Americanism as a Generational Divide

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The strain between Americanism and Jewish cultural identity is manifested throughout the Krichinsky family in the 1990 film Avalon. While the Krichinsky family is not portrayed as explicitly Jewish in the film, their cultural identity is reflected in their Jewish roots, and one of the strongest aspects of this is in community bonds. Judaism as a religion and as a culture focuses more strongly on family and personal relationships than on the individual. “A large part of Jewish law is about the relationship between man and his neighbors” (Rich). Conversely, the foundations of America were created on independence from Britain, and American identity puts a great deal of respect and importance on self-reliance. While in American culture this ability is exalted as essential, in Avalon, the character’s embrace of individualism begins to draw them apart from each other. The American ideals of individualism and a strong sense of self serve as a catalyst to divide and eventually lead to the isolation of the Krichinsky family in Avalon. In the opening scene of Avalon, the young Sam Krichinsky arrives on the shore of Baltimore, Maryland, on Independence Day. The scene sets a precursor to the sense of individualism that is strung along and emerges towards the end of the movie. The movie opens with Sam’s monologue: “I came to America in 1914… And then I came to Baltimore. It was the most beautiful place you ever seen in your life. There were lights everywhere! What lights they had! It was a celebration of lights! I thought they were for me, Sam, who was in America. Sam was in America! I didn't know what holiday it was, but there were lights. And I walked under them. The sky exploded, people cheered, there were fireworks! What a welcome it w... ... middle of paper ... ...n the beginning of the movie, the Krichinsky clan can be seen as a cohesive and peaceful family, it is when values of the new world—of America—creep in that combativeness arises. The families’ desires to move to their own houses, the dishonesty of Izzie, the cutting of the “toikey”, and Sam’s arrival on Independence Day are all instances in which symbols and values of Americanism seem to cause friction and conflict in the family in Avalon. Eventually, the aforementioned American values become not positive means of morality, but values of devastating intrapersonal consequence to the unity of the Krichinskys. Works Cited Rich, Tracey R. “Judaism 101: Love and Brotherhood”. Judaism 101. 2007. 16 February 2010. < http://www.jewfaq.org/brother.htm> Avalon. Johnson, Mark. Levinson, Barry. Mueller-Stahl, Armin; Jacobi, Lou; Gelt, Grant. DVD. Tristar Pictures, 1990.

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