The Penn State McNair Journal is published annually and is the official publication of the Ronald E

This essay examines the definition and various roles of the United States and its inhabitants in Carlos Bulosan’s semi-autobiographical America is in the Heart, a classic work of Asian American literature. The myriad of American characters in the novel reveal a vast diversity in the American population. America is in the Heart charts the paradox of the United States in the first half of the 20 th century; while there are Americans who do not succumb to the common racism of the day—there are, in fact, those who rebel against it—the grand majority of the protagonist’s experiences with Americans, particularly those of the upper classes and those in law enforcement, project the darker aspects of their own desires and society on the ‘Other’; some label minorities as sex-crazed deviants while simultaneously displaying a subconscious obsession with sexuality, others accuse minorities of infesting the nation with crime while consciously and unabashedly stealing from them. But despite the protagonist’s seemingly constant contact with prejudice, he is also met with kindness from Americans throughout his travels and has reason to believe that this is a nation where equality is possible, even if it was not practiced. The conflicting nature of Americans throughout the novel reveals a degree of uncertainty, from both Americans and foreigners, as to what the word “American” actually means.