Assimilate the New Culture

The Smolinski family in Bread Givers was a typical immigrant family who faced struggles during the assimilation process. By looking at Sara and her fatherЎЇs perspectives that there is a gap of cultural differences and generational differences separated between them, where most immigrantsЎЇ family faces. As a child of immigrant Sara was bound by her native culture, but she unlike her other sisters took the courage and effort by abandoning her own culture to assimilate the dominant American culture. She also have sacrificed her family separation, her youth and experiencing hardship in order to pursuit her dream.

Sara and her fatherЎЇs argument about cultural and generational differences are similarly to most immigrantsЎЇ family. Reb Smolinski, SaraЎЇs father considered as a conservative, religious and stubborn personality represented the old culture. Whereas the daughter, Sara a person of individualism, radical, and the desire of self-identity, which symbolized Americanism. As the story were happened a hundred years ago which were completely different than the world we live today. Reb Smolinski thinks men are the heads of family that women have to be at menЎЇs command. He breaks up her daughters and their lovers by using his own intelligence to matching to the men that his daughters actually do not like. He also does not accept the mistakes that he did; such as the even of the diamond dealer Moe Mirsky turn out as a fraud that he is actually a salesperson in a diamon store and the purchase of the grocery store also because of his own mistake. The modern ideology Sara had that she can not stand of her fatherЎЇs behavior because she does not want her destiny had the same result as her other three sisters.

Finally, Sara took the courage and effort by deserting her own culture to assimilate the new culture. Sara knows the only way for her to assimilate the American culture is to leave her cautious father and went to college to become a teacher, which is her dreams. So, At age of seventeen she left her family and rent a basement lived by her self. By escaping her fatherЎЇs shadow she is like a bird free from a cage that she can breath the fresh air of the new world. Eventhough she lived in the little room with dilapidated furniture, but at least she can be herself- to pursuit of self-identity.

In order to realize her American dream she experienced hardship, her youthfulness and

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