Draft 2
22-05-07
Alice Zhang
Who was really Americanized, Shadrach Cohen or his sons?
In the latter part of the 19th century, in order to escape religious persecution, many Jewish immigrants fled their countries, most of whom came to America. With little money, the majority of the new settlers struggled to survive. While in “The Americanization of Shadrach Cohen ”, Bruno Lessing tells us a story of a pretty different Jewish family in New York.
Shadrach Cohen, the main character created, is a charming one, who seemed low key on appearance but succeeded in the business realm after immigrated to America to support his two sons.Shadrach accomplished his Americanization without giving up his own culture dignity. At the same time he gained the respect of his two sons by eliminating the conflicts between the two generations.
Both of the generations experienced their process of change, yet totally different. We may come up with the question, who was really Americanized, Shadrach Cohen or his sons? In my perspective, Shadrach’s Americanization is quite successful, while what happened on his two sons can’t be defined as Americanization.
There is no such culture that is superior to the others in origin. As a matter of fact, we can surely find some pros and cons in any specific culture. To learn from other culture doesn’t mean to entirely deny every respect of ones own culture. A successful combination of different culture is to absorb the merits of both sides. Shadrach proved it.
At first, Shadrach resisted being “tamed” Americanized. He loved his own Jewish culture and religion. He kept his Jewish habit and action on it. He donned his praying cap and started to recite the grace after meals. “It is wrong to omit the prayer after meals. It is part of your religion. I do not know anything about this America or its customs.” He said these words to his sons when he finished his prayer. These noble words from his deep heart served as the declaration of his godliness towards Jewish religion. It was not only formalism. What he cling to is the cream of the Jewish religion, such as “the value of discipline, the beauty of filial reverence, the severe joy of the earnest life”. Even immigrating to America, he still maintained and cherished his tenets with tenacity, which I believe is one of his primary factors responsible for his success in the process of Americanization.
On the other hand, his two sons totally neglect their own culture. They had done away with the habit of doing prayer. “It’s not quite American!” Their criterion of judging the value of something is whether it appeared to American!! What a shame! The two brothers didn’t realize the souled of Jewish religion at all. They not only omitted the prayer after meals but also showed no respect to their father and the maid. They kept trying to persuade their father to have a thorough “repair” regardless of their father’s feeling. When they picked up their father and found his long-companied maid, their reaction was to fire her without hesitation. Obviously it was a kind of discrimination. How can they be so cruel to the old lady? So it is nature for Shadrach to feel changes occurred on his sons and between them was a wall. His sons had “Americanized”.
Anyone who wants to adapt to a new environment has to learn some local tradition and culture. Shadrach was no exception. What to learn is the key to determine whether he would be successfully accepted or not. What had Shadrach learn? The answer can be concluded as “…the faculty of adaptability, broader-minded, more tolerant, more flexible in his tenets…”. What he chose to learn is just “the charm of American life, of liberty, of democracy”. It was the perfect blend of the American style and Jewish religion that contributed to his process of Americanization.
Despite the change, he held his tenets and was still himself. Being in such a complicated transformation process, it is easy to lost oneself. Fortunately, Shadrach didn’t. He can adapt to a new style of treating people or some aspects of his character. What the Americanization can’t change is his Jewish heart. “And yet it was the same Shadrach Cohen.” The Jewish religion was rooted in him, which will never be replaced. “Blessed be He.”
On the contrary, two sons’ parody of the American culture seems ridiculous. “When the ship landed he was met by two dapper-looking young men, each of whom wore a flaring necktie with a diamond in it.” The author described the two sons in an ironic tone to show the scorn. “Abel and Gottlieb were proud of the fact that they had become Americanized.” Obviously, they quite enjoyed their so called “Americanization”.
Besides, the sons’ words give us a more clear understanding of their opinion towards Americanization. “Come father, let’s go to a barber, who will trim your beard and make you look more like an American.” Americanization can be found on beard? “Ah, father, if you would only not insist upon being so old-fashioned!” To keep Jewish tradition equally means some kind of old fashioned? “And let us fix you up a bit.” They even wanted to FIX their father? “And become more progressive—like the other men of your age in this country.” Other men in America at Shadrach’s age were more progressive just because they are American? “And learn to speak English.” From the words they said to their father, it’s clear that they regarded American style as something only relating to appearance.
“If becoming Americanized means becoming stupid, I must congratulate you upon the thoroughness of your work.” Actually, the “stupid” sons adapt to an American hairstyle, dressing fashion and the way they talk. They gradually left out the Jewish prayer afraid of the tease by others and picked up something with an “America” tag which is meaningless. They even haven’t realized the true meaning of Americanization: something about the liberty and democracy. Shadrach’s comments above best summarized it.
From the contrast of the different attitudes his sons treat him, we can also witness his fruitful Americanization. At the beginning, the two sons showed no respect to their father. “His sons clinched their fists behind their backs and smiled at him amiably.” They can’t agree with their father and even came up with the idea of using violence towards him. However, they have to conceive the anger since they didn’t dare to risk their father’s displeasure in case their financial support went away. This is typical American style violence abuse. They kept asking for money and once pocketed the money, “they would shake their heads and sign.” It was a pity that the only bond between the father and his sons is blood. Or maybe “money” served better. In sons’ eyes, their father was just an instrument like ATM machine. What’s more, they wanted to “modify” their father by “Americanizing” him. They not only themselves forget about the Jewish religion, they even didn’t consider about their father’s choice on religion tenets. Later on, with no change happened on Shadrach after long trying, “Behind his head they looked at each other in dismay.” All these can be blamed as the effect of the materialism which is featured in American civilization.
After tasting the flavor of hard work and the success of the business, two sons changed gradually and unconsciously. “They began to look upon their father with increasing respect. What they had refused to the integrity of his character, to the nobility of his heart, they promptly yielded to the shrewdness of his brain. The sons of Shadrach Cohen became proud of their father.” It was a significant contrast compared to their previous behavior. The sons finally get to appreciate their father’s Jewish charming.
It is the difference of the definition of Americanization between the two generations that cause the different outcome. Though neither of them had tried to define it, from their performance, we can get a general idea of it. In the young’s eyes, Americanization is a symbol of stylish appearance and life pattern. While in the father’s perspective, Americanization is an unconscious process. Under no circumstance should Jewish culture be abandoned.
The worm turned in a perfect way, while the youth are still naive and have a long way to go.
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