Bread Givers by Anzia Yezierska Bread Givers by Anzia Yezierska attacks several social norms of both her traditional Polish homeland and the American life her protagonist has come to know. Clearly autobiographical, Bread Givers courageously questions why certain social and religious traditions continue throughout the ages without the slightest consideration for an individual's interests or desires. Sara's traditional Jewish upbringing exposed her to a life dominated by patriarchal control; when she arrived in New York to seek the American dream, she discovered that once again her gender would thwart such desires. Despite these cultural barriers, her mother understood Sara's ardent quest to break free from traditional patterns: "...When she begins to want something, there is no rest, there is no respite until she has obtained it" (Yezierska PG). is it the American dream, and who are the people most likely to pursue its often elusive realization? Indeed, the American Dream has come to represent the achievement of myriad goals specific to each individual; while one person might consider a house purchased with a white picket fence to be their version of the American dream, another might think of it as the financial ability to run their own business. Clearly, there is no cut and dry definition of the American dream as long as any two people have a different meaning. What it universally represents, however, is the opportunity for people like Sara to pursue their individual and collective desires under the apolitical umbrella of democracy. “More and more I began to think within myself, I don't want to sell [fish] for the rest of my days. I want to learn something. I want to do something. I want to one day become a person and come between” (Yezierska PG). Driven to the United States from their oppressive homeland, Sara's family may have believed that the streets of this nation were paved with gold and where opportunities for lifelong prosperity abound, however, none of them took the initiative to discover it themselves . Rather, they were content to make ends meet just to have adequate food on the table and a roof over their heads. Sara was having none of this, quickly realizing that if she wanted to make something of herself she would have to work much harder than her male counterparts - a sacrifice …… middle of paper …… to comment on them. The author's courageous attempts to overcome time-worn gender biases within American society are highly commendable. She dares to challenge the idea of ​​patriarchy through sincerity and a burning passion from within as a means by which to help her female counterparts recognize the unbalanced responsibilities of femininity. Yezierska's words speak clearly and with a boldness that surpasses expression. Her realization that women possess so much more in their souls than simply remaining the oppressed female counterpart of a selfish male is astonishing. Carrying forward the burden that has plagued women for centuries, Yezierska's Bread Givers attempts to alter the historical concept of patriarchy within the confines of the West. epistemology. According to the author, ancient gender models are ripe to be renewed and inserted into the current framework of consciousness. Women no longer have to be forced to suffer an oppressive existence simply because it is imposed by religious people; rather, Yezierska paints a new image of a strong, intelligent woman who will not be constrained by the irrational expectations of an oppressive, patriarchal society..