In Mary Antin’s memoir, she talks about her and her family's move to America. Antin talks about her life in Russia and the things she enjoyed like feathered beds, candlesticks, and silver spoons, this differs from her life in America because her home had the bare minimum for her family. Antin and her siblings were all still impressed by the basic furniture because it was “American”. Mary wishes to go to school as soon as she arrives in America, but she is let down by the fact she will have to wait for the new school year. The Antin family worked with the Wilner family selling snacks out of a cart in Crescent Beach, Maryland. Mary’s idea of America is that everything is free and you can do anything. Mary is soon let down by her father's snack business failing, causing them to move to Chelsea, equipment is damaged and there are fines and fees to be paid. This is in contrast to Mary’s idea of America where everything is free, she learned that this was not true.…show more content… Her father soon opened a shop in Chelsea, and her mother found a sense of belonging and started feeling more at home. Mary believed that America would give her family everything they needed, even if there were bumps along the way. Mary has thought about her future passing as an American, and how she would have thought of herself if she stayed in Russia, she felt gifted as a child to have the opportunity to be in America and experience the “splendor of America”. Mary’s perception of America changed after her first day of American school, which she had dreamed of for many years. Mary realizes that many immigrants like her have great ideals of America, and she knows that immigrant children have the strongest faith in America to bring them greatness, sometimes
