Despite their presentation as culturally ubiquitous in Anne Fadiman’s The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, the Hmong exhibit pronounced distinctions in the degree to which they assimilate to American culture. In fact, there is a something of a spectrum: some Hmong vehemently refuse to consciously become part of American culture, some absorb certain elements, and some (though very few) become part of the American mainstream. To demonstrate this variety of ideas and behaviors, this essay will focus on four Hmong, each assimilating to American culture to a different extent. Each group has a certain rationale as to why it behaves in such a way, though the major concern is creating a “good life” for themselves and their families in their new country while retaining as much of their culture as possible. Foua and Nao Kao are at the end of the spectrum tending toward as little assimilation as possible. From the onset of the book, Fadiman presents them as very resistant to change, even for Hmong. Fadiman also gives a generalized conception of the Hmong that serves as a basis for comparison for all Hmong presented in the book, especially Foua and Nao Kao. It is important to note that this is merely Fadiman’s opinion, though the reader sees that this statement contains shreds of truth about the Hmong: “The history of the Hmong yields several lessons that anyone who deals with them might do well to remember. Among the most obvious of these are that the Hmong do not like to take orders; that they do not like to lose; that they would rather flee, fight, or die than surrender; that they are not intimidated by being outnumbered; that they are rarely persuaded that the customs of other cultures, even those more powerful than their own, are superior; and that they are capable of getting very angry.” (Fadiman, 1997, 17). Foua and Nao Kao’s contempt for Lia’s doctors’ orders are the part of this statement most obvious to the reader.
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