Before the 1890’s, the bulk of the Jewish immigrants arrived from Germany. After the civil war in Germany ceased and religious freedom was returned, the migration from Germany slowed down. As one thing ended another problem arose in Eastern Europe…the pogrom. The pogrom, a series of attacks on Russian Jews in 1882, led to a significant migration to the United States during the latter end of the nineteenth century. Between the years of 1870 and 1920, more then tw

Trouble arose when immigrants tried to assimilate with Americans, while struggling to keep one’s own heritage. This struggle is one among many immigrants that are trying to fit in. In many cases this leads to a division of generations as well as a split from culture. Yezierska demonstrates how this can happen through the Smolinsky’s, the family in Breadgivers. There is a division between Sarah Smolinsky and her Orthodox Rabbi father, Mosheh Smolinsky. He is from the “old world,” and has the same beliefs as he used to.

The Smolinsky’s, just like many other Jewish immigrants of the time, live in a

Mosheh represented the old world, while Sarah and her sisters represented the new options that were in America for Eastern European Jewish females. Sarah struggles throughout this novel with the desire to be independent. Her dream for independence stems further then the usual teenagers. Sarah searches for her independence from her father, from the old world, and from the stigmas of women. She wants to be educated about worldly things, not just sewing and cooking. Her father sees her dreams as useless for a woman to have, considering they serve one purpose: to serve her husband. Mosheh and Sarah continuously butt heads on every aspect.

Most immigrant Jewish girls were not highly educated. For the most part they never made it past elementary school, or basic Hebrew or Yiddish schooling. Once these girls came to America, there seemed to be an endless road of possibility. Yezierska’s and Sarah’s world crashed their dreams of becoming more then just a housewife. In the Smolinsky house, if a woman was educated too much she was thought to have a man’s head. Her role was not to be intelligent, but instead to be a good wife. They were there to serve their husbands. The Orthodox Jews restricted women from taking part in prayer services with men. If you were restricted from religious events, the least thing you could do was support your family.

Mosheh Smolinsky comes from the old world, which had str

Some topics in this essay:
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