The issues of Immigrants and immigration are always controversial and it seems like that they are going to be permanent hot issues in the United States. As for the issue of the racial and religious identity of immigrants, should immigrants keep their old fashion or assimilate to the American culture or accept the both sides?
In the films the Jazz Singer and Hester Street, they both have characters who are more willingly to keep their religious conducts and beliefs such as Jakie’s father and Jake’s wife after they move to America. Even though they have moved to a new land and have a new life, they still keep Jewish tradition. For instance, Jakie’s father commits himself to his people and play the role as a cantor for the Jewish community and he also hopes to raise his son as his successor; Jake’s wife Gitl does not depreciate her traditional hair style and dress and keep them and she also would like to raise her son in a traditional way.
However, Jakie and Jake are two people who reject their old tradition, which cause conflicts between them and their family. Jakie, grown up in America, has his own dream of being a Jazz singer. He runs away from home after his father beats him up for his singing those unacceptable songs. Jakie wants to become whom he wishes to be. Jake completely abandons his Jewish identity and regards himself as a gentile. He cannot bear his wife’s old fashion and passionately pursue trendy Americanized lady Mamie.
Even though Jakie and Jake are similar, they are completely different in terms of identifying who they really want to be. Jakie’s pursuit of his dream, in my point of view, is acceptable because he finds out who he wants to be and I think his father should support him, which does not mean to let Jakie give up religious conducts because singing jazz music is just one aspect of Jakie’s life. If Jakie’s father knows how to educate little Jakie and respects his talent and passion, and helps him understand their religious value in the meanwhile, Jakie would absolutely have a better childhood and a successful career as a jazz singer. Fortunately, Jakie finally still returned and re-identify himself as a Jew, with showing his talent on stage at the same time. Unlike Jakie, Jake loses his identity because he follows other peoples all the time. He keeps telling his wife that people do not dress like her here (in America) and he even overlooks his own wife for her old fashion, not noticing her love for him. He only sees the superficial things like dress. I believe that a person’s identity is not based on what he wears but his or her thoughts so I argued that Jake does not identify who he really is.
Both Gitl and Jakie eventually identify themselves as “new Jews”. Gitl puts on the feather-decorated hat and remarries to Berstein who keeps Jewish tradition and assimilate to American culture in some ways( we can tell this when we see Berstein puts on yarmulke for Joey), and from these, we can see Gitl as a new Jewish lady. Also, there is another evidence: when a lady asks Gitl that what her son’s name is, Gitl insists on saying Joey which is a English name. Similarly, Jakie sings Jazz song and follow Jewish tradition.
Excluding the two radical ways: being completely Americanized and committing to the tradition thoroughly, Keep the important tradition and assimilate to the American culture in some way are the best choice.
