“To Make Myself for a Person”: The Bildungsroman in Modern Jewish-American Literature

<p>Anzia Yezierska's <em>Bread Givers</em> and Abraham Cahan's <em>The Rise of David Levinsky</em> share many similarities: they both feature young Jewish protagonists who immigrate to America in search of the better life they believe America can provide. Though their novels have similar trajectories, each author answers the still relevant question of how immigrants might successfully assimilate into American culture in contrasting lights. Cahan's protagonist, in a superficial sense, achieves the "American dream," while Yezierska's Sara achieves a more modest success. However, Sara ultimately navigates the trials of cultural assimilation and identity formation more successfully. Levinsky gains monetary wealth by adapting to American values of independence and class mobility, but Sara achieves the much more valuable goal of a confident identity by tempering her embrace of these traditional American values and not rejecting her cultural origins.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

MA (Master of Arts)

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis - unrestricted

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

English

Year dc:date.issued

2012

Author dc:creator

• Keeling, Kari Lynn

• Americanization
• immigration literature
• Jewish immigration
• identity
• duality
• assimilation
• American Literature
• American Studies
• Arts and Humanities

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright by the authors.

Repository record dc:identifier

https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/1440

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dc.etsu.edu:etd-2633