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I do believe that Sara Smolenskys experience does support the stereotype of upward mobility in industrial America. In the beginning of the story the author explains how the family lives as new immigrants in America. The living conditions were awful. They lived in tenement houses with utilities being scarce. This relates to what we discussed in class when we went over the topic of the modern city being built. The majority of immigrants that migrated to America lived in tenement houses under bad conditions.
There was no ventilation, little light, overcrowded, and no irrigation. Sara's status in the beginning of the story was that of an ordinary immigrant. Her family was poor, they had to live from day to day wages, she had no fancy clothes, no friends, and was basically just there to try and better her economic and social status. The jobs that she and her sisters held were that of an ordinary immigrant. An example of the jobs were working at as shop girls in department stores, in the paper box factory, and also at laundry place. These are all examples of the jobs that immigrants held when they migrated to America.
Although Sara knew that these jobs held no kind of economic security for her in the future, she had to work because it helped to get her family by. She knew that because of her status as an immigrant, she was not going to get any better jobs unless she pursued an education. She also experienced stereotype when she went to college. Sara felt alone and out of place.
She also mentioned that the native born students had that settled look which they belonged in the world that they were born in. At the end of the story, Sara's status changed completely. She no longer had to work those long hours in the low paying jobs that she held before. Sara went to school and achieved what she has always dreamed of. This was to achieve independence itself by being able to provide for herself, economic independence, and receive a higher education. Sara also obtained an apartment, and she also was able to but herself the finer things in life.
An example of this was when she went to the store and bought herself a suit, hat, shoes, gloves, handkerchiefs, stalkings, and other things as well. She was now able to buy what she was not able to buy when she and her parents arrived to America as immigrants. These are all ways and examples that Sara had become a respectable and successful person in her eyes, and the eyes of society. A quote from the book was when Sara said, I am now able to buy anything now. For the first time in my life I ask for the best not the cheapest.
The way that her family life demonstrates the tensions that often erupted between first and second generation immigrants was their way of thinking. Sara's father believed that the only way for his daughters to survive was to marry a rich husband. Her father still believed in arranged marriages. Sara and her sisters looked at this as being false. They believed that a woman had to be independent in order to be successful.
They believed that their fathers way of thinking was old and outdated. Another example was religion. Their father was always reading the Tora. He also encouraged Sara and her sisters to do the same.
They replied that just because the studying of the Tora helps you achieve a higher status and respect in Europe, that this was not going to work in America. This another example of them clashing heads when it came to ways of thinking. Her father wanted to live the same life as he did back home. Sara's father was also unemployed.
Back in Europe the woman had to work and support the man if he was studying the Tora. Sara tried to explain that everyone had to work in America. Her father was still stuck in old the ways of living. Another example of family tensions that erupted between father and daughters was when one of his daughters got married. Sara's father believed that since the man was taking away one of his sources of income then he now had to provide for him. This was a custom back in Europe.
They tried to get it through their fathers head that this was of thinking did not work in America. Sara's father idea of success was to marry a rich man. Her idea of success was to become independent. Independent to her meant to move out of the house and be able to provide for yourself on your own. She also believed that higher education was a good way to go.
Sara also wanted to become a teacher. Her father looked at teachers as being lonely bitter women. He also believed that this would bring shame upon the family. Sara thought that her father was crazy and that he should change his ways of thinking because it was going to lead him nowhere in America. The whole way of living between Sara and her sisters and their parents was different. Sara wanted to fit into American society and be able to have others recognize her as being part of it as well.
Sara and her sister being the second generation immigrants were more hip to what was going on in the streets and in their society. So, they tended to practice American beliefs and ways of living more often than their parents did because they were not exposed to it as much as them, and because they were raised with their own old and outdated ways of thinking and living. In my opinion, Sara does complete that transition into becoming American. An example of this is that she was now able to provide for herself and become independent which was an American way of thinking.
She could also look at herself now and recognize herself one of those hardworking Americans who was successful in life and independent. Sara could now identify herself with other Americans and say that she was now an American herself. Sara had achieved a status in life where she could feel good about herself and identify herself as being American. She no longer had to worry about possibly being laughed at or ridiculed or feeling out of place because she was now successful according to American society and ideology. I believe that the completion of her education and her success helped her to believe and help her identify herself as now being equal to the other hard working Americans. She no longer had to worry about American society looking at her as just an immigrant who worked low paying jobs with no type of upward mobility.
She knew for herself that she was a successful American.
Free research essays on topics related to: ways of thinking, beginning of the story, generation immigrants, second generation, upward mobility
Research essay sample on Ways Of Thinking Beginning Of The Story
