Joseph Dwan
5/7/18
Reflection 5/5: The Man in the Sharkskin Suit by Lucette Lagnado
“The Man in the White Sharkskin suit” by Lucette Lagnado tells of a daughter’s observations of her father’s struggles in a new country to make a living and provide for his family. Lagnado’s family fled in the aftermath of the Suez Canal crisis. Her father loved the city and had a comfortable life, both him and his family, but the antisemitism pushed him away. This occurrence of fleeing from conflict has become quite common in the past couple of decades. The comfort and the success her father had in Cairo had to be abandoned as he fled to make sure his family would be safe. Places like New York are safe havens for families like these as there are already pre existing social enclaves they can take refuge and integrate. The immigrants can have access to an area that share their same interests, the same music and the same tastes they can feel at home in.The Lagnado family struggled in the new conditions in America. Their life of luxury behind them, her father had to go so far to make ends meet by even selling ties out of a suitcase on the subway. Through the struggles the family took comfort in their own cultural section of the city. They felt comfortable around the familiarity of the music food and culture, Legando’s father spent a lot of time in the synagogue finding solace in his religion and taking advantage of the religious freedom of America. This story is one of many similar ones, but one overarching theme is hope. The hope that there is a better tomorrow, and in America, the one thing that is certain is that they have a shot at that better tomorrow.
Questions
- How strenuous must the circumstances be for someone to have so much flee to someplace where they have nothing? Have your family ever experienced something similar?
- Why do so many people choose to move to a place like America leaving everything for a small chance to achieve the American Dream?
