Bread Giver By Anzia Yeziersk Character Analysis

In Anzia Yezierska’s novel Bread Giver, the author tells the story of Sara Smolinsky. Sara is a young girl living in New York in the 1920’s. Her Jewish family lives in poverty while her father, Reb, studies the Torah and Sara’s mother, Shena, and older sisters, Bessie, Mashah, and Fania, struggle to find work to feed the family. Reb’s refusal to work and superior behavior divides his family and leaves the women to do whatever they can to leave his home. When Sara decided to leave her parents’ home and become a teacher she struggles with family obligation versus independence and the isolation of single young women seeking an education. From a young age Sara was exposed to the financial struggle of her family. She was taught that it was expect …show more content…
When she could not convince Sara to return home she asked “only come to see me soon” (Yezierska 171). Despite how happy she was to see her in that moment Sara made it clear she felt her time was better spent studying than visiting her own mother. Years later this decision weighed heavy on Sara’s heart when she returned home to find her mother on her death bed. Sara told her mother she was finally able to take care of her but all her mother asked was for Sara to care for her father. Despite her effort her mother would not get the surgery she needed to survive and eventually passes away. Sara’s decision to seek independents over seeing her family cost her time which she was never able to get back with her …show more content…
Bessie understood and was willing to take in Sara but her husband did not. Zalmon believed “a girls place is under her father’s hand” (Yezierska 141) and by Sara staying with them she was setting a bad example for his daughter. Instead of being discouraged by what Zalmon had said she became encouraged to move on and find somewhere else were she was accepted. Having to save money Sara realized she will have to limit what she could buy to eat. Sara decided to go to the cafeteria which she had been told was open by a group of women who wanted to provide a nice place for young working women to eat in a nice environment. After not receiving the same portion of meat as the man behind her Sara became furious. She came to the realization that even in a place which was managed by women she still is not treated equal. Went home “boiling with hate for the whole world” (Yezierska 169). Sara was humiliated by her experience but it drove her to save her money and move