When reading Orsi’s first two chapters in The Madonna of 115th Street, I couldn’t help but notice a strong difference to our previous readings by Foner. Foner’s work has been very historical and fact-based, yet Orsi tries to make his information sound almost like a story. For me I connected to this reading a lot more easily due to the personal characters described in Italian Harlem. After all, the history of immigration is deeper than just statistical facts. It is a tale of a multitude of characters.
The one thing that truly stood out to me was the strong emphasis on family and community. After reading the first chapter and the accounts on the festa for la Madonna, I couldn’t help but wonder what other elements there were to this culture of Italian-Americans. Chapter 2 truly highlighted these points. Italian Harlem and its members faced many problems throughout its existence such as crime and filth on the streets, “neighborhood isolation…degradation in the eyes of the surrounding community, and persistant conditions of poverty in the neighborhood” (page 45). Italian immigrants came through Ellis Island and flocked to Harlem immediately in order to be with people of similar descent and with previous immigrant family members. Living this life was certainly no simple task. Men and women both faced tough conditions as they worked incredibly hard for low wages (which they’d save some of in order to bring more family over from Italy). Tenements were in very poor conditions and were generally filthy, cramped, and falling apart. Crime became a persistant problem as gangs began to form and some of the youthful generation fell into patterns of delinquency.
As if these external pressures were not enough, internal struggles were prevalent as well (such as separation). Being separated from their families, immigrants felt the need to save up what little they did make to bring their families overseas. Some would manage to go home and visit their family, but when it came time to come back to America the departure would be just as hard as the first time. Plus, Italian Harlem itself faced issues of separation from the rest of New York City due to its negatively perceived reputation.
What I found most fascinating about these first two chapters is how when you compare the two, they sound quite different in tone. They highlight the highest and lowest features of the community. Chapter 2 discusses in depth just how difficult life in Italian Harlem was. Yet, despite these poor conditions and negative factors, this was still a community of people bonded together through culture and love. Such a strong emphasis on family is what made this community so unique. No matter how hard times got, you could always count on your personal family and the community family to be there. This main point runs throughout the entire chapter, and is also the main focus in Chapter 1. The festa and the veneration of la Madonna in such a theatrical, prophetic, and significant way shows just how strongly bonded this community and culture became. Thus, I felt the juxtaposition of these two contrasting chapters really added to the comprehension of life in Italian Harlem.
