November 11, 2016 - 17:40
Elliot Rhodes is only highlighted as the teacher that rapes Yumi in “All Over Creation”. However, he is also the new guy in town and everyone is wary of him for good reason. Elliot is the real foreigner in their quiet farm town and this is emphasized by Lloyd’s representation of the American Dream and Momoko’s assimilated nature.
Elliot is from California which is very different from Idaho because California is warmer, sunnier, and less agricultural. Elliot is a “baby blue Volkswagen Beetle in a town of Fords and Chevys” (Ozeki 23). He sticks out like a sore thumb. It makes sense for this town to not trust him. His values are somewhat progressive and he is a young know-it-all. This town has already accepted one foreigner, Momoko. She’s from Japan which is interesting due to California’s relationship with Japan due to the large amount of Japanese immigration to California. In this way Momoko serves as a middle ground between Elliot and Lloyd. She, unlike Elliot, fits in with the culture of this farm town. She is quiet and obedient, the ideal mother and wife. Elliot is loud about his opinions and spreads his unpopular ideas to his students. At that time in history America was fighting in the Vietnam war. Older generations blindly followed their government and younger generations questioned the validity of the war. Lloyd fought in World War II and therefore felt that serving his country was the highest of honors. Therefore, Lloyd stands for America and is very patriotic. Lloyd says Elliot has “dubious morals” (Ozeki 21). Dubious can be defined as “morally questionable” or “suspect”. Which is interesting because that is Elliot. He impregnates a student which in multiple cultures is taboo. His morals can be questioned.
Momoko is an excepted part of this town and her presence isn’t questioned. Elliot, however was “a hippie, a commie, an anarchist, a freak” (Ozeki 21). He was an outsider in every aspect. He did not have a family, he did not go to church, he was this entity that did not fit the status quo and is treated as such. Per Yumi “at church there’d been talk” about Elliot and whether he was a trusted influence for the students. Obviously if Lloyd thought he had questionable values Elliot was not trusted by a man who represented the whole of his society’s standards. I believe that Ozeki not only uses Lloyd as the standard for his town but also for America. Lloyd is the embodiment of the American dream. He showed that through hard work and dedication you can accomplish anything and create a life for your family. Even though he did not get to be there for Yumi during her late teens Yumi had enough of her father’s American values the succeed on her own and go to college. Ozeki shows through this family what Americans strive for and then brings in Elliot so that there is a prop to show how America reacts to foreigners. Elliot is also striving for the American dream. He came in from somewhere he did not have many opportunities to somewhere that he had more. Then he was shunned by the majority because he was the minority. Additionally, Elliot is a radical and rapist because he forces his body and his ideas on Yumi. Therefore, through Elliot, foreigners are not put in a positive light. He shows that America thinks that only bad can come by allowing foreigners into the country.
Yumi and Elliot’s interactions highlight two things. First how men often fetishize young women of color, and two, how America feels foreigners corrupt the youth. If Elliot is the foreigner then he is using a very effective method of spreading his culture, by getting to the children first. If you can change the minds of the younger generations then they can change the opinions of the next one. Elliot not only has Yumi but he teaches a whole class of moldable minds during an era in history known for its questioning of authority. All the parents do not trust him but the kids are in a submissive position to him. They are taught to respect authority and in the classroom, the teacher is the ultimate authority figure. Although he is showing them that speaking out against the man is cool and righteous they will still respect him because now he is their leader. Elliot has infiltrated the minds of next generation in power and therefore he has the power. In this way, he is like an unwanted foreign group. The younger generations, especially today, hold less anger towards immigrants, whereas older generations are more likely to judge them harshly and even ostracize them. Which later Yumi finds out is what happens to Elliot. He leaves shortly after her because his major hold on that society is gone. He no longer possesses an ally who is on the inside so he is pushed out of the community. No one knew of his scandal or police would have been involved therefore it was his social views that got him pushed out and possibly harsh rumors. This is how America treats unwanted peoples. Force them out physically or make them want to leave depending on the severity of the time.
Elliot truly is the representative of how foreigners are viewed in American culture. Lloyd represents how America react to foriegners. Momoko is the representative of an assimilated person and Yumi shows what can occur when we live in harmony. The real question here is would Lloyd feel this way if Elliot was more like him and others in the town? Therefore, is Ozeki showing how America views foreigners not through Momoko but instead through Elliot?