Juan Menchaca
Professor Mochizuki
History 17 (Ticket #22545)
2 October 2013
Bread Givers
In the novel Bread Givers, written by Anzia Yezierska, Sara Smolinsky is an independent young girl fighting to achieve the American dream and create a life of her own. Throughout the novel, one uncovers the struggle Sara overcomes, the “real” person she eventually is, and how she ultimately succeeds in becoming an American.
Sara is seeking for a better life without her father and attempts to find her true identity in several ways. For example, Sara finds the room she wants to rent on her own and is the basis of her new independent life. ”This door was life. It was air. The bottom starting-point of becoming a person. I simply must have this room with the shut door.”(158-159). After Sara enters the door; she feels that she can now truly begin to identify herself and exemplifies her financial freedom. She can now study for an education that will help her reach the goal of employment as a teacher. This room also gives Sara a small glimpse of her goal. As Ms. Smolinsky said in America only the rich can afford privacy. Sara truly appreciates her new taste of the American dream and can now look forward to reaching the goal of a teacher. If Sara had stayed living with Reb and Ms. Smolinsky, she would have gotten nowhere towards her goal and remained the same she had grown up to—a mere image of her father. Sara dreams about how good of a time she would have, but finds herself desperately searching for someone to talk to, which proves that she has yet to completely reach the goal of becoming an American. For Sara, the feeling and accomplishment of living on her own is an achievement of her own identity. As a child the girls were always confined to a small space, while Reb used most of it for studying. After running away, Sara’s first action is to eat a meal by herself and be isolated. This makes her feel like she can reach her goals and concentrate on attaining her education. Sara buys her second room, which is a much cleaner and larger room. This room is also very clean and safe from dirt as she does not want to remind herself of her past, which demonstrated her success as an American by throwing away her past.
When looking at the denial that Sara gives to Goldstein for marriage, Reb is not very happy. He says,” A woman’s highest happiness is to be a man’s wife, the mother of a man’s children. You’re not a person at all.” (206). Reb hates the fact that Sara is more interested in college and her education than marrying a man that can bring in more wealth to the family. At this time, Sara is working her way through college and she is completely alone separated from her family. This reinforces the fact that she is hard working and wants to succeed in becoming an American. A symbol that is shown in the novel is the internal light that gives her purpose of living. “There was one in the school who was what I dreamed a teacher to be—the principal, Mr. Hugo Seelig. He kept that living thing, that flame that I used to worship as a child. And yet he had none of that aloof dignity of a superior. He was just plain human. When he entered a classroom sunlight filled the place.”(270). Sara is occupied in the novel by trying to find an education but she looks up to Hugo Seelig because his light reflects and helps her stay motivated.
Throughout the course of the novel Sara spends the majority of her efforts attempting to become a “real person”. This is shown through her desire for money. At a young age Sara believes that the real person goes out to earn their money and eats at a dinner table. An example of her urge to become a real person at such a young age is when she sells the herring on the street. She shows her desire here by not having to be told to make money, but wanting to make money on her own. Later in the novel, Sara’s “real person” slightly skews and is geared towards owning her own home. Although Sara achieves these goals the light is still there and she believes that the real person will never be perfect. The real person can always be better and will always be available to higher accomplishments.
In the early twentieth century, there was a huge change in human liberties such as women’s rights. Sara finds her father pushing towards her the thought of women being useless in the family. Despite this obstacle, Sara does not let this get in her way to reach becoming an American. "What's a woman without a man? Less than nothing-a blotted out existence, no life on earth and no hope in heaven.”(205). Reb believes that women would be nothing without the man. He believes that Sara should be financially supporting the family while Reb continues his studies of his Holy book. This gives Sara motivation to go against these values, and these comments triggered development of Sara. This form of gender oppression did not stay within Smolinsky home, it leaked to the work place as well. During this time men were given respect no matter what, while women had to gain it through working, which was rarely given. Sara figures this out when the cafeteria lady refuses to give her a piece of meat with her stew and she replies, “But why did she give more to the man just because he was a man?”(158-159). If Sara would have been a man; she wouldn’t have gone through the bashfulness of getting food. It is said that men are the bread givers but here Sara had to go through the embarrassment of getting the bread.
The process of Americanization was much more difficult for women during this time because they were given very limited amounts of respect. Although during this time the nineteenth amendment was passed, granting the right for women to vote, the woman was still viewed as just a simple household maid. Women on the other hand had to fight for education and jobs, which demonstrates the success of Sara in becoming an American. Sara also wanted a balance between the new American life and the “old world”. “The price of Americanization was high — the loss of Jewish traditions and the rich, cultural life of the shtetl” (34). Sara wants a balance and is not completely ready for her change in life. Sara believes that the price for becoming an American is so high but she is willing to give up her life for a new one.
Ultimately Sara’s motivation to succeed in becoming an American pays off. She ultimately succeeds and overcomes all the obstacles placed in front of her including, financial struggle, her father, education, living situations, becoming the “real person” and oppression against gender and religion. Although Sara does succeed, she loses any relationship she had with her Father. “How grand it felt to lean back in my chair, a person among people, and order anything I wanted from the menu” (237).

Works Cited
Foner, Eric. Give Me Liberty! New York: W.W.Norton, 2005. Print.
Yezierska, Anzia. Bread Givers: A Novel. New York: Persea, 2003. Print.