Introduction: "It takes time before the pain of leaving one's country transforms itself from a pain as obstacle into a pain as growth. This transformation is a characteristic of life itself and it works for everybody and it affects everybody: every day we have to leave the homeland of our certainties. Everyday we need to learn a new language. We are in constant migration." (Orton, 11). The author of this quote is calling attention to the fact that "migration is not the exclusive experience of a limited number of people". Migration is explained as "change in a multicultural context". Therefore, migration affects the life of every person daily when he/she converses in more than one language, views a foreign film, tours a foreign country, or interacts with people from different cultural backgrounds. Futhermore, It's the literature written by migrants that allows people to catch a glimpse of the experiences, hardships, and tragedies that they have gone through. This literature opens up dialogue between all parties by discussing themes such as exile, displacement, cultural fragmentation, and racism. Narratives, biographies, short stories and essays directly draw on the influences of the authors' life who, in turn, breathes life into the content of their work and thus produces the fruit of all their labours in the manifestation of migrant literature.
Salvation: "the West only wants them for the humblest jobs, those requiring hard labor. They keep the good jobs for their children. I can understand that, as long as they don't come and deprive us of our resources, and as long as those strange nongovernmental organizations don't come and teach us about human rights in our own country and allow those of the 'los tero' to prevail. That would cause of nation to collapse." (Dekhis, 70). The protagonist of this story is explaining the vast similarities between two entirely different countries, those of 1st world nations and 3rd world nations, who are sharing emigrants/immigrants and are entirely dependent on one another for economic stability & resources. In other words, it's the classic master/slave relationship in which neither is the mastor or the slave.
Furthermore, his own story also sheds light on this situation. He himself who is a legal immigrant who has been living in Italy since the 1980's and who is constantly "bothered" by his distant "relatives" who are seeking the same dream he had once had: to "better his life" in a country with endless possibilities. However, his dream was shattered by bittter reality and his life turned more into a living nightmare. Now he is battling both anxiety and depression and is seeking his own salvation from his unemployed status, creditors, government, and relatives. He says to himself: "They had come of age, they were ready to run any risk, but they denied their own history, mired the nation in violence, ruined its economy and erased the distinguishing aspects of its culture... No, no, stay home cousin, at least this unfortunate experience will be a lesson to you that will help you to think more reasonably about the future." (Dekhis, 73). Therefore, he feels as if the lie he told his cousin that ultimately changed his mind in tyring to immigrant to Italy is justified in helping him avoid the same disappointing fate as himself. A fate in which he achieves his only salvation through death.
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