Immigration And Childhood In Mary Antin's The Promised Child
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Immigration and childhood have a lot in common. Both throw individuals into change causing the to have to begin a new life and either choose to go to the better or the worse. Also, when comparing the two they can both cause people to alter their viewpoints on life . Childhood tend to have a brighter light about it in the majority of people's eyes, but then when the subject of immigration comes up the majority of people become ill turned and even frightful of the thought. In the reading of The Promised Land the main character is an immigrant into America from Russia and see explains how her life has changed during the transition. Mary Antin started her childhood in a very strict place of Russia where he life was restricted due to her sex and religion. She was not able to be educated in any way other than learning to read the Psalms in Hebrew. When her and her family moved to America she had endless possibilities with her education. People seem to take for granted just what all we have as far as options being born in America. For most people childhood is viewed as the beginning of a great life. Nothing can bring you down or stop…show more content… Most everyone accepts someone in childhood. They do not turn their nose up to a new child being born, but when a child immigrants to America there are alot of ill turned individuals. Childhood is accepted in most ways because if they are American born people do not judge them as harshly, but if they are foreignly brought in people view the child differently. “We had to visit the stores dressed from head to foot in American clothing; we had to learn the mysteries of the iron stove, the washboard, and the speaking-tube; we had to learn to trade with the fruit peddler through the window, and not to be afraid of the policemen;and, above all, we had to learn english.”(478-479) This statement shows that the family of Mary would be viewed differently if they showed themselves as