David Guterson's Mall of America and the American cultural experience

Statue of Liberty was given to the United States of America by the country of France in the late 1800s as a gift to the country after its reunification following the American Civil War. The huge statue towers over the city of Manhattan from Liberty Island where it has stood for more than a century and has been seen by millions of people who come to look upon it. Since its dedication and opening to the public, it has become one of the most important symbols of the United States and a representation of the principles that guide the country, namely freedom, democracy, and of course liberty which is defined as a person's individual right to live free of tyranny. People from all over the world see the statue or pictures of the statue and know it symbolizes the United States in the same way that the American flag and the bald eagle symbolize the United States.

Histories of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century immigrants all talk about the Statue of Liberty and what it meant to them when they first arrived in the United States of America. Ellis Island was the location where most European immigrants had to go when they came to the country and this was in New York. Travelers who arrived on boats and then later on airplanes had to pass by Liberty Island on the path to their destination. Many immigrants have stated that the sight of the statue was the moment where they first felt like Americans. Before they even landed on American soil, they felt that they were part of the country which shows the level of importance this statue has had both for the American people and even to people in other countries of the world.

The Statue of Liberty depicts the goddess of liberty. In one arm she holds a book of laws by which the United States was founded and the rules of the people first determined and in the other, she holds out her torch. This torch is extremely symbolic given that the statue's full name is "Liberty Enlightening the World." She holds the torch to show other people about freedom and liberty and to show them that in the United States, the path to freedom can be achieved by anyone. Her crown has seven spikes on it which is meant to represent the seven seas and the seven continents, showing that liberty should belong to all people and that no one on the earth should be forced to life under a tyrant, but that the United States is one of the few lands who embrace this perspective of freedom. Around the statue's feet are broken chains which allow her to take the stance of moving forward. Liberty has broken free of her bondage and is able to move to reach her own destiny, as should all people of the world be allowed to do for themselves.