Identity through a postcolonial lens: The immigrants
A quest/search for identity: roots, language, culture, values, education, morals, economics, religion, conflicts etc...
Margaret Atwood, The Immigrants-
A search for one's identity, one's home. The immigrants leave their country in order to find happiness or a better way of life elsewhere. Maxime of Characters migrate, by Umberto Eco. The immigrants live a harsh life as they stay on the ''sidewalks'' of society (edward said--> the other theory, and orientalism--> carpet bags). They miss their hometown: ''the old countries recede, become perfect''. Their country is not only missed, but romanticised, and their image of them becomes fragile, as they ''dwindle (...) in a light paperweight clear''.
In addition, the maxime of ''characters migrate'' is emphasised with the theme of diaspora: the repetition ''year after year'' and ''further and further'' highlights the distance and time they traveled. Another theme explored throughout the poem is the mimicry theory by Bhabha as the immigrants hide their ''features with beards of shawls'' as they try to mimic and imitate the westerns, in order to integrate in their society.
However, all this themes and the use of language contributes to the search of ones' self. Thus, the poem holds an universal message: we are all immigrants. Therefore, this poem depicts the search of one's identity, but also questions everyone on their identity, and where they come from.