For us to better understand the importance of the passage at the latter part of the book wherein Hans discovered that The USA as such is nowhere to be seen on Google Maps and to be able to assess whether he was able to resolve his issues in relation to his stay in America, it is important that we first identify the questions or problems that the protagonist had in the story.
I will focus on two issues that I felt stood out in the story. The first, and perhaps the most obvious, issue he had concerned his relationship with his wife. After the 911 incident, which affected his family and caused them to be forced to move further uptown to Chelsea Hotel, their marriage also became shaky which eventually resulted to his wife moving back to London with their son leaving him alone in a foreign land which has become his second home. There were very moving portrayals on how he felt about his separation with his son shown by his nightly visits to his sons location through the use of Google Earth as well as his regular flights to London to physically see him.
The next issue that was undertaken was on identity. It can be seen in the story how Hans struggled with the fact that he was someone from Netherlands who was then residing in New York. The problem on identity was also symbolically tackled by the sport Cricket, which his friend Chuck aspired to introduce to America and make it as equally important as baseball or football. He struggled with his personal identity because although his life was in New York, he still lived by the norms and culture he was raised in, he did not want to let go of his original identity as manifested in the part where he was to get a green card and drivers license. His joining the cricket team also symbolizes how much he wanted to be reconnected with his roots. The sport, on the other hand, was problematic in the sense that no matter how long it has been played in America, it still remained marginalized just like the people who were playing in it. There was no sense of recognition or acceptance from the foreign land there was no sense of belonging. No matter how long it has been introduced to the country, it still did not become integrated to their culture. This actually was the same feeling that he was dealing with, although that can only be derived from what we would read in the novel and was not directly claimed.
At the end of the story, it can be said that these issues were resolved, although not out-rightly stated. At the last pages, Hans was able to reconcile with his family, thus resolving his first issue. He was again in good terms with his wife and was reunited with his son. It was narrated before the story ended that they went out together and it was somehow illustrated how his relationship with his wife had improved. As some people would put it, his love life was portrayed as a happily-ever-after thing.
I also believe that his issue on identity was somehow resolved evidence of this was his move back to his own land. He has come into terms with himself and finally moved back to the place wherein he can be himself and be proud of it. Realization might have dawned to him further when he spoke with Faruk discussing about their late friend Chuck and his goal of integrating Cricket to America. Faruk stated that it was not necessary to bring the sport to America and that it is the limit of what Americans can understand. He seems to imply that in itself and to the people who love playing it, Cricket is important and it does not necessarily have to be embraced by the Americans just to become more significant. It is like saying that there are things that we cannot force to happen no matter how hard we try. Just like our identity, it is not easy to take it away from us and at the same time, it would be difficult to have others accept or embrace it as their own. The part wherein he browsed on Google Maps and searched for the USA, which he found but as he moved further into the atmosphere started to disappear symbolizes something. The line saying The USA as such is nowhere to be seen seems to be saying that at some point, USA does not seem so significant after all.
At the latter part though, there was quite an issue about him being reacquainted to his place. The incident on the plane where he was asked by the other passengers about the things that they see which at first was not a challenge for he was from London but became more difficult as they move higher for he became disoriented and had to refer on travel brochures could imply that he had somehow became estranged to his place because of his wanderings. It was shown in the last few paragraphs how he realized how much he was blinded by the promise of a new land (USA) a foreign land that seems to have a lot in store for him. The bewildered face of his son which reflects his reaction when he was first brought by his mother to New York seem to say that it was no different from London, they both are marvelous. It was seeing it for the first time that make it more magnificent but in the long run, you will realize which is indeed more significant.
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