The Strangers That Came To Town Summary

602 Words2 Pages

‘The Strangers that Came to Town’ is a short story and considered one of the best works of Ambrose Flack. Central in the story corresponds to the struggle felt by an immigrant family in Croatia as they try to adjust to the American way of life. Evident in the piece is the fact of discrimination and prejudice by the locals against the Duvitch family. Despite this treatment, the family continued to demonstrate resilience, optimism and generosity to the people who continue to ostracize them. In the end however, these traits would remain to be significant as acceptance is gained by the Duvitch family. Examining the piece, one of the most apparent themes is the reality of prejudice and oppression to outsiders. Clearly, the treatment of local families to the Croatian immigrants remains to be harsh and racially inconsiderate. These people judged the Duvitch family based on their physical appearance and inability to adjust to the lifestyle and expectations of the community (Eliburner2000 1). This further extends to their social status as the children are ridiculed for what they wear and also become a norm among other people within the community. Though this may seem to be Clearly, issues related to labels, prejudice and oppression were experienced by the Duvitch family in the story. However, it is the family’s continued resilience to overcome these challenges and still demonstrate sympathy and goodness paved the way for the development of respect by the locals. The actions and initiatives made by Tom proved to be an important catalyst that shaped the start of changes. It is through his ability to question the current condition and put forward new ways to advocate positive changes that the Duvitch family found relevance within the community and the numerous efforts to give back be recognized by

Show More
Related

  • David Chariandy's Brother: An Analysis

    1806 Words  | 4 Pages

    Differences present between immigrant and non-immigrant families in terms of opportunity, social inclusion and cultural acceptance is a prominent issue in the world today. In the novel, Brother, David Chariandy shows how these inconsistencies affect the opportunities present for second-generation migrants. Francis, Michael and Aisha are all children of migrants residing in the Toronto suburb of Scarborough or “Scar-Bro” as Michael refers to it (Chariandy). This suburb is home to immigrants of colour struggling to raise families on minimum wage jobs and the institutional racism present. This essay will first examine how the opportunity of second generation migrants is affected due to the preconceived idea of what opportunity is from the first

    Read More

  • Sherrif Poppell Character Analysis

    1093 Words  | 3 Pages

    For example, Sherriff Poppell shows this characteristics when he sees poor black families arrogate a crashed semi truck for all of the shoes " All day long under a sky like white coals the High sheriff stood spread legged on the highway, directing traffic; the road crews swept and shoved; and hundreds of local families quietly harvest shoes" ( Greene 4). Considering how the sheriff did this it shows his compassionate side towards the poor African Americans in the county of McIntosh. Similarly, The author of the story dedicates a major time of the story to show the audience the dedication Alston had as a compassionate father. " Four sons were born to her and Thurnell; Thun, Anthony, LeVan, and Keith; and four foster children were taken in by them. Chickens in the backyard, dogs all around, mother in law and sisters in law and brothers and aunts in cabins and trailers in the pine woods about the house" (Greene 48). It describes him as a father that's really compassionate and loving for the

    Read More

  • Symbiotic Relationships In Kingsolver's The Bean Trees

    997 Words  | 2 Pages

    Taylor and Lou Ann demonstrate a symbiotic relationship between the roles and characteristics in a family. Edna Poppy and Virgie Mae replaces the missing physical and emotional traits in a stable household. The examples tie into the fact that not all families in this book match “the norms” and expectations, but are equally valued, blood or

    Read More

  • Separate Pasts Sparknotes

    1301 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...ism and segregation, it is what will keep any society form reaching is maximum potential. But fear was not evident in those who challenged the issue, Betty Jo, Street, Jerry, and Miss Carrie. They challenged the issue in different ways, whether it was by just simply living or it was a calculated attempt to change the perspective of a individual. McLurin illustrated the views of the reality that was segregation in the South, in the town of Wade, and how it was a sort of status quo for the town. The memories of his childhood and young adulthood, the people he encountered, those individuals each held a key in how they impacted the thoughts that the young McLurin had about this issue, and maybe helping unlock a way to challenge the issue and make the future generation aware of the dark stain on society, allowing for more growth and maximum potential in the coming years.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Idealism In The Glass Castle By Jeannette Walls

    818 Words  | 2 Pages

    Race manifests itself as a key challenge to Jeannette’s views on freedom and immaterial love. She never truly saw people of other races in a different light until the family arrived in the small town of Welch, West Virginia. In Welch, racial divides were

    Read More

  • Native Son Rhetorical Analysis

    751 Words  | 2 Pages

    Intro: Summary, Thesis, Highlighting main points (Text to Text, Text to Self and Text to World) The tale of Native Son by Richard Wright follows the story of a young man by the name of Bigger Thomas who lives in the 1930’s. In the beginning of the story, we meet Bigger a young, angry frustrated black man who lives with his mother, brother and sister in a cramped apartment in New York. The story is narrated in a limited third-person voice that focuses on Bigger Thomas’s thoughts and feelings. The story is told almost exclusively from Bigger’s perspective. In recent years, the

    Read More

  • Comparing the Women of House on Mango Street and Bread Givers

    1701 Words  | 4 Pages

    Anzia Yezierska has written two short story collections and four novels about the struggles of Jewish immigrants on New York’s Lower East Side. Yezierska stories explore the subject of characters’ struggling with the disillusioning America of poverty and exploitation while they search for the ‘real’ America of their ideals. She presents the struggles of women against family, religious injunctions, and social-economic obstacles in order to create for herself an independent style. Her stories all incorporate autobiographical components. She was not a master of style, plot development or characterization, but the intensity of feeling and aspiration are evident in her narratives that overrides her imperfections.

    Read More

  • Literary Analysis Of Stepping Into The Light By Tanya Savory

    1393 Words  | 3 Pages

    But unlike Gregory’s tale, Wilkins’s story lacks figurative language. Though he does use descriptive language, like when he described what his white neighbors thought about him and his African American family moving in: “The prevailing wisdom in the neighborhood was that we were spoiling it and that we ought to go back where we belonged (or, alternatively ought not intrude where we not wanted.)” (Wilkins). The main problem is that there are no metaphors, similes, symbols, alliterations, and so on. But a strong point of this piece is that it is to the point. All the details he put in his story made sense and helped make his point of equality clear. One such example of this is when he describes his teacher Dorothy Bean, “I later came to know that in Grand Rapids, she was viewed as a very liberal person who believed, among other things, that Negroes were equal.” (Wilkins). This detail helps to establish her as a guiding force to help the other students see Wilkins as an equal. Another great strength in this story was its clear organization of the events that took place. It began with an explanation of the setting, how he was treated, how the teacher treated him, and ended with him being accepted by the other students. Everything was chronologically ordered and easy to follow, which also made it a more enjoyable

    Read More

  • Urban Danger: Life In A Neighborhood Of Strangers Summary

    1353 Words  | 3 Pages

    Sally Engle Merry’s “Urban Danger: Life in a Neighborhood of Strangers” explores the urban danger associated with living in a neighborhood with “strangers.” The ethnographic study centralizes around a multiethnic housing project in a neighborhood with high crime; Dover Square Project. She emphasizes the relevance of social groups and the impact it maintains in promoting the idea of danger in urbanities. Merry focuses her attention on the impression the residents’ have, which is “that they live in a world of dangerous and unpredictable strangers” and the contrasting reality. Throughout the article, she clarifies this misconception and explores how the boundaries between the ethnic groups promote anonymity, which then in response fosters opportunities for

    Read More

  • America And I By Anzia Yezierska Analysis

    426 Words  | 1 Pages

    The busy season for the shop she was working on came and the owner of the shop kept demanding for what we call overtime. She got fired after she said, “I only want to go home. I only want the evening to myself!.” Yezierska was regretful and bitter about what happened because she ended up in cold and hunger. After a while she became a trained worker and acquired a better shelter. An English class for foreigners began in the factory she was working for. She went to the teacher for advice in how to find what she wanted to do. The teacher advised her to join the Women’s Association, where a group of American women helps people find themselves. One of the women in the social club hit her with the reality that “America is no Utopia.” Yezierska felt so hopeless. She wondered what made Americans so far apart from her, so she began to read the American history. She learned the difference between her and the Pilgrims. When she found herself on the lonely, untrodden path, she lost heart and finally said that there’s no America. She was disappointed and depressed in the

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Wife Of His Youth

    1466 Words  | 3 Pages

    The characters are torn between who they are and who they need to be. Racial passing further perpetrates discrimination within American society, especially within the black community. Mr. Ryder’s actions further perpetrates the notion of race as a social and cultural construction. Mr. Ryder does not want to be accepted as black and he must live up to his principle through disassociation with the black culture. Mr. Ryder’s hope for a better future meant erasing his “blackness” and identify with his “whiteness”. Eliza’s narration of her slave life awaken his moral conscious. The path Mr. Ryder wishes to obtain is unrealistic in a post-American society because he cannot erase his past. In a post reconstruction era it was vital to connect in a time of instability. Mr. Ryder’s re-telling of Eliza’s story is connecting their fragmented family. Mr. Ryder’s acknowledgement Eliza, despite knowing the fact that he must go against his principles, he proposes that individuals must unite as a family if they want to promote change. Chesnutt short story proposes that black Americans need to unite in the struggle to end racial and social

    Read More

  • Immigrants in Upton Sinclair 's The Jungle

    779 Words  | 2 Pages

    A well-discussed debate in today’s economy is the issues concerning immigrants and their yearning desire to become American citizens. As displayed in The Jungle, a rather perturbing novel about the trials and ruthless temptations early America presents to a Lithuanian family, adjusting to a new surroundings and a new way of life is quite difficult. To make matters worse, language barriers and lack of domestic knowledge only seem to entice starvation and poverty among newly acquired citizens, who simply wish to change their social and economic lives to better themselves and their families. Such is the case of Jurgis Rudkus and his extended family, consisting of cousins, in-laws, and their multitude of children. Natives to the country of Lithuania, Jurgis and his family decide that, after Jurgis and his love, Ona, marry, they will move to Chicago to find work in order to support their family.

    Read More

  • Zora Neale Hurston - Celebrating the Culture of Black Americans

    2150 Words  | 5 Pages

    childhood was filled with thriving community as well as isolation from the hatred and racism that lurked outside of the confines of Eatonville. “[Zora’s] early childhood was so free from discrimination that it took a trip to Jacksonville, with its...

    Read More

  • Citizenship In The Invisible Man

    1854 Words  | 4 Pages

    These members don’t benefit from helping advocate for racial equality, but recognizes that disparaging a large population of individuals to keep an elite class of citizens from having their balance upset, is not beneficial to the whole of the community. They exercise political friendship by working with black individuals advocating for their cause. A lack of political friendship is also seen, which is the result of certain individuals holding their own status above those of others. The narrator is aware of his systematic oppression and the lack of political friendship. In the beginning his habits were to be eager and work hard, offering his trust and respect for others and being hopeful he’d receive it in return. By the end, he grows wearing of receiving little back, and becomes inflexible in his friendships and withdraws his efforts towards cooperation. He struggles with working with whites or even coexisting as he is bitter at his discrimination, and doesn’t trust them. By the end, his psychological state is rather broken and unstable, and he ends up withdrawing from the community, existing as a recluse, as he doesn’t want to contribute to a society that he cannot trust and who doesn’t trust or respect

    Read More

  • A Theme in the Work of Two Authors, Arthur Miller and John Steinbeck: Work and its Relationship to Human Dignity and American Values

    1946 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...ays build character. Another common American value established in this book is loyalty. Tom Joad remains loyal to his family and helps them through many of their struggles. Jim Casy continues to be devoted to the Joad family as they make their journey across the country to California. He even gives his life for those that he is organizing into unions. This is a sacrifice similar to that of Jesus Christ, with whom he shares initials with. A shift in social structure occurs among the migrant workers. They realize that they share the same burdens and dreams and unite. When they set up camps together, they support each other and try to share their supplies. “In the evening a strange thing happened: the twenty families became on family, the children were the children of all. The loss of home became one loss, and the golden time in the West became one dream.” (pg 193)

    Read More

More about The Strangers That Came To Town Summary

Open Document