We know that immigration implies the movement of people into another nation with the intention of residing there permanently. Along with this definition we should take into account that immigrants have high expectation for the new way of life they would lead. They would attempt to get a better job, a better lifestyle, and also they would try to get academic education. However, in their new way of life they would be exposed to unexpected situations that would make them feel unable and confused so as to understand their position as immigrants. These circumstances are clearly visible in the story "English as a Second Language" by Lucy Hoing. Throughout the short story Maria seems to go through different stages that lead her from her initial inability to understand her situation in the U.S., to her final awareness of where most of her difficulties would lie as an immigrant. .
At first, Maria was not able to understand her position in the U.S.A. As she did not realise her situation as an immigrant, Maria dreamt about the possibility of being part of an American T.V. show. She imagined herself kissing and hugging her children on T.V. as all the Americans families did whenever they answered correctly. What is more, Maria thought of her children jumping and kissing the host of the show, who would hold her whenever they won a prize. Maria though that she and her family would be regarded as perfect on TV, as if they were the typical American family. Nevertheless, Maria would be brought back to reality whenever her son remarked her that poor people were not allowed in those T.V. shows. Evidently, Maria did not understand she was not part of the right people who would say the right things. In other words, she was just a Guatemalan immigrant whose way of life would not be interesting for an American audience. For this reason she would never be invited to a T.V. show. Unfortunately, Maria failed to see which was her situation in the U.
