Immediately upon coming to America Lucy is faced with disillusionment the land marks as she sees them are not what she dreamed them to be. Examine Lucy several disillusionment and explain how they contribute to the formation of lucy evolving identity.
Colonialism repeatedly surfaces in Lucy's flashbacks of her homeland, a British colony. As a product of the British educational system, Lucy begins to realize the extent of its influence more powerfully once she has left her home culture. Lucy remembers as a child being forced to memorize British poems about daffodils, even though she would not see such a flower until becoming almost twenty years old. Even at a young age, Lucy was rebellious toward what she perceived as Britain's oppressive presence; she refused to sing "Rule, Britannia!" in her school choir. The educational system has been pivotal in discouraging rebellion and reinforcing colonial rule. Yet as a child Lucy intuitively understood such motives and chose to rebel anyway.
Nevertheless, the legacy of colonialism on notions of power and social structure remains deep throughout the novel. Its pervasive influence resurfaces in contemporary settings. In coming to America, Lucy attempts to leave colonialism behind, yet even in this new land, Lucy consistently encounters phenomena that she can trace back to colonialism--tourism and racism. Mariah introduces Lucy to many peers who have been to her home on vacation. Just as Columbus would pass an island by boat and name it, the tourists claim a certain authority to roam from island to island for leisure, without worrying about whether they might be exploiting native peoples and hurting rather than helping local economies. Lucy's experience also makes her a keen observer of social structure in America. While riding a train for the first time, she observes that all of the people who look like her relatives are performing jobs as servants.
