Bread Givers Essay - Grade: A+ PDF

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Essay on the book "Bread Givers" by Anzia Yezierska...

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Metcalf HIST 1493-001 28 September 2016 Bread Givers Essay Sara Smolinsky spends her early life watching her mother and sisters bend to her father’s will. As an immigrant family from Russia, the Smolinsky’s brought with them the patriarchal structure of the family. Although Sara’s father, Reb Smolinsky, refuses to work while his wife and daughters slave away, he controls the family’s finances and reaps all the benefits of their labor. For many years, Sara and her family question and disagree with Reb but never defy him directly – with disastrous consequences for all. Finally, unlike her mother and sisters, Sara manages to break her father’s hold because she adopts the New World values of equality, independence, and progress. While Sara will never be completely free of Old World customs, such as familial obligation and male dominance, she is able to work past them to achieve her goals. Growing up, there was no equality in Sara’s household. Her father had a room of his own (10), though there was hardly space in their tiny home, and always ate the best of the available food (11), though the rest of the family had been working hard all day. This was not unusual according to Old World customs, but did not align with the New World value of equality. Many years later, Sara orders lunch in a cafeteria only to find that the best portions of food are saved for the men. She is outraged and questions why a man should be awarded advantages simply because of his gender, “But why did she give more to the man just because he was a man?” (186). Such a realization displays Sara’s breaking from the Old Word and her father. It is unlikely

that her mother or sisters would have dared openly question such an ingrained practice. Another demonstration of Sara’s new found belief in equality is her behavior towards her sister’s husband. While visiting Mashah, Sara notes the unfairness of her husband’s actions. Though Mashah can barely afford to feed their children (161) and pay the gas bill (163), her husband, Moe, buys himself fine clothing and dines in expensive restaurants. Even worse, he berates Mashah’s appearance and complains that she works too much while she struggles to care for three young children and a household (165). Sara is deeply angered and immediately points out Moe’s failings as a husband and father, much to his anger (166). Moe’s behavior is extremely similar to that of Sara’s father, but just as Mashah is not able to speak up for herself, neither was Sara’s mother. With her belief in equality, though, Sara challenges Moe’s wrongdoings and leaves his house. In her endeavor to join the New World, an important Old Word custom that Sara gives up is familial obligation. She trades this for independence. Throughout all their hardships, Sara’s mother and sisters are never able to forgo their obligation to Reb as husband and father. No matter how wrongly he behaves, Reb is still the patriarchal head of household and family, and therefore deserving of respect (144). When Sara chooses to leave her family and go off by herself, she abandons this belief, “I’m going to live my own life. Nobody can stop me. I’m not from the old country. I’m American!” (154). While her mother and sisters seem to approve of her choice to leave, they would never do so themselves because they are too stuck in Old World customs. Furthermore, when Sara refuses a marriage proposal from a wealthy man to continue her education (225), they are horrified. Independence and the idea of making her own life, though, have become more important to Sara than any of the values she was raised with. While

Sara does eventually return to care for her mother and father, it is only after she has accomplished what she has set out to do and is secure in her life. Perhaps the most American value that Sara embodies is progress. She works hard for many years and goes from the “dark night of poverty” to the “sunshine of plenty” (263). Huge numbers of immigrants poured into America with the promise of riches and an end to class discrimination. In reality, though, very few were actually able to escape poverty – no matter how hard they worked. While Sara may be in the minority, she is a shining example of what is possible in the New World. It does not comes easily, but after a long struggle, Sara is finally able to live a life essentially free of financial troubles. No matter where one begins, it is possible to progress to a higher station in life. Sara is the only member of her family who achieves this ideal because of her ability and willingness to abandon the customs of the old country and adopt those of the New World. After spending her childhood surrounded by the Old World principles of her father, Sara Smolinsky will never be able to fully leave behind ideals such as familial obligation and male dominance. As she grows older, though, she is able to overcome her reliance on them and embrace new beliefs. As Sara leaves her family behind to pursue an education, she demonstrates the New World values of equality, independence, and progress. By the end of Bread Givers, Sara has become a self-sufficient teacher who can provide for herself and marry on her own terms: the epitome of American equality, independence, and progress....