Bread Givers – The Peopling of New York City

New York City Dreaming

The novel Bread Givers by Anzia Yezierska revolves around the motif of the American Dream and how Sara, her father, and her sisters perceive it. To Sara, the American Dream primarily consists of making herself into a person, meaning that she wants to be successful by herself rather than relying on a man. Throughout the novel, Sara constantly tries to prove her worth to herself. She starts off by selling herring to help the family, moving away from her family, and taking night classes. To her, the American Dream is building herself up from the poverty she grew up in to attain stability. Also, through the process of attaining the American Dream, Sara wants to maintain her spirit and not let anyone sway her.

For Sara’s sisters, the American Dream revolves around escaping their father and their home. In the novel, all three girls fall for men who are almost opposites of their father. These men are less devout and try to make a living off of themselves rather than relying on someone else to carry their burden. The American Dream for the girls also consists actually falling in love and being loved rather than having someone picked out for them. The girls all fall for men who admire them but are looked down upon by their father.

For Sara’s father, the American Dream relies on being successful, maintaining his religion, and marrying off his daughters. For Sara’s father, he predominantly spends his days reading the Torah and relies solely on his wife and daughters to provide for him. Without his wife and daughters, Sara’s father would not service since he has never worked and refuses to carry his own burden. To an extent, Sara’s father’s American Dream revolves around the customs of the Old World, while allowing himself to become famous in his community. Sara’s father wants to be successful by marrying off his daughters and helping them become religiously sound. While he acts so stubborn towards his family, he does want his family to prosper and tries to do that by buying the store, while also trying to marry his daughters off to devout men with jobs.

To all of the characters in Bread Givers, the concept of the American Dream does not solely reflect a material object. Instead, all of the characters want to achieve the American Dream in a more emotional way. They all want to better themselves as people whether it be to get an education, fall in love, or strengthen religious beliefs. This spiritual form of the American Dream is as a result more difficult to obtain, since one can either stay with one’s beliefs and achieve it slightly, or focus on it head-on while losing a part of one’s identity.

Apple and Tree

Sara and her father, Reb, on the surface may seem to have clashing personalities. Indeed they do disagree on many accounts. Reb values religion and going to Heaven while Sara and the rest of the Smolinsky family strives for a better life on earth. Their differences, however, are but in their values. In many instances throughout the book, we can tell that Sara has certain character traits that very much resemble her father’s.

Reb dedicates his entire life to learning about the Torah and leading a life that will grant him access to heaven. He lives on his daughters’ wages and spends all his time reading his books. Although Sara does not share his diligence for religious studies, Sara goes to similar extremes when knowledge– in a worldly sense– is concerned. She, like her father, leaves her family to fend for themselves and works only towards her own goal. She even tells her mother than she will not visit her parents again until after she finishes college because it is more important in her immediate future. When she finally finishes her studies and goes to visit her mother, Sara is devastated to find her on her deathbed. Likewise, Reb’s search for knowledge also destroys his family. He rejects all of his daughters’ lovers and forces them into unhealthy marriages. Bessie goes on to bear a greater burden in her husband’s home caring for her six step children. Mashah becomes dirt poor after discovering her husband was a fraud. Fania is expected to dress and act wealthy without spending money as though she were wealthy.

Sara and Reb are both stubborn and stuck on their own beliefs right to the end. Sara’s pursuit of education battles her father’s persistent quest for knowledge. Both of their beliefs are tested in the early 20th century American society that they live in. The established gender roles at the time discourage Sara from becoming a person. Women and young girls were expected to marry and be housemakers. Sara, however, continued to strive for a college degree and a profession that would make her self sufficient. Reb struggled to validate his old world values in the American new world. In once instance, the landlady accused him of being lazy for not working to pay the bills and knocked his holy book out of his hand and to the floor. Reb still held his beliefs close to him and looks for a job that will leave most of his time to dedicate towards his learning. Despite, their contrasting American dreams, Sara shares her strong willed character with her father.

American Dreams in Bread Givers

The concept of the American Dream is different for each person, but the hope associated with it is a commonality amongst every immigrant. However, the reality of American life is often filled with poverty and sacrifices that get in the way of dreams, as the Smolinsky family learns in Bread Givers. Sara, her father, and her older sister Mashah all have different definitions of the American Dream, which affect their family greatly.

Sara’s version of the American Dream involves finding her passion and being successful. Success, in Sara’s eyes, is being able to find something she loves as much as her father is dedicated to studying the Torah, while still maintaining her independence and financial stability. Sara is extremely independent even from an early age, and is deeply affected by the way her father’s influence has created hardships for her older sisters. After seeing what her sisters went through, Sara is determined to make a better life for herself. She continues to pursue her education despite the many sacrifices it entails, and becomes conflicted between her own goals and those of her family and culture.

Sara’s father, Reb Smolinsky, has a different take on the concept of the American Dream. In his version, the American Dream means being able to study and express his religion freely, with the complete support of his family. Reb Smolinsky’s dedication to his learning of the Torah often leads to the negligence of his daughters’ happiness and ability to become independent. The steps he takes in achieving his American Dream have taken a strain on his family both financially and emotionally.

Mashah, Sara’s older sister, is established as being self-centered from the very beginning of the novel. She often spends the money she makes on herself before helping out her family, and is blissfully unaware of the magnitude of their financial hardships. Mashah is caught up in the superficiality of the American Dream – her prioritization of beauty and music over familial obligations creates distress amongst her family members, and later, in her marriage.