Bread Givers Compare Contrast Essay

In both Bread Givers by Anzia Yezierska and All I Asking for is My Body the authors highlight the responsibility of children to their parents. In All I Asking for is My Body the idea of filial piety is a common theme and takes over the life of two of the characters. In Bread Givers Sara is burdened by her father’s constant need for her and her sisters to be around, provide for the family and be responsible for their father and mother. As second generation Americans Sara and Kiyoshi struggle finding their place in society because they feel closely tied to their roots but also want to be seen as Americans. The two struggle with the American values of independence and the old world values of filial piety and family piety. Both characters want

However, the only difference is that Kiyoshi went about his journey for independence with the goal of fulfilling his obligation to his parents. He knew that he would earn money in the military and be able to eventually pay off his parents debt. However, Sara made the decision to pursue her dreams to become independent, go to college, and become a teacher without any real thought of her family. She pursued her quest to be an American without constantly thinking about her responsibilities to her family, while Kiyoshi also tried to be seen as American and carve his own bath but always kept his obligation to his parents at the front of his mind. The american dream was enticing for both characters, one allowed that dream to take over her life and the other was able to finally do something for himself while never forgetting his duty of filial

The end goal of this tradition is for the first born son to do just as well or better than his father did during his life if this is not achieved then it was ultimately not a success. Filial piety is looked at closely when learning about Kiyoshi and Tosh. Tosh feels crippled by the constant responsibility he has to his father as they have to deal with a 6,000 dollar debt that their grandfather has passed down to them. Tosh “was to quit high school and work in the cane fields to help support the family. It was what every number one son was expected to do” (27). This quote exemplifies the attitude of the family. Filial piety is not a choice but what is “expected”. This cloud of debt will always hang over the head of Tosh as his parent’s don’t let him forget his role as first son. His father did the same in order to help his father pay off the debt that he had created for the family. The mother says that “our minds are at peace even if he should die tomorrow. We’ve done our filial piety duty to him” (28). She further highlights the importance of filial piety and how it is the most important thing that the children need focus on, Tosh feels that he can’t live his own life