Contents
Introduction. 1
Chapter 1: The Authors & Their
Personal Environments. 3
1.1. Saul Bellow
3
1.2.
Henry Roth. 5
Chapter 2: Mix of Local and
Traditional Culture. 8
2.1. Conflict between two cultures. 8
2.2. Young Generation – Old
Generation. 12
Chapter 3: Survival and Assimilation. 16
Summary. 22
Bibliography. 25
Introduction
In this
paper I will discuss two life stories of Jewish immigrants who came to America from Eastern Europe,
comparing both the authors of these fictional works and the characters in the
literary works themselves. The main
characters are two children – Augie March in “The Adventures of Augie March” by
Saul Bellow and David Schearl in “Call it Sleep” by Henry Roth. Each of them is
a new child in a new country with a new culture and the problems of the
difference between their dream and actual reality.
In these
two novels, Bellow and Roth show us factors that influence the acculturation
and adaptation of immigrants, especially Jewish immigrants who arrive in
America from Eastern Europe. The protagonists of the novels represent the
relationship between the host society and the immigrants. They also help us to
understand the psycho-sociological aspects of immigration. My argument in this
paper is that the life of every hero, every immigrant child is a micro-cosmos of
immigration in general and of Jewish immigration to America specifically. The novels
are literary extensions of the authors and their points of view.
In the
first chapter I will present the relevant biography of each novelist, because
the novel is a result of the author’s experiences, which influence his writing.
This also explains the historical perspective and importance of the novels.
Immigration theories explain the traumatic shock the immigrant experiences in
his encounters with the host society. In the second chapter I will deal with
the mixed culture of the immigrants according to the two novels. I will
highlight two aspects:
The conflict between the old culture and the host
culture.
The conflict between the old generation and the
young generation in the Jewish immigrant community.
Two types of conflicts illustrate the situation of
the immigrants. They have to survive and find their way in the new society. The
adults have to earn a living. The young immigrants also need to be accepted in
the host society. This is not always a simple objective to accomplish. Everyone
has a different character, strengths and weaknesses that help or hinder him in
the accomplishment of his goals. Survival and the process of the assimilation
will be discussed in the third chapter. Finally, I will present my conclusions.
