short Fiction (1991).
Uddrag
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The counter functions as a separation mark between American citizens and illegal immigrants. They do not physically interact or meet on neutral ground, as they are separated by the counter.
In front of the counter, Americans come and order their food, eat their meals in peace, and focus on their own issues. Behind the counter is the immigrant, Javier, whose life is unknown to the others. He is literally and symbolically alone behind the counter, which also becomes a symbol of isolation.
The counter could also become the symbol of the American border which immigrants pass daily in search of a better life. Although the counter becomes somehow protective, it still exposes the immigrant and makes him vulnerable to authorities. The fact that the narrator goes behind the counter and still fails to understand Javier’s position suggests how many Americans find it impossible to empathize with illegal immigrants.
The narrator and the other customers symbolize the stereotypical American attitude towards immigrants. They benefit from Javier’s presence at the diner because he keeps it clean and makes and serves their food. However, the narrator has no concern for Javier’s fate, and the other customers do not even notice that he is gone, suggesting they do not see him as an individual.
