Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen

The symbolic meaning of paperwork is clear throughout the novel: it defines who is (and who is not) allowed to claim an identity within the United States. Paperwork, representing legitimacy, comes in many forms. It is a passport, a green card, a birth certificate, a driver's license, or one of a hundred other variants. Whatever the particulars of the paperwork, it comes to define the owner. It symbolizes an individual’s privileges and rights, particularly in relation to those who do not possess such paperwork. Items that seem inconsequential for certain people are a matter of life and death for others.

Paperwork reminds the author of the precarious nature of his life. As a result of the symbolic meaning of the various pieces of paperwork, the author is forced to confront the question of whether he can ever feel at home in a country where he is undocumented. Whenever the author finds himself in a situation in which his status might be questioned, paperwork is an ever-present issue. When the author is pulled over by a traffic cop, for example, he is asked for his paperwork. Though he is able to provide a driver’s license, the author is painfully aware that the deeper, symbolic meaning of the question of paperwork has placed him in a difficult and dangerous position.