Immigrants and the American Dream with Brazilian Perspective 

Clandestinos na America is a novel by Dau Bastos, who know what it means to be clandestine. The narrative captivates the abundance of adventures and is the relation between being a rich and a poor Brazilian immigrant in the United States. The theme is generating controversy about The Brazilian Dream. Brazilians come to the United States in search of the 'American Dream'' and a better quality of life and opportunities to be professionally successful. The United States holds one of the largest population of Brazilians. The Brazilian Dream is the end of the corruption and economic crisis and that there are more job opportunities in Brazil. The situation in Brazil is not as good as years ago, many prefer to enjoy the quality of life offered by the host country, and many prefer to leave Brazil and become a Brazilian immigrant in the United States in search of prosperity elsewhere, but what Brazilians don't see is how American society and politicians view us that came from a different environment and how stereotypes can affect Brazilians to achieve the “Brazilian Dream”. Dau Bastos juxtaposes Brasil and the United States to show the complexities of the protagonist’s journey from Brazil to the United States; ultimately revealing that one can achieve the American Dream only when he faces the obstacles of stereotypes and pushes past them to find individual happiness.

America is a dream and no immigrants want to wake up from it. America is considered a dream because many Brazilians face a lot of obstacles every single day, but they overcome it with the hope of accomplishing the dreams that will result in a better life for themselves and their families. “In the United States, for some reason, people come in freely, but immigrants don't.” Brazilians come to the United States with a plan of spending three to five years or even more depending on their social class. They spend every second working and amassing significant savings. They work hard with the plan to return to Brazil and have a future with no financial worries for themselves and their families. Dau Bastos said that the “Brazilian dream came to the United States' and Brazilians can finally make America their home, where they can have support not only from the government but from people themselves, is to have and share respect, dignity, and benefits. The immigrant's dreams deserve all due respect. One of the characteristics of illegal immigrants is that they form communities in the new places they arrive. This is a way of maintaining your identity, finding safety nets, increasing the chances of finding a job, and avoiding the hostility of a new country, culture, and people. “The most important thing for Brazilians (…) is to invent the United States that we want.” Brazilians believe so much that there will be a better day tomorrow, they never give up, they turn every negative comment to a motive to keep them moving and they never give up on their dreams. Dau Bastos heard that “There is no future for the Brazilian dream.” But “What is the American Dream near the Brazilian Dream” There are two sides of a dream the nightmare and the dream you wake up and tries so hard to fall asleep again. America is a nightmare for immigrants but they evolve it into a heavenly dream and make sure that nothing or no one will ruin it for them as long as they believe.

Many people think that there are so many differences between the United States and Brazil. But the real question is what are they, “What differences are there between the United States and Brazil?' There are so many answers to this question that every immigrant and every American citizen must have a different answer for it. Immigration and immigrants for me is the migration of people to a country in violation of that country's immigration laws or the continuous residence of people without the legal right to live in that country. Illegal immigration tends to be financially rising, from the poorest to the richest countries Illegal residence in another country risks being detained and deported or facing other sanctions. The differences from the United States to Brazil begins in small things. Things that Brazilians see as obvious and unchanging, such as that one should not go out in public pajamas or even the fact that there are long holidays in Brazil, know that in the US is not quite so. The customs and beliefs of one country to another can differ greatly. In case of differences between Brazil and the USA, one interesting change in the cultural patterns of Brazilian immigration is the transformation of gender roles. Women, often as men, are employed and make significant financial contributions to the family in the United States. However, in Brazil, even among many middle and lower-class families, women usually do not work and they contribute to what is considered a housewife. The ability to earn an income and contribute to a family's economic survival can change relationships within a family and yourself and give many women more autonomy, that's also why Brazilian women prefer to live in the United States, because here they have a chance to be an independent woman and be more than just a housewife.

The United States is a nation of immigrants. Immigrants deserve the right to pursue happiness. Immigrants are “endowed with great dignity, willpower, and workability are performing tasks that no one wants to do in the United States.” However, Brazilians tend to face a lot of prejudices just because of their characteristics and language to be similar but at the same time so different from Latinos and Latinas. Brazilians hate being confused with Spanish-speaking or Latin Americans. Many Brazilian immigrants believe that racism and prejudice they have experienced is often a case of mistaken identity, as many Americans consider or think Brazilians are Hispanic. Brazilians consider themselves unique and different from people residing in other Latin American countries, Brazilian immigrants have made special efforts to distinguish themselves as a unique nationality and a community that is distinct from the Spanish and Hispanic language and communities. Brazilians face so many things every single day but there is no comparison to immigrating to the United States, it's so difficult to face such a drastic change. There are so many differences, stereotypes, and difficulties that appear and they don't have any other choice but to face it. But life is not easy, especially for Brazilians “It's complicated because we are immigrants, we don't have much chance to do things.” Going to a country where part of the population and the president himself are offensive to Brazilians immigrants must be so hard and the immigrants must have a strong desire for success and prepare for any kind of prejudice and have strong support from their families to not give up. American culture is very different from Brazilian, the relationship with other people is not the same, quite the opposite of the relationship Brazilians have in Brazil. In many places in the United States, people are closed and have no interest in making friends. The Brazilian is also known for being friendly, open-minded and free to do whatever they want, thinking that everything has a way out, even when it comes to justice. In the US, there is no such thing. However, it is important to know that all of these situations are circumvent and that the benefits can overcome any difficulties that immigrants experience.

People are increasingly surrounded by their right to come and go. Migrating, emigrating, immigrating involves taking on increasing risks and countless dangers. Illegal immigration is the process in which people from one country enter into another type of voluntary work and do not submit documents to the statistical agencies responsible for enforcement. Therefore, as the rights of access are violated and foreigners are considered illegal only because they are not listed as foreigners within the country in which they entered. Illegal immigration takes place through all forms of entry into a country, across borders, water or land. Although different from a refuge, as refuge implies an escape caused by the conditions of the country of origin, such as war or political persecution of specific groups, illegal immigration also entails social problems. Commonly illegal immigrants are victims of slave labor and situations of extreme vulnerability, such as prostitution and child exploitation. It is also appropriate to differentiate between emigration and immigration. The first refers to the movement of people out of one country to another, while immigration concerns the movement of arrival in a new country. The flow of illegal immigration is mainly from developing countries to developed countries. A classic example of this type of immigration is between Brazil and the United States. The border in Mexico is widely used for the passage of illegal immigrants from all over Brazil to the United States. There are many reasons related to illegal immigration, but that it is directly associated with social inequalities. For many people in a poor or developing country like Brazil, immigration emerges as a life-changing possibility, even if it means worse living conditions or not unlike those living in their places of origin. The fact is that there are countless reasons for a person to decide to immigrate illegally. It can be from a personal decision, an adventure, even factors related to the environment where immigrant lives. Immigrants are driven by economic issues, the political situation of their countries, despair, hope.

Living in another country is not recognizing your limits, it's stretching them a little bit more, day after day. It's recognizing that being just another Brazilian immigrant can be a lot for anybody wanting to rebuild their life. It is very difficult to talk about going or staying. In Brazil there is love here immigrants have security, there they have a routine, where they have stability, over there are family and great friends here is the quality of life, there is always home-cooked food in their houses, where they choose which restaurant to eat. There they have “rights” and here they only have duties. Brazilians draw their story in Brazil. In the United States, they draw the future. There they have a name and a profession to look after. Here they learn to respect all work. We're home there. Here we create our own home. Brazilians never forget their roots, but Florence, wherever they are. They always keep a smile on their face even on the worst days. “With time you notice that, if you don’t have the strength to keep going, you must have reasons to live for and never give up, because at the end of the day all that matters is if you’re happy” of the people they become, that now Brazilians immigrants is more than just or word or a number. They should be proud and happy because they accomplish so many things and always pursue their happiness. Brazilians should be recognized and seen from an immigrant perspective on an American eye. Immigrants are still a person no matter where they are from and they should be acknowledged as a human being not just as a stereotype.