We always tell people to pursue things they love or enjoy as long as they do not regret about them. However, it actually is a difficult thing to do for a lot of people because they do not have the courage or motivations to do so. In the memoir Greetings From Bury Park by Safraz Manzoor, the author’s obsession with Bruce Springsteen and his music used to show his rebellious attitude towards his parents’ traditional Pakistani expectations and his struggle between his muslin identity and British identity.
Bruce Springsteen’s songs allow Manzoor to open his mind and look at problems from a different angle. Manzoor always thinks there is no way for him and his father to understand each other. When Manzoor hears the song “Independent Day”, he is…show more content… He once said, “I owe my life to two strokes of incredible luck: I was not born female and I was not the oldest son” (55). His older sister does not attend college because his father wants her to find a job and support the family. When his father dies, Manzoor’s older brother takes the responsibility to take care of the entire family. Manzoor admits that “The rest of my family had paid the price for my freedom. I had the luxury of being the younger son” (81). Unlike his siblings, Manzoor gets in touch with a bigger world. The friends he has, the books he read, the way he thinks, are all British. The country he grows up in gives him an opportunity to explore what he truly…show more content… For the first time Manzoor goes to Springsteen’s concert, he is satisfied, and the only thing he said to Springsteen is “Hi, Bruce, any chance you could sign this?” (112) and the response he gets is “Sure, no problem” (112). Later he holds Springsteen’s guitar for him think that is the happiest moment in his life. The second time he meets Springsteen in person is when he waits for Springsteen outside of a hotel for him to sign on his photograph. He tells Springsteen “Bruce. Three words: “Point Black”, acoustic” (116). And in the concert, Springsteen says, “A fella came up to me and asked for this song. I don’t know if he’s out there tonight, but if he is, this is for you” (116). He sings “Point Black” acoustically. Just as what his best friend Amolak says, “You see, buddy, dreams do come true” (116). When Manzoor meets Springsteen for the third time, he talks with him privately for twenty minutes. He gets closer and closer to the person he admires. The distance between Springsteen and him shrinks to a place which is nearly inconceivable. People all have the figures they admire and idolize but not too many people can get close to their idols as close as Manzoor does. What this process does to Manzoor is that it proves to him that nothing is
