I had forgotten that there were unhappy endings. You hear so many inspiring, hard working, overcoming-adversity stories of people coming here from all over to have a better life. The stories that I heard always ended with them or their offspring getting a version of that happy ending. Whether it was their children getting an education for the first time, or their rise on the social ladder, they usually ended up better than how they came. However, with Johnny’s story in Five Points by Anbinder, I got an abrupt reality check. There was no glorified path to success. There was hard work, pain, and suffering. It was only the very lucky or the more fortunate that got the ending they worked so hard for.
Coming to America, the dream was that it was the “land of opportunity.” But the harsh reality was that depending on where you came from, that usually determined the vocations offered to you. According to Ellis Island to JFK, if you were Jewish, you most likely ended up in the Garment district, if you were Italian, there was a good chance you would end up in construction. It was not until the second generation that they started to branch out.
When immigrants came to America looking for a better life, it was not the easy life they expected. They worked really hard, and sometimes didn’t get very far. Imagine trying to run for your life, only to realize you are on a treadmill. You won’t get very far. The money got so bad that husbands and fathers would leave their families to go find work and bring home money. However, many died or even left their families. I can’t even imagine a father leaving their family destitute when it got too hard. And yet, while to me it seems unthinkable, it was not altogether uncommon then.
Not only did these poor immigrants have to work hard to survive, they had to face blatant discrimination. People were incredibly racist. In a store window it said: “WOMEN WANTED- To do general housework; she must be clean, neat, and industrious , and above all good tempered and willing. English, Scotch, Welsh, German, or any country or color will answer but Irish” (Anbinder 128). I have never come into contact with racism against me. I have never felt that. I also can’t imagine being used to it. These immigrants faced more obstacles than simply money problems. They faced discrimination, death, family problems, dangerous working conditions, dangerous housing conditions and more. It makes those successful stories even more impressive.
