Assimilate the New Culture

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The Smolinski family in Bread Givers was a typical immigrant family who faced struggles during the assimilation process. By looking at Sara and her father¡¯s perspectives that there is a gap of cultural differences and generational differences separated between them, where most immigrants¡¯ family faces. As a child of immigrant Sara was bound by her native culture, but she unlike her other sisters took the courage and effort by abandoning her own culture to assimilate the dominant American culture. She also have sacrificed her family separation, her youth and experiencing hardship in order to pursuit her dream.
Sara and her father¡¯s argument about cultural and generational differences are similarly to most immigrants¡¯ family. Reb Smolinski, Sara¡¯s father considered as a conservative, religious and stubborn personality represented the old culture. Whereas the daughter, Sara a person of individualism, radical, and the desire of self-identity, which symbolized Americanism. As the story were happened a hundred years ago which were completely different than the world we live today. Reb Smolinski thinks men are the heads of family that women have to be at men¡¯s command. He breaks up her daughters and their lovers by using his own intelligence to matching to the men that his daughters actually do not like. He also does not accept the mistakes that he did; such as the even of the diamond dealer Moe Mirsky turn out as a fraud that he is actually a sa...

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