La Madonna Research Paper

Beginning in the late 19th century, immigrants from Southern Italy and Sicily began to settle in a neighborhood of East Harlem, New York. The immigrants brought with them the values of their homeland, many of which were centered on their devotion to their Catholic faith and to their families. The American-born children of these immigrants often felt oppressed by and disconnected from their parents’ values and ideals, and tensions between the immigrants and their children often ran high. While the Italian immigrants were devoted to their faith and on conscious, intentional, and spiritual levels, it seems that many of their children continued their religious and familial values on cultural and subconscious levels, rather than a spiritual one, and often times did so out of resignation or obligation, rather than genuine enthusiasm.
One of the most important parts of the year for a member of the Italian Harlem community was the festa- the feast and celebration of La Madonna at Our Lady of Mount Caramel Church on 115th Street. Italian-American Catholics from not only the immediate community, but also other communities from New Jersey, California, and more, turned out in large numbers to celebrate and praise La Madonna, as well as to ask for blessings, …show more content…
The survival of the domus called for conformity and submission from all of its members, and the Italian parents often felt that they deserved ownership and authority over the lives of their children, which was a notion they brought with them to America. Children of the immigrants often tried to rebel against their parents and the domus, be it by cutting their hair according to popular American trends, or trying to date and even marry outside of the