Sunday 1 March 2015

Analysis of Anna Yezierka short stories

The Lost Beautifulness 
To write about the morality of this story would be barely possible as it nothing but a tale of misfortune and injustice. The main crux of the story line is a poor immigrant of the name Hanneh who wishes to  be part of a system and society that seems to be fixed on excluding her and anyone of her class as stated by her Landlord "In America everybody looks out for himself" this said in a time when almost all men were fighting the same war, against the same enemy, in the same living conditions despite their class. Though Hanneh praises and idolizes Democracy and the supposed equality of it she is met with the bitterness of reality played by her husband and the Landlord If there are any moral lessons to be learnt from this short story it could be either, don't try to be something your not or no matter how small you are you lose.


Soap and Water 
Soap and water is the story in comparison to The Lost Beautilfulness is slightly more uplifting proving that hard work does pay off though it could be argued the protagonist must work harder for the same accomplishments than her peers due to the fact her dean attempts to withhold her diploma for the way she dresses. Again we do see the clear class divide and the very little empathy that is shown from those at the top of this hierarchy but the a moral lesson that can be taken from this passage would be perverseness, hard work and a bit of luck will pay off for some. To counter the cold heartiness of the upper class the protagonist is comforted by her encounters by an American women exactly like The Lost Beautilfulness just like in the short story before it is through these women that the hope of equality is kept alive.

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