Yezierska Anzia, Bread Givers, and Immigrants
Over the years, many people have been under the impression that the"America" of the twentieth century was a haven for "the tired" of theworld. Indeed, many have accepted the historical propaganda surroundingthe myth of Ellis Island, the old "cosmopolitan" New York, and the "simplerdays" of life for those fresh off the boat.Unfortunately the actual lives of those "fortunate" enough to cross theocean in hopes of making new lives on American shores was quitedifferent-especially for European immigrants as a whole, and Jewishimmigrants in specific-a fact that the writer Anzia Yezierska demonstrates There is quite a bit of controversy surrounding the writing oftwentieth century Anzia Yezierska. Although today, many consider Yezierskato be one of the greatest immigrant-genre writers of the twentieth century,many in previous years considered most of the merit of her work to be ofhistorical, rather than literary value. Indeed, many critics have flatlystated that her writing was "not very good," (Ebest) a statement that, evenher supporters echo, "Yezierska's partisans have responded by seeing herstories as fictionalized memoirs and by extolling her ability to document
Thedeath knell for Ellis Island immigration began between with the passageof Quota Laws in 1921 and the passage of the National Origins Act in1924. Does America only want my hands-only want the strength ofmy body-not my heart-not my feelings-my thoughts'"(Yezierska 2001: 115) When one notes the personal biography of Yezierska, herself, one cansee how her life experience culminated in the birth of her writing-a style"inflected with Yiddish to give the mark of authenticity to her impassionedstruggles of Jewish immigrant women. She writes of sweatshops,misery, and a dashing of higher hopes, "I didn't come to America to turninto a machine. After all, all humans are aproduct, to a certain extent, of their culture. " Indeed, it was themastery of words that allowed her the freedom from the immigrant experiencethat she craved, and it was the same mastery that shows readers all thatshe lost as a result. " Even worse, according to popular opinion,(strikingly similar to the current anti-immigration opinion), they weretaking American jobs away from the "real" Americans, especially thoseoriginating in Southern Europe: . " The ironic truth, however, concerning the "success" of Yezierska, isthat it arguably only occurred after she was "assimilated" into thenativist view of American culture. By jumping into the written discourse of the time,she found a way to begin working toward a sense of personal satisfaction. The actual acclaim-the indicator of her success, came after thepublication of The Fat of the Land, a short story published in 1919-afterwhich, a string of successful works culminated in her gaining a position inHollywood as a screenwriter. Yezierska wrote, "When I only begin to read, I forget I'm onthis world. Unlike today, writers, politicians,lawmakers, and ordinary citizens, alike, (vocally) viewed assimilation ofimmigrants into the dominant culture a necessary part of the immigrationprocess. " To be sure, Yezierska needed to have a life that was beyond misery,yet she also felt a need to preserve that part of herself which heroriginal culture still represented for her.
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