Class Blog for Engl. 381, US Ethnic Literatures, Virginia Commonwealth University, Fall 2012
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Value Scale of Women in Bread Givers
With the mother and each of the sisters you get a value scale of separation from the Old World traditions and the idea that women should have equal responsibility and choices as men. The mother sees that she is being oppressed but doesn't do anything to change that, Bessie is too loyal to her family to change her life, Mashah is too into her own gain to strive for equality, Fania is too wrapped up in the unfairness, and so it is left to the youngest to actually do something about the inequality. Sara is the only one that needs the equality to the point of risking what she knows for the unknown. She is willing to accept the US's culture and ideas over her traditional Jewish ones and so she assimilates and thrives more than her family. If you were in the same situation would you take the role of the mother, one of the older sisters, or Sara? I would like to think that I would be like Sara.
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I too like to think I would take the role of Sara! Though I think Fania would also be feasible. I can understand how all of the girls just gave up, spirits broken by their poverty and their father. So I also really admire Sara as a character. She's strong but still pretty relateable.
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