Fania, the Sole Success of the Four Smolinsky Daughters
In Bread Givers by Anzia Yezierska, Fania Smolinsky one of the two middle children of Reb and Shena Smolinsky. Reb marries off Bessie, Mashah, and Fania, however, it is Fania who makes the best of her situation and marries a rich man. Sara chooses to struggle through a path of personal success and ends up in an a self beneficial position but, not close to what Fania accomplishes. Fania is portrayed as a jealous, self-centered, and a snobby rich person, however, I believe that we should not view her that way. Fania sets herself and her future family (children, grandchildren, etc) up for a life of opportunity though the riches she obtains by marrying Abe Schmukler. Robert Frank at CNBC provides …show more content…
She embraced her father’s choice of Abe Schmuckler for her in marriage, and escaped with him to the riches of California, far away from the rest of her family, especially her father. In a conversation with Bessie right before her wedding, she tells Bessie of the reasons for her compliance with their father;s wishes when she looks so unhappy, “...she stamped on a black lace dress, trimmed with gold, which Abe Schmukler had given her. ‘What do you envy?’ The shine of these gilded rags which I choke my emptiness? I love Lipkin. And I’ll always love him. But even if Abe Schmukler was a rag-picker, a bootblack, I’d rush into his arms only to get away from our house…”(Yezierska 80). Bessie who has never been able to be married is envious of Fania’s marriage, however, Fania tells her that it hurts to marry Abe as she still has feelings for Morris Likin, her original lover who her father had rejected. Fania’s decision to marry Abe is solely based on the side-effect of being able to get away from her father and out of poverty. Fania, by marrying into riches, has secured lives of opportunity for her children and most likely their children as well. Her family will grow up without the hindrances of a lack of wealth and an overly orthodox and tyrannic father like Fania did during her childhood. In this quote Fania also states …show more content…
One of the disadvantages of being wealthy is the way it changes your perspective of the world and changes one's character. In “Bread Givers” Fania’s character turned more self-centered and jealous. These traits are portrayed by Fania in the few scenes with her when she is visiting from California, particularly in the following scene when she comes to see her sick mother and ends up seeing Sarah for the first time since her marriage, “While she was yet talking Fania came in, as stylish as ever, a huge bunch of roses in her hand. She threw down the roses on Mother’s bed and rushed over to me, in excited surprise.’Well, well! Of all people! Why were you hiding so long? Was that what they taught you in college, to turn your back on your own people?’ “(Yezierska 247). What makes Fania self-centered is the fact that she brought roses for her mother while she was on her deathbed. Fania, unlike the other three sisters, has the wealth to give their mother good medical treatment, however, all she can think of is to bring flowers which have no good use for her mother. Her mother even condemns her for bringing flowers and says that they are of no use to her. The only thing the flowers do is further increase Fania’s image of her being rich and having money to afford luxuries such as roses. Fania then besides Sara for hiding away for years without seeing her family and accuses her of “ignoring” them. This can be
In Bread Givers by Anzia Yezierska, Fania Smolinsky one of the two middle children of Reb and Shena Smolinsky. Reb marries off Bessie, Mashah, and Fania, however, it is Fania who makes the best of her situation and marries a rich man. Sara chooses to struggle through a path of personal success and ends up in an a self beneficial position but, not close to what Fania accomplishes. Fania is portrayed as a jealous, self-centered, and a snobby rich person, however, I believe that we should not view her that way. Fania sets herself and her future family (children, grandchildren, etc) up for a life of opportunity though the riches she obtains by marrying Abe Schmukler. Robert Frank at CNBC provides …show more content…
She embraced her father’s choice of Abe Schmuckler for her in marriage, and escaped with him to the riches of California, far away from the rest of her family, especially her father. In a conversation with Bessie right before her wedding, she tells Bessie of the reasons for her compliance with their father;s wishes when she looks so unhappy, “...she stamped on a black lace dress, trimmed with gold, which Abe Schmukler had given her. ‘What do you envy?’ The shine of these gilded rags which I choke my emptiness? I love Lipkin. And I’ll always love him. But even if Abe Schmukler was a rag-picker, a bootblack, I’d rush into his arms only to get away from our house…”(Yezierska 80). Bessie who has never been able to be married is envious of Fania’s marriage, however, Fania tells her that it hurts to marry Abe as she still has feelings for Morris Likin, her original lover who her father had rejected. Fania’s decision to marry Abe is solely based on the side-effect of being able to get away from her father and out of poverty. Fania, by marrying into riches, has secured lives of opportunity for her children and most likely their children as well. Her family will grow up without the hindrances of a lack of wealth and an overly orthodox and tyrannic father like Fania did during her childhood. In this quote Fania also states …show more content…
One of the disadvantages of being wealthy is the way it changes your perspective of the world and changes one's character. In “Bread Givers” Fania’s character turned more self-centered and jealous. These traits are portrayed by Fania in the few scenes with her when she is visiting from California, particularly in the following scene when she comes to see her sick mother and ends up seeing Sarah for the first time since her marriage, “While she was yet talking Fania came in, as stylish as ever, a huge bunch of roses in her hand. She threw down the roses on Mother’s bed and rushed over to me, in excited surprise.’Well, well! Of all people! Why were you hiding so long? Was that what they taught you in college, to turn your back on your own people?’ “(Yezierska 247). What makes Fania self-centered is the fact that she brought roses for her mother while she was on her deathbed. Fania, unlike the other three sisters, has the wealth to give their mother good medical treatment, however, all she can think of is to bring flowers which have no good use for her mother. Her mother even condemns her for bringing flowers and says that they are of no use to her. The only thing the flowers do is further increase Fania’s image of her being rich and having money to afford luxuries such as roses. Fania then besides Sara for hiding away for years without seeing her family and accuses her of “ignoring” them. This can be