Ascension and Immersion. A thesis made by Robert Stepto, an English professor from Yale University. His thesis is based on two stages: Ascension and Immersion. Ascension is the act of leaving the familiarity of his own community for freedom. But in doing so, he sacrifices just that, communal familiarity. When this person obtains their freedom they are outcast, silently, from the rest. They begin to develop a longing for their own community, homesickness. They want to “Immerse” themselves back into their own community.
Throughout Bone, there are various characters and situations that both reinforce and demote Stepto’s theory of Ascension and Immersion. My thesis revolves around the three sisters of the story, Leila, Ona, and Nina. They seem to be prime examples of both, complicating Stepto’s thesis, but yet reinforcing it as well. Each of these three sisters have their own unique twist on Stepto’s Ascension/Immersion thesis, each contributing their own side of Immersion and Ascension.
Take for example, the death of Ona. She was dating a man named Osvaldo, trying to Ascend out of Chinatown, and her family. Osvaldo was always taking Ona outside of Chinatown, granting her freedom from her family and the town. Even though she was with her boyfriend, she never felt comfortable, as stated on page 170, it says “The thing that stuck in my mind was what Ona told me about how she felt outside Chinatown. She never felt comfortable, even with the Chinese crowd that Osvaldo hung around with; she never felt like she fit in.” This is an example of Ona’s Ascension outside of Chinatown and her family. While this is a prime example of Ascension, there is no sense of Immersion. On page 171 it says “There was a knock and Ona was going down the hall and it was Osaldo standing there, Osvaldo bending forward, Osvaldo kissing Ona….. But Ona kept fighting him. She pushed and flung her arms, she hit him…. But Leon wouldn’t acknowledge Osvaldo. He kept yelling at Ona, “You better listen...