Bread Givers Essay

Bread Givers by Anzia Yezierska allowed me to better understand America in the beginning of the twentieth century through the eyes of an immigrant family. I was able to learn about the traditional gender roles in a Jewish immigrant family and community and how this differed from the traditional gender roles of Americans during the start of the twentieth century. This book also helped me comprehend the difference between first and second-degree immigrants and how children who grow up in America may adopt American values, causing tension between the older generation and the newer generation. I also thought that it was interesting how children who grow up in America may adopt some “American” values yet still remain true to values of the “Old World.”
At the beginning of the book, we learn that the Smolinsky family operates in a way that is different than the typical American family did at this time. First, we learn that Sara’s father, Reb, …show more content…
Especially in regards to marriage, it’s evident that Sara and her sisters have more “Americanized” ideas. For Shenah and Reb, their idea of marriage was one that was built off of economic opportunity instead of love. Their daughters, on the other hand, believe that they should choose their spouse based on who they love instead of how much money they earn or how successful they are. Ultimately, Sara’s sisters are essentially forced to marry men who they do not love due to their supposed “success” (we later find out that Sara’s spouses are not who they present themselves to be). Sara though is adamant on marrying someone she truly loves instead of marrying someone for money. Her tensions with her father reach a head before she leaves for New York in which she says, “‘Nobody can stop me. I’m not from the old country. I’m American!’” This shows how Sara has adopted American ideas and truly views herself as an American instead of

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