The Bread Givers, By Sonsyrea Tate

A Person Or A Place

The impacts of home extend far beyond a physical dwelling, and are endlessly important in determining the nature of a person’s actions and accomplishments, both positively and negatively. The novel The Bread Givers, by Sonsyrea Tate, shows through the character Sara how impactful the ideals of home can be, specifically in ways detrimental to the character. These ideals manifest in Sara’s actions and thoughts throughout the novel, as, despite being independent, she is internally pushed to love almost against her will and to wrongly think of her father as important to her success. Even more strikingly, the ideals of home force her into thinking of her borderline abusive father as infallible. Sara Smolinsky has developed a

When Sara was a young girl, all money she earned was directly given to her father. This has instilled in her since childhood that any of her success belongs to him. Even as an adult, her father still actively adds to this by holding himself responsible for her completing college and becoming a teacher. He introduces her as “[a]nd this, my youngest, is a teacherin. She has a head on her. Takes after her father, even though she’s only a girl.” (249). Her homelife leads her to believe that he is somehow responsible for her achievements. As a consequence of this, when he falls ill, Sara feels guilty for ever hating him. She believes that “if [she] ever amount[s] to something, is it not his spirit burning in [her]?” (286). This convinces her to let her father back into her life, despite him being the main discouragement from her being a teacher. When he is low on money and needs aid, Sara is the only one to feel sympathy. She thinks, “What will become of Father if we abandon him to the mercy of that woman?” (268). Her belief that she must repay him for her success fuels her decision to take care of him yet again, even though she left home solely to escape that life. Home never leaves Sara, as despite running away, she still has it ingrained in her that her father is the reason for her achievements. Later in

As a young girl full of doubt and uncertainty, her “Father’s holiness filled her eyes with light”(16). He brightened her outlook on life, as she wasn’t able to see his imperfections at this age. Engraved in Sara’s head is the man whose praises lift her heart when there is little money to live off of, and Sara chooses to see only the selfless actions rather than the selfish ones. When Sara’s father refuses to pay the rent, he hits the collector lady, which Sara sees as “David killing Goliath, the giant,”(26). Sara is is in awe by this action and is thankful to have a selfless father whom stands up for his family. These select moments that she chooses to remember create a false image of him where he is represented as a selfless and caring man. This encourages her to always think of him when she believes she is in trouble or needs help. Sara longs for her father after she refuses to marry Max Goldstein, a man who seemed to be perfect, but only wanted a wife rather than someone to love. She thinks that her “refusal to marry Max Goldstein was something he could understand”(202). Sara always feels like she can go back to her father for help because she convinces herself that he is all knowing and genuinely great. Even though Sara Smolinsky may have left home because she finally realizes the harm her father causes, she always seems to fall back on the reassurance that her father is a hero. This false image