the dominant culture of
             America." (Dearborn, 112) To be sure, this is a mission that the reader
             can benefit fromâ€"both as a window into Jewish immigrant culture, and into
             the overall position of immigrants in the early 20th century.
             The concept of "assimilation" was very much the buzzword of the early
             20th century immigration phenomenon. Unlike today, writers, politicians,
             lawmakers, and ordinary citizens, alike, (vocally) viewed assimilation of
             immigrants into the dominant culture a necessary part of the immigration
             process. Indeed, cultural, linguistic, and social differences were
             commonly seen as the "flaws" of the immigrant.
             Although it is true that there exists a "backlash" mentality in
             today's society regarding the existence of "illegal" immigrants, and the
             fear of open borders, the current anti-immigration camp has nothing on the
             attitudes of the contemporaries of Yezierska's youth. In the early 20th
             century it was perfectly acceptable to (legally) persecute, discriminate
             against, and criticize the arriving "throngs" of humanity stepping onto the
             shores of America. All that one has to do to notice this fact is to read
             some of the popular commentary of the time. For example, in the June, 1896
             edition of The Atlantic, Francis walker wrote:
             The question to-day is, not of preventing the wards of our
             almshouses, our insane asylums, and our jails from being stuffed to
             repletion by new arrivals from Europe; but of protecting the American
             rate of wages, the American standard of living, and the quality of
             ...