Bread Givers: Analysis of Major Characters
"Bread Givers" explores the lives of a Jewish immigrant family in early 20th-century America, focusing on the struggles of its major characters against cultural and familial constraints. The central figure, Sara Smolinski, emerges as a strong-willed young woman who seeks to break free from her father's oppressive authority. Reb Smolinski, her father, embodies the rigid adherence to Old World values, demanding his daughters' financial support while neglecting their personal aspirations. In contrast, Mrs. Smolinski provides a sense of balance; she supports her husband's principles but also acknowledges the need for practicality in their new environment.
The narrative also delves into the lives of Sara's sisters: Bessie, who sacrifices her own dreams for familial duty; Masha, who initially seeks an American lifestyle but ultimately succumbs to her father’s choices; and Fania, who faces dire consequences due to her father's control over her marriage. The character of Hugo Seelig, Sara's school principal and love interest, represents a hopeful connection to a more progressive life, as he appreciates Sara's quest for independence. Together, these characters illustrate the tension between traditional values and the desire for individual freedom within the immigrant experience.
Bread Givers: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Anzia Yezierska
First published: 1925
Genre: Novel
Locale: New York City's Lower East Side
Plot: Social realism
Time: The early twentieth century
Sara Smolinski, the youngest of four daughters of Reb Smolinski and his wife. As early as age ten, Sara is intelligent enough to understand the unhappiness and frustration imposed on her Jewish immigrant family by the poverty and squalor of their Hester Street tenement and the zealous domination of her Old World father. Sara also sees the failure of her sisters to free themselves from the domestic tyranny of their father. With a strong will and sense of purpose, she rebels against the old values and follows her “Americanized” way to personal and social freedom. Her aspirations impel her to leave home and to live on her own wages earned as a laborer in a laundry. She becomes educated and begins her career as a teacher.
Reb Smolinski, referred to as Father, a Polish-born despotic zealot and Hebrew scholar who stubbornly applies the literal meaning of the principles of the Torah to life in America. Reb's religious views, which are in obvious conflict with the values of the New World, make him a selfish tyrant. He insists, as the Torah commands, that his daughters work to support him in his studies. Every penny that they make must be turned over to him; every action that they perform must be geared to his comfort and needs as a holy man of God. He is impractical, unable to survive on his own, and completely dependent on his wife.
Mrs. Smolinski, referred to as Mother, his wife. She sees the disparity between Reb's ideals and the demands of the new life, but she supports her husband as a dutiful wife. She respects him for his principles, but she is clearheaded about the need for survival and often scolds Reb for his foolishness. Strong and practical (she rents out part of the apartment for income), she is nevertheless sensitive to her daughters' wants, especially to Sara's attempt to succeed.
Bessie Smolinski, the oldest daughter, the first to bear the burdens of “giving bread” (providing financial support) to the family. If she had any aspirations, she has buried them in the selfless performance of her duty. At her father's behest, she marries Zalmon the fish peddler, a widower with a large family. As second mother to the family, she becomes a drudge.
Masha Smolinski, Sara's beautiful sister. At first, Masha's love of finery and an “American” lifestyle keeps her above the squalor of immigrant life, but ultimately she, like Bessie, accedes to Reb's arrangements and marries a dull, loveless parvenu in the garment business. Although Masha initially “escapes” from the Hester Street tenement, she is no more liberated in mind and spirit than Bessie is in body.
Fania Smolinski, the last sister, delicate and childlike. Her life is ruined when she, like all but Sara, marries a man chosen by her father. The husband turns out to be a gambler, and Fania lives on the verge of starvation.
Hugo Seelig, the principal of Sara's school. A quiet, educated man whose parents came from a neighboring village in Poland, he falls in love with Sara, in whom he sees a kindred spirit. He does not believe Reb's accusations of Sara's familial disloyalty. He acquires the old man's respect and approval by becoming Reb's pupil and learning Hebrew. At the novel's end, Hugo and Sara become engaged.