struggle + sleep

“Struggle” is a key theme I came across in the readings and films for this week. Not only did immigrants struggle on the journey to America, but they also struggled once they had arrived in America. Most of these struggles are elaborated on by Nancy Foner in From Ellis Island to JFK. Immigrants struggled with their decision to leave their native country, whether rich or poor, and had to struggle to actually get on a boat, or in our time a plane, to reach America. Upon arriving in America, most immigrants struggled in social and economic ways. The social struggle can be seen in the films The Jazz Singer and Hester Street. Immigrants and their children labored in identifying themselves, trying to act as Americans sometimes, or act like they would in their homeland.

In the films Hester Street and The Jazz Singer, both main characters find difficulty and struggle trying to adapt to American ways, coming from traditional Jewish families. In Hester Street, the character Jake represents an immigrant trying his hardest to assimilate and become “American.” He changes his name, like many immigrants that passed through Ellis Island. He tries to force his wife, Gitl, to assimilate as well. However, Gitl does not really assimilate as readily as her husband. Jake even has an affair with an American woman, Mamie, further throwing away and ignoring his Jewish heritage. To me, Jake represents a man that wants to be American, an immigrant that dreamed of the bright lights and dreams of living in America, throwing away the signs of the traditional Jewish man that he was. Gitl was the one that struggled, trying to find a middle ground between her Jewish heritage and American life. But the end ironically shows Gitl looking westernized and happy, a contrast to her unwillingness throughout the film. I feel that instead of leaving all her heritage in the past upon coming to America, like Jake, Gitl transitioned herself and was able to find a middle ground between being a Jewish woman and an American. “A Jew is a Jew” was a quote from the film that struck me and kind of represented that Jake could not fully change himself.

In The Jazz Singer, Jakie tries to find his identity; whether he would want to make his parents happy, or pursuing his dreams as a jazz singer. It’s the classic immigrant question. “Should I listen to my parents and become ______ or should I follow my dreams, even if I’m bound to fail?” The film does not really provide a concrete solution to this, showing Jakie at the end doing both. The film used really strong imagery and the first use of synchronized audio to show the differences between the Jewish and Jazz life, but didn’t really execute in defining a strong choice.

Out of both of these films the plight of an immigrant is best shown in The Jazz Singer when Jakie goes blackface. Michael Rogin elaborates on this pivotal scene in “Blackface, White Noise.” By painting his face black and singing Jazz, Jakie represents an American; free, lively and entertaining. In the Jewish garments and singing Kol Nidre, Jakie is the Jewish immigrant; restricted, orthodox, and traditional. Even the sounds in the songs sharply contrasted each other. The Kol Nidre used long, deep notes and stiff posture. The jazz songs were short, stutter-y, and spontaneous (I think Jakie was shuffling when he was singing Jazz as a child). They’re almost complete opposites. Rogin says this dual identity is what was missing with Jews in Hollywood. “Moguls left their Jewish wives in the 1930s and eliminated Jewish life from the screen. They bid farewell to their Jewish pasts with The Jazz Singer.”