The novel Bread Givers, written by Anzia Yezierska, is about a young woman living in a family of Jewish immigrants and is centered in New York City. Family obligations are the main factor that prevents the heroine in the book from achieving her goals. Sara Smolinski is the intelligent and strong-willed daughter in the family who aspires to make her life worthwhile. However, while the young woman desperately strives to avoid and run away from the values of the Old World, the main predicament is her kind heart, which makes her go back to the same household and be the victim of the values once again.
The novel begins by illustrating the life of the Smolinsky family and their financial struggles. At the beginning of the book, Sara is only ten years old and, along with her three sisters, her mother, and her father, the family can barely find any money for food and rent due to unemployment (Kilgallen 156). As Sara mentions, if it was not for Bessie, her sister, the family would be “thrown in the street to shame and to laughter for the whole world” (Yezierska 40). The values of the Old World are shown in the attitude of the father, who refuses to work and expects his children to provide for the parents. Reading the Holy Scripture all day, he does not put any effort into making life easier for his daughters.
Aside from this, the author of the book accentuates the toxic environment of the household, wherein the father criticizes the children and awaits financial gain from them. The writer wants to illustrate the accumulation of tension, which will lead Sara to make changes in her life. The father, Reb Smolinski, objects to the marriages of any one of his daughters, forcing them to choose the suitors that he finds acceptable. As a result, due to the escalation of the situation, Sara finally reaches her crisis point and later confesses to her father: “I ran away from home because I hated you. I couldn’t bear the sight of you” (Yezierska 193). This is the first moment when the reader sees the moment where the young woman stands her ground and strives to find peace in her life by escaping the household that does not appreciate her.
The reader then sees the achievements and aspirations of Sara, which almost persuades the audience that the woman will be successful. She escapes her house and makes the decision to become a teacher. Sara rents a modest, unkempt separate room and has to work “ten hours […] in the laundry. Two hours in the night school. Two hours more to study […] lessons” (Yezierska 156). What is surprising is the strong nature of the heroine and her vision. For instance, she mentioned the following: “I had always before my eyes a vision of myself in college, mingling every day with the inspired minds of great professors and educated higher-ups” (Yezierska 174). This emphasizes her desire to graduate not simply because she will have better prospects but because the young woman had a desire to learn, which is not supported by the Old World values.
Furthermore, Sara continues to remain strong when faced with challenges. For instance, during the cold weather, Sara did not refuse to study. Although she could barely feel her feet, she “forced [herself] to keep to [her] lessons like one forcing himself awake when he’s falling asleep” (Yezierska 163). In this case, she eventually understands that her life’s challenging circumstances have equipped her well enough for a successful college experience.
One must admit indeed that Sara followed the right path, and yet, her kind heart stopped her from going further and enjoying a happy life. After learning about their mother’s deaths, the hearts of the four daughters were “wrecked with helplessness” (Yezierska 218). Sara, being the good child, could not abandon her father. Even after Reb remarries and the new wife manipulates the children, claiming that they “deserted him,” Hugo, the fiance of Sara, offers to let Reb live with them (Yezierska 227). The young woman admitted that her “heart ached for Father” and this is the moment when the readers realize that the talented and strong woman will be trapped yet again (Yezierska 231). Having so much potential and gaining a bit of success after escaping the toxic household, Sara will have to endure the negativity of her father once more.
Hence, the fundamental problem is Sara’s good heart, which forces her to return to the same home and become the victim of the ideals once more, despite her strenuous attempts to avoid and flee from the Old World norms. Sara escaped her father’s grasp but only for a short period of time. The reader witnesses the young woman standing her ground and pursuing the career of a teacher, working long hours and studying. However, after Sara’s mother’s death, she has to care for her father and allow him to come live with her and Hugo, Sara’s finance. As a result, the woman managed to escape the values of the Old World only to a slight extent since she allowed her father to live with her in the end and it will make Sara experience the same tension and parent’s grasp.
Works Cited
Kilgallen, Cara Erdheim. “Naturalism’s International Identity: Anti-Semitism, Alienation, and Women’s Writing.” The New Centennial Review, vol. 20, no. 3, 2020, pp.153-178. Web.
Yezierska, Anzia. Bread Givers. Persea Books, 2020.