I really think it runs that deep, this idea [of] the
American myths — and whether it's true or not is not the point — this is the way that we shaped our identity, this
rugged individualism, this rifle and shovel, that if you work hard you can get your dreams, and we're not gonna be a monarchy.
The émigrés were challenged by the
American ideal of
rugged individualism but, true to their Ignatian training, adjusted without sacrificing their cultural and religious patrimony.