Why is America the final continent?

The narrator in "The Third and Final Continent" found his home in a place far from where he came from, a place that many types of people from all over come to. What is it about this "America" that makes it so appealing to all of these people. Is it because of its diversity? or the dreams that seem to become a reality here? This country that was once ignored has become a sensation and it has grown to capture so much interest. This story is an overt representation of what America gives us despite the things that it can also rob from us. Essentially there is more value in what we have than what we lack. For the narrator this continent become home, it became stability and permanence. He decided to "grow old" here in this continent far away from his own origins removed from his culture. One of the most interesting things about America is that it is hard not to love or appreciate the life you can create here. At first anything new can be hard to adapt to. The narrator did not enjoy his stay at the YMCA perhaps because it reminded him of his difficult voyage, which was probably an awful experience. One person on their own, changing the course of their life takes absolute courage. Little change is hard, a change so big is almost unimaginable.

Mrs. Croft was the first person the narrator admired in this new place, she was not only a strong women she represented America. She was timeless and in her old age she was more fierce than ever. I think whats so interesting is the time frame of this story, America being the first country to ever invade such a foreign boundary like the moon. This makes it clear that America has no boundaries, which is what they wanted the thousands and thousands of people who came here to aim for. They wanted immigrants and Americans alike to cross and defeat any boundaries, because if we can put a man on the moon we can do anything. That is why Mrs. Croft's character is so valuable, she embodies this tradition and over the century she has lived has witnessed all the greatness. "There is an American flag on the moon" and really there is no reply for something so grand. Space travel was foreign like the how the narrator was in to the states. But despite the struggles that emerge everyone has a chance, which makes this country so special. Its a fresh start for all. Those weeks of summer were an interlude of his life, yet he mourned Mrs. Croft death because she was his symbol. She unknowingly became his America in way. And although so many changes were occurring tradition was heavily embedded in both of them, even though they were both from different backgrounds.

I have very strict beliefs on love, and I could never warm up to arranged marriages, it is too forced and I feel like people wouldn't really be happy marrying someone they just met. In this story I saw a very different side to love and how people fall in love. The narrator was fixed into an arranged marriage and he simply followed his life on the commitments marriage bring like having a job and a home for his partner. This suggests of marriage as a duty. Regularly when we marry we do it for love., but the connection that was created for Mala and the narrator was very endearing and pure because they were once strangers, they fell in love with what was on the inside while cultures like America have people looking at the outside first. And considering our divorce rates i'd say arranged marriages are actually doing better. What seemed like an obligation was transformed into something that lasts, through special moments such as meeting Mrs Croft. Even being somewhere new the reading also said that they traveled to Bengali to pick up pajamas which means that although there home is far away in never really gets lost. Which is another reason why America is so great, it allows all of that to be preserved.

Perhaps America has no real roots, which is why it is so wonderful, one can create their own roots while the past continents couldn't allow for that sense of a new beginning. The narrator was becoming accustomed to living in this new world, Mala did not have to pick up her sari because America is so "modern." It was as if in every other country something was instilled in them, but America gave them a choice which is everything. Beyond all its complexities this country is beautiful. Having a flag on the moon is like making somewhere new a home and that place exceeding expectations, it is a new and wild experience.