America is in the Heart by Carlos Bulosan is a deep, depressing, and motivating story about a Filipino boy named Allos and his adventures and hardships of immigrating to the United States. He believed that America would bring great opportunity and overall an easier life, but was disappointed when he learned that America possessed even more difficulties and adversities than his homeland, the Philippines. He was not warned of the suffering a Filipino immigrant had to endure because “It was almost a crime to be a Filipino in America,” as Allos explained. Allos was tempted to immigrate to the United States however, because of his reading of Abraham Lincoln, “The poor boy who became president of the United States,” and because of his stereotype that America was just like Miss Mary Strandon, a kind and loving woman who took care of Allos. Later when he found himself in America, after witnessing poverty and pain, he used his reading and writing skills first enlightened by Miss Strandon to release his stress and suffering. Allos’s experience of reading about Abraham Lincoln and Miss Mary Strandon introducing new books to Allos affected his views of the United States and his passion to read and write because the reading of Abraham Lincoln led him to perceive America as the land of opportunity, and his passion for reading and writing was fueled with new books Miss Mary Strandon gave to him.
Allos, the main character, was raised in the poorest class of the Philippines in the city of Binalonan. His father owned eight hectares of land, and Allos helped his father cultivate the land. He then moved in with his mother to assist her in a vigorous and unsuccessful trading business. Allos’s job was to help his mother transfer goods from one city to another, but Allos struggled carrying heavy loads for little profit. He finally decided to move to Baguio by himself at the age of thirteen to start a new life and to find a decent middle class job. He could not find work though, and could barely afford the necessities to live in Baguio when a man took pity on Allos and gave Allos the job of wheeling sacks of rice in exchange for food. As Allos put it, “The wheelbarrow was almost too large for me to push, but it was a job and I had to eat,” (68). He then found a reasonable job when an American woman bought rice from his employer and asked Allos to carry the sack of rice for her. The lady, Miss Mary Strandon, offered him five centavos for the job, and a new job of being a houseboy. Allos accepted her offer.
He started out doing her general housework, cleaning her apartment and cooking. Allos then met Dalmacio, a houseboy for another American woman living nearby. Allos and Dalmacio talked about their dreams to immigrate to America to find a high paying job. Dalmacio told Allos that English was the most resourceful tool for finding good work in the states. Allos then convinced Dalmacio, who was fluent in English, to teach him the American language on their spare time. Dalmacio helped Allos learn the English language by reading a book to Allos about “A poor man named Abraham Lincoln.”

“‘Who is this Abraham Lincoln?’ I asked Dalmacio. ‘He was a
poor boy who became a president of the United States,’ he
said. ‘He was born in a log cabin and walked miles and miles
to borrow books so that he would know more about this
country.’ A poor boy became a president of the United States!
Deep down I was touched, was springing out, demanding to be
born, to be given a name. I was fascinated by the story of this
boy who was born in a log cabin and became a president of the
United States.” (69)

Allos became deeply interested in Abraham Lincoln, and questioned Miss Strandon about what Lincoln did when he became president. Miss Strandon explained to Allos:

“‘He said that all men are created equal [but] some men, vicious men, who had Negro slaves, did not like what he said [so] a terrible war was fought between the states of the United States, and slaves were freed and the Union was preserved. But one night, he was murdered by an assassin.’” (70).

Allos became extremely fascinated with Abraham Lincoln. Miss Strandon began giving him books, and a passion for reading and writing grew within Allos. Allos eventually found work at the library nearby. After a year, Miss Mary Strandon left for Iowa, and told Allos that she hoped he would visit her in Iowa. It was then mentioned fifteen years afterward, Allos went to Spencer, Iowa to find her, but she had been dead for almost ten years, and Allos wrote her name on a copy of his first book and donated it to the local library.
Allos’s reading of Abraham Lincoln becoming president affected his views of America dramatically. The thought about “A poor boy becoming a president of the United States” ran through his mind countless times, and this represented opportunity in America for Allos. He believed that the life of Abraham Lincoln could be reminiscent of what Allos wanted to happen in the life of his own when he immigrated to America, being from a poor social class and eventually rising to the top through hard work and dedication. America was a dream to Allos, because he saw an easier life and vast amount of money as long as he devoted himself to become rich. He wasn’t warned of all the harms, of the crime of being a Philippine, the drug dealing and gambling, and of the very little opportunity in the American reality. Abraham Lincoln was a representation of what Allos wanted to live and experience, and his readings of Lincoln not only affected his views of America, it persuaded him to immigrate to America. Abraham Lincoln becoming president was an indication to Allos that any person could be anything they wanted, only in America.
Miss Mary Strandon also affected Allos’s view of the United States. Allos’s reading of Lincoln and Miss Mary Strandon represented to Allos that America was a great dwelling place in general, with many kind white women and an overall utopian society for him. Allos mistakenly thought Miss Mary Strandon represented America, but was not aware of what was actually to come in his future in the states.

“I do not remember all that Miss Mary Strandon said to me in
parting. But I remember her saying that she would like me to
come someday to her home town of Spencer, Iowa. She told
me that the trees there were as luxuriant as in Baguio.
Fifteen years afterward I went to Spencer, hoping to find her.
But she had been dead for more than ten years. I wrote her name
on a copy of my first book and donated it to the local library.
I think someday she would have been happy to know that
I would someday write a book about her country.” (71)

The writing from above demonstrates that Miss Mary Strandon and Allos’s encounter with Abraham Lincoln played a big role in Allos’s passion for reading and writing. Dalmacio was the one to introduce reading to Allos, but the Abraham Lincoln story enlightened Allos’s love for reading and from there, Miss Strandon involved Allos with the public library.
Miss Mary Strandon was an incredible woman for Allos. Allos respected her, not only because she was kind and had a great personality, but because she truly cared for Allos. Miss Mary Strandon noticed that Allos had great interest in reading about Abraham Lincoln, and she provided Allos with books from the library. This led to Miss Mary Strandon triggering Allos’s passion for reading and writing.
Miss Mary Strandon and the reading of Abraham Lincoln made Allos believe America was great, but was proven wrong immediately when he was sent to Alaska for hard labor because he could not fulfill the payments of rent for a room. For the rest of Allos’s life, he endured hardships, prostitution, gambling, drug-dealing, death, and all the horrible memories not native to his homeland. Allos luckily found a great way to release his pain, all because of Miss Mary Strandon, who started Allos’s writing career, and helped him become the great writer that he became at the end of the book. If Miss Mary Strandon did not introduce reading and writing to Allos, Allos would have possibly committed horrible crimes in America, because reading and writing was the only way Allos could release his suffering. Even though his premonitions of America were wrong, he pursued his dream of being a writer, and learned the simple meaning that “America is in the heart.”

Citations

Bulosan, Carlos. America is in the Heart. Seattle: University of Washington P, 1973. 69.

Bulosan, Carlos. America is in the Heart. Seattle: University of Washington P, 1973. 70.

Bulosan, Carlos. America is in the Heart. Seattle: University of Washington P, 1973. 71.