There was a pretty typical conflict of identity in The Jazz Singer. Little Jakie has to make a huge lifestyle decision, based on the pressure that his parents place on him. According to them, he must choose to take on the identity of a Jazz singer or to stay loyal to his Jewish traditions and become a cantor like his father. The scene that comes to mind is the scene where grown-up Jakie goes to see a show, and it turns out to be his father singing old-fashioned, Jewish songs. I saw a clear moment of question in his eyes when he smiles and reminisces over his childhood. The conflict of his identity arises from the clash of two cultures. He feels like he has to choose one of the I think this is why Jakie’s identity crisis is never really solved. It takes time for two cultures to learn to accept one another’s ways, so until that time, a young, developing adult will feel torn in his identity.
Then, there’s the second Jake that goes through an identity crisis. In Hester Street, Jake has the opportunity to create this second life for himself in America, which then, of course, leads to a new identity. It’s a similar culture clash to the one in The Jazz Singer. However, I think it’s an even more difficult situation, because Jake never thought he’d have to make an identity decision. To explain, I’ll bring up the scene where he finds out that his wife and son are coming to America. It’s clear that his wheels start to turn once he finds out because he has to find a way to make his two identities mesh in one place. I believe he doesn’t know what he wants once his wife comes from overseas, because Gitle can’t do a thing to please him (changing her clothes, hair, language, etc.). And by the end, the identity conundrum isn’t really solved, because Jake ends up choosing one of his identities irrationally and aggressively, rather than calmly taking the time to figure things out with Gitl and consider how it might affect Yossele.
