In the novel Bread Givers by Anzia Yezierska, the main character Sara, expresses her dislike of her father. Sara is frustrated by her father’s tyrannical rule over her life and the lives of her sisters. As a result, Sara runs away in order to pursue a life of her own — filled with her hopes, dreams and ideas of love. Although Sara and her father are very different in their ideals and dreams, they are very much alike in character and actions.
Sara’s father comes to America with old-fashioned ideas like, women live to only serve the men in their lives, and women have no place in higher education. He thinks that his ideas are the only right ideas and that he is better and more enlightened than others. This is shown when he attempts to find husbands for his daughters and when he strikes the landlord.
Sara’s father is well versed in the Torah. He prides himself in being a very religious man. Despite his poor financial situation, he always has his eyes on money and that motivates many of his actions. Sara’s father does not earn any money but finds ways to spend it. Most of the money that he receives from his children goes to serve his desires. He takes away from the mouths of his family in order to fulfill his goals of helping others, buying books and contributing to different organizations.
Sara’s actions, and the motivations behind them, do not contrast those her father’s as much as one would initially believe. Sara, headstrong and focused on her beliefs and ideas, like her father, is willing to ignore the feelings of her parents and siblings and isolate herself in an effort to become a teacher. She does not force her beliefs on others but ignores their input and does what she believes is right in her mind. Because it was of no benefit to her, Sara didn’t go to see her mother until her final days, and even after the death of mother, refused to cut a piece of her clothing. Like her father, Sara is willing to sacrifice at all costs to reach her goals.
Although it may seem like Sara and her father are selfish, they are actually altruistic. Sara’s father donated near all of his money to the poor. In the end of the novel, Sara gives money to her father’s new wife to help him and even offers him the opportunity to live with her. Although they are both motivated to seek money and wealth, they also have hearts of gold when it comes to helping others. This is partly because they share appreciation of the ideas from the Torah. Later on in her life, Sara finds herself understanding and appreciating the religious teachings of her father.
Sara’s father has come to America refusing to give up the past, and Sara faces a similar situation after she runs away and becomes a teacher. Both of them feel a sort of gravitation to the past and their old roots in a new world. This gravitation is what brings Sara and her father back together but will always set them apart.
