The Fullness Of Life In Betty Smith's Novels

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“I came to a clear conclusion, and it is a universal one: To live, to struggle, to be in love with life--in love with all life holds, joyful or sorrowful--is fulfillment. The fullness of life is open to all of us” (Betty Smith). Betty Smith, born as Elizabeth Lillian Wehner, grew up in Brooklyn, New York as the daughter of poor first-generation German-Americans. At the time, child labor was legal and Smith began work at the young age of fourteen to help support her family. Smith’s life in the slums and her experiences during the Great Depression greatly influenced her writing. Most of her novels depict families struggling to survive on a low income. Another idea Smith explores in her novels is what part women should take in the world. In Smith’s …show more content…

As mentioned in the article, “Biography of Betty Smith, Author of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn,” Smith was “encouraged to use material from her past.” Smith’s novels pulled memories from her life to effectively tell her heart warming yet heartbreaking stories. Smith focused on the “brutality of childhood and youth” mostly seen in her novels A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and Joy in the Morning. Most of Smith’s books focused on individuals or families facing poverty in Brooklyn. In the article, “Biography of Betty Smith, Author of a Tree Grows in Brooklyn,” Smith stated, “I realized that he [Thomas Wolfe] had caught the lost feeling of Brooklyn, but his stories weren’t authentic. This challenged me to write what I know about Brooklyn, to show it as it really is.” Smith also wrote in a manner that was easy to read and understand. As mentioned in the article, “Biography of Betty Smith, Author of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn,” a factor contributing to her book’s popularity was the fact that Smith wrote the “first American novel about the lives of ordinary working-class people that was written in a style that ordinary working-class people could understand.” In the book, “Literature and Its Times,” it states that “Smith’s novel found high favor among the general public, and praise as a faithful and almost poetic portrayal of the twentieth- century Brooklyn slums.” Although Smith’s novels …show more content…

Francie lives in Brooklyn, New York with her father, Johnny, her mother, Katie, and her brother, Neeley. The family lives in poverty as Johnny and Katie struggle to bring home enough money to support their family. Francie and Neeley help out by selling junk for pennies. The Nolans buy stale bread and beef tongue for a nickel in order to survive. It is a meager living and yet the children are full of joy, in awe of the world around them. Living in poverty helps Francie understand sympathy and compassion. At a point in the book, Francie and Neeley have to get vaccinations in order to attend school. The doctor looks at Francie in disgust as she holds up her muddy arms for the shot. He speaks down upon her stating, “Filth, filth, filth, from morning to night. I know they're poor but they could wash. Water is free and soap is cheap” (Smith, 1943). The nurse, who had herself grown up in poverty, agrees with the doctor. After that incident, Francie vows that if she ever gets out of the slums she will never forget where she comes from, like the nurse had, and always “keep compassion” towards the people she will leave behind (Smith, 1943). When Francie leaves the doctor, she tells him not to tell her brother he is dirty, as to spare his feelings, and leaves in tears. As she leaves the doctor says “I had no idea she'd understand what I was saying,” showing his ignorance towards the

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