What struck me the most about these stories is the emphasis on appearance that a lot of them have, which isn't surprising because of the importance that race played in this part of our history. The first two stories focused a lot more on this, and I think that both of them have a theme of trying to appear to be something that they weren't. The man from Lithuania was advised to buy nice clothes first in order to get a job, and also makes a point to say that his eventual wife was the best dressed woman in the district. The second story about the Polish girl talks about how she always put money aside to buy clothes even though a lot of the other women scolded her for doing so, but she still does it in hopes of getting to higher society. The story of the Swede stuck out to me as well since his story was the most positive one, and even in the introduction he is described as a "fine specimen of the large, strong, energetic, blonde Norseman." Compared to the other stories, this man seems to have had a much easier time because of his appearance and probably didn't have to rely so much on clothes. The phrase "unconsciously americanized" also stood out to me, showing that a conclusion could be that the people who had an easier time adjusting to American ways didn't even have much of a desire to return to their homeland. As a sidenote, I think it's interesting that the French dressmaker's story was probably the most focused on fashion, but she acknowledged that America may be a good place to work in but it is not where she wants to live.
I think that, in today's society, clothes have more of an affect on how people perceive you than what race you are. So I guess my question to you guys is, what do you think was more influential regarding how easily new arrivals meshed with American culture/became successful: their race or the time it took an individual to look the part, whether they were "faking it" with one nice set of clothes or had the money to create a wardrobe of higher status?
I think that more than clothing a person's ability to speak English is the deciding factor on a new arrival meshing with American culture. While America takes in all cultures, it doesn't appreciate not being able to communicate but is resistant to learning other languages. It is expected that if you come to America, you learn English. Those that do not are looked down on and ridiculed for not being American.
ReplyDeleteClothing is all about privilege. The better dressed or more fashionable the higher in society you are. You can also sometimes tell a person's religion or culture from clothing, but even if this religion or culture is in minority just because their clothing sets them apart doesn't mean they don't mesh. Not in the same way that not knowing English would.
I believe it was their race was an important factor in blending in the American culture. The dominant culture of America was White culture. Their clothes and their ability to speak English came second. In that time period, race was a deciding factor in how you were treated in America.
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