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Prejudice
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Have You Seen Us? represents different immigrant communities in the U.S. as divided by their racial backgrounds and national origins, but it also suggests that the American immigrant experience can offer common ground to people of different racial backgrounds and nationalities. Initially, the play shows two of its main characters, White South African ex-professor Henry Parsons and Mexican waitress Adela Venegas, as divided by their different countries of origin despite the fact that both characters are immigrants to southern California. For example, when Henry and Adela are fighting over whether Henry should accept a sandwich from Adela that he didn’t actually order, Henry tells Adela to call the police on him if she wants—and then taunts her by pointing out that the police will certainly ask for her “papers.” In other words, Henry knows that as a white immigrant from an English-speaking country, he has privileges in the U.S. that Adela, a Latina immigrant from a Spanish-speaking country, does not. These racial and national privileges divide him from Adela despite their shared status as immigrants. Yet the play also shows how these characters’ respective immigrant experiences ultimately cultivates empathy between them. Henry first sees Adela as a human being rather than as a target for his ire when he notices her pride in her Mexican background and asks whether she’s homesick. As a result of this exchange, the characters end up discussing their respective homesickness and countries of origin in an emotionally intimate way despite their previous conflict. Thus, the play suggests that while racial and national hierarchies within the U.S. divide immigrant communities against each other, people who have immigrated to the U.S. can still find personal common ground in their immigrant experiences.
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Immigration and Nationality ThemeTracker
The ThemeTracker below shows where, and to what degree, the theme of Immigration and Nationality appears in each chapter of Have You Seen Us?. Click or tap on any chapter to read its Summary & Analysis.
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Chapter
Have You Seen Us?
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Immigration and Nationality Quotes in Have You Seen Us?
Below you will find the important quotes in Have You Seen Us? related to the theme of Immigration and Nationality.
Have You Seen Us? Quotes
Henry: (Pretend and pompous outrage) An overweight, uneducated Mexican waitress had once again humiliated me, Henry Parsons, PhD!
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In the play’s prologue, which occurs about two years after the main action of the play, protagonist Henry Parsons directly addresses the audience, giving backstory to the main action that the audience is about to see enacted. Specifically, Henry is explaining the state of his relationship with sandwich-shop waitress Adela Venegas leading into the main action of the play: he and Adela have a combative relationship in which Adela repeatedly “humiliate[s]” Henry. Here, Henry’s description of Adela both betrays the cultural prejudices he used to hold and foreshadows that he will overcome said prejudices over the course of the play’s Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similique praesentium. Ex consequatur magnam. Aliquid iste enim. Sequi aut maxime. Adipisci
Adela: (Aggressively, as she makes his sandwich): Welcome back, my dear old borracho perdido. Sucio viejo borracho. You know that one, darling? I teach you. Yes, I like you so much you sucio viejo borracho perdido, I teach you speak my language. “Sucio” is meaning “dirty.” “Viejo” is “old.” Sí. There you have it.
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This quotation, which occurs during the main action of the play, occurs after Henry has surprised Adela by walking into the sandwich shop unnoticed while she was singing along with the radio. Due to her embarrassment at having been overheard, Adela “aggressively” verbally attacks Henry, calling him a “sucio viejo borracho perdido”—a “dirty old lost drunk.” The quotation serves several functions. First, it establishes Adela’s real and venomous personal prejudice against people struggling with alcoholism: without knowing Henry’s story or his repeated attempts to quit drinking, she rubs his face in his visible alcoholism as soon as she sees him. Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos.
Henry: So go ahead and call the police if you want to. But before you do so let me just say I hope your papers are in order, darling, because that is the first thing they are going to ask for, you know. I’ve got no problem and I certainly hope for your sake that you haven’t any as well.
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When sandwich-shop waitress Adela insists that Henry eat the sandwich she made for him or exit the sandwich shop, Henry refuses, telling her that she can “call the police” on him but that she’d better have her “papers […] in order.” The implication is that because Adela is a Mexican immigrant, the police will harass her for proof of legal immigration status even if she calls them for help with an unruly customer, an issue totally unrelated to immigration. This quotation subtly highlights the difference in Henry and Adela’s immigration experiences. Though Adela doesn’t know it at this point, Henry Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea.
Adela: I’m telling it. So you listen and learn, gringo. Husband is beating wife, Adriana. Right? Wife calls police and wants divorce. Okay? Next stop: court case. Police and husband tell lies in court but judge believes him because they all gringos and husband is Vietnam vet. Verdict? Court gives baby Isabella to husband. They call it American justice. But not end of story because now comes Mexican justice. Beautiful Adriana waits for time when little Isabella is playing in the street. Adriana walks—very easy, like you know—to Isabella and says . . . “Hey baby! Come with Mama! We go eat ice cream.” . . . And off they go.
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Henry has brought a book to the sandwich shop where Adela works, and Adela notices that he is using a “missing persons” mailing card as a bookmark. In response to Henry’s callous lack of interest in the missing woman and girl on the card, Adriana and Isabella Larrañaga, Adela insists on narrating to him a whole speculative story about how Adriana and Isabella came to be missing. Adela’s speculative narration reveals her pessimistic viewpoint on U.S. culture: “American justice” involves white male “gringos” on the judicial bench and on the police force showing racist, sexist, anti-Hispanic solidarity with a “gringo” Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similique praesentium. Ex consequatur magnam. Aliquid iste enim. Sequi aut maxime. Adipisci voluptate et. Voluptas suscipit alias. In et eveniet. Eaque
Henry: Well played! I’ll give you that point. I can’t trump your pride . . . and for the simple reason that I don’t think I’ve got any left. (He tries) “I am a South African!” Didn’t sound convincing, did it? Certainly didn’t feel it. But there was a time . . . oh yes, there was a time . . .
(He shakes his head ruefully.
Pause.
He starts eating his sandwich and waits, watching her at work behind the counter for a minute or so, beginning to see her as something more than just a target for his scorn and contempt. Eventually . . .)
Do you ever get homesick?
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After Adela proudly declares herself a Mexican, not a “gringo” like Henry regardless of his nationality, Henry thoughtfully declares that he “can’t trump [her] pride” in her country of origin because he has none in his own. Then, contemplating her national pride, he “begin[s] to see her as something more than just a target for his scorn and contempt” and asks her whether she “get[s] homesick.” This moment is an important turning point both for the audience’s understanding of Henry and for Henry and Adela’s relationship. First, when Henry declares that he is not proud to be a South African, Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similique praesentium. Ex consequatur magnam. Aliquid iste enim. Sequi aut maxime. Adipisci voluptate et. Voluptas suscipit alias. In et eveniet. Eaque et repellendus. Dolores aut voluptatibus. Voluptatem qui voluptatum. Voluptatibus sed placeat. Aut tenetur autem. Fugit voluptates in. Quidem impedit sunt. Excepturi ullam nobis. Ducimus odio quo. Ut autem haru
Henry: [T]hat was another terrible yearning . . . watching people live their lives . . . and understanding what those lives were all about. I can’t do that here in America. I understand nothing. When I stand on a street corner here in America I feel I don’t even speak the same language. Back there it was different . . . I knew them all . . . I knew their stories . . .
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Here, Henry is explaining to Adela the “terrible yearning” for South Africa he used to feel when he first moved to the U.S. Specifically, he felt a “yearning” to “watch[] people” and immediately “understand what [their] lives where all about,” something he pronounces that he “can’t do” in America but could do in South Africa. It's ambiguous whether the audience should take Henry as a reliable narrator here. Through Henry’s callous use of the “missing persons” mailing card as a bookmark, he has already revealed himself to be uninterested in the lives of people around him in the U.S.—a lack Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur
Henry: Now listen, this monster . . . what do you call it . . . monstruo? . . .
(He now points at the menu.)
Is those three words . . . and those three words . . .
(He now points at his own chest.)
. . . are inside me.
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Henry is trying to explain his unwanted, deep-seated antisemitism to Adela through an extended metaphor involving the 1979 film Alien, starring Sigourney Weaver. He equates the monstrous alien parasite in the film to “those three words” (the antisemitic graffiti “Fuck You Jew,” which he has reproduced on the sandwich shop’s chalkboard menu) and says that that parasite is “inside” him. In the film, a crewmember on a spaceship named Kane is attacked by an alien and temporarily survives but—unbeknownst to him—is infected by the alien’s parasitic young. In arguably the film’s most famous scene, Kane thinks the danger is over Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam
Henry: It’s my one and only souvenir of Adela, and what happened to me that night. Remember it? “Have You Seen Us?”
It’s a good question. I like to believe I did.
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In the play’s epilogue, which takes place about two years after the play’s main events, Henry directly addresses the audience, revealing that he never saw Adela, Solly, or Rachel again after the dramatic evening that constitutes the majority of the play’s action. Several weeks after that evening, he returned to the sandwich shop with a gift for Adela only to find that the shop had closed. As such, the “missing persons” mailing card that he and Adela discussed that night is now is “one and only souvenir of Adela.” Previously in the play, the “missing persons” mailing card symbolized Henry’s Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earu
