Summary:
This is a "cause-effect" essay on Bread Givers, by Anzia Yezierska It is set in New York's Lower East Side, around the 1920s and is the story of a young Jewish girl, Sara, and her family, whom have immigrated from Poland. Sara and the other four women in her family struggle under the oppression of their father. Moisheh, the father, is a Jewish scholar who spends his days studying the Torah rather than supporting his family.
Set in New York's Lower East Side, around the 1920s, Anzia Yezierska's novel Bread Givers is the story of a young Jewish girl, Sara, and her family, whom have immigrated from Poland. Sara and the other four women in her family struggle under the oppression of their father. Moisheh, the father, is a Jewish scholar who spends his days studying the Torah rather than supporting his family. He believes that God does not listen to women, and that the only way women will get into heaven is by serving men. Moisheh's belief that women are subservient to men causes many conflicts in the family. Because Moisheh believes women are not as important as men, Sara consequently feels she wants to take her life in the opposite direction. First, because Moisheh controls his daughters' lives, Sara later leaves her family in New Jersey and moves back to New York in hopes of a more independent life. Next, because Sara decides not to marry Max Goldstein, Miosheh gets mad and they have an argument, as a result Moisheh decides to disown Sara. This causes Sara to realize that she is truly alone in the world, and must support herself. Last, because Moisheh had forced his daughters to support the family when they were young, Sara has become strong-headed, and self-sufficient. She works hard to get what she needs, and is strongly determined towards her goals.
First, because of Moisheh's controlling nature, Sara leaves her New Jersey home to return back to New York. One of Sara's main goals is to get an education, and go to college. To achieve this goal she works at a Laundromat all day to pay for her apartment, education, and to save up for college. Then after work, she goes to night school on the weekdays. Sara gets an education and goes to college, where her favorite subject is psychology. She enjoys it so much, because it teaches her about her anger, and helps her to understand many events in her life. At the end of her senior year, before graduation, a writing contest comes out. You have to write an essay on "What the college has done for me." (Yezierska 232) Sara wins the contest, and gets a $1,000 cash prize. With this money, she is able to buy a nice apartment, get some nice clothes from Fifth Avenue, and live a more luxurious life.
Likewise, because Sara does not marry Max Goldstien, Moisheh and Sara get into an argument about why Sara acts as she does. This results in Moisheh deciding to disown his daughter. Sara consequently realizes that that she has pushed away all of her allies, leaving no one for her to fall back on, and is now alone in the world. Since Sara spends most of her time working and getting an education, she has no time for fun or friends. However, because of the fact that Sara is so focused on her work, she gives off the appearance that she is not very friendly, which makes other people dislike her. She soon realizes that she chose an education over a social life, and that she must accept the consequences.
Last, because Moisheh forceds his daughters to support the family when they were young, Sara becomes strong-headed, and self-sufficient. She is the only one in her family who understands that she cannot just sit around and let her father control her life. Using this ability, Sara is able to deal with the many struggles and hardships in her life. An example of a struggle in Sara's life is when she goes to college and has a hard time in her courses. At that time, she has to find a way to succeed in those classes.
In conclusion, Anzia Yezierska's novel Bread Givers is about how the women in the Smolinsky family struggle under the strong oppression of their father. Because of Moisheh's belief that women are subservient to men, Sara feels she wants to take her life in the opposite direction of his wishes.
This is the complete article, containing 669 words
(approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page).
