I By Aniza Yezierska Summary

America, the land where dreams become reality and freedom is infinite. This concept has been alive ever since the Pilgrims came over on the Mayflower. Immigrants from all over the world have been pouring in with dreams larger than life, attempting to get away from racial and religious discrimination. Immigrants, those who wish for a better life trying to escape poverty, come to a land that once was thought to treat all ethnicities equally. America is built on these principles of dreamland and equality, principles that have given hope to those searching for a better future for themselves and for their children. However, this concept turns out to be only an illusion for most. Charles Darwin’s theory of the survival of the fittest limited these dreams for …show more content…
The story is a good depiction of the disappointment that followed the arrival of immigrants in America. In her first job in America, Yezierska does not get paid a penny “Wait till you’re worth any money. What use are you without knowing English? You should be glad we keep you here. It’s like a vacation for you. Other girls pay money yet to be in the country” although she worked dawn to night to satisfy the American family she worked for ( ). Having a bed to sleep on and barely any food to eat was Yezierska 's salary for the hard work she did as a servant in a foreign country. The story also portrays the language hardships immigrants endured. For example “I feel. I see. I hear. And I want to think it out. But I’m like dumb in me. I only know I’m different— different from everybody” shows Yezierska/s struggle to put words together ( ). She knows what she wants to say but she can not put it into words in this language that is so foreign to her. America and I is a good portrayal of the struggles immigrants had to overcome with work and