Around World War One, two American authors from different minority backgrounds published their seemingly unlike novels. In 1912, the African American diplomat and writer James Weldon Johnson published his narrative “The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man” anonymously, and in 1917, the Jewish American editor and journalist Abraham Cahan put out his novel “The Rise of David Levinsky”. Despite all differences obvious between the authors and their protagonists, both novels nevertheless describe at their core the need to assimilate, the search for an American identity and the costs of assimilation.
In their quest for an American identity, both protagonists, the former Orthodox Jew from Russia and the anonymous, light-skinned African American, chose to escape white Anglo-Saxon Protestant hostility towards their minority status by assimilating respectively by passing as far as possible into the dominant culture of white American society. The need to assimilate derives from the fear of marginalization and the hostility shown towards minority groups in America. It is precisely this threatening attitude in combination with a longing to take part in the dominant culture of American society that finally forces these characters to assimilate respectively to pass entirely.
Despite their minority backgrounds, both protagonists manage to enter the dominant culture at last. But even though both men live up to a life of financial and social success at the end of the novels, their narratives are not simply average American success-stories, but rather tragic tales on the high costs of assimilation. Levinsky and the Ex-Colored Man live the classical American dream from “rags to riches”, but in the end, both must nevertheless realize that wealth and a high social status alone do not guarantee true inner happiness.
The conclusion seems bitter: one’s marginality and minority status must be overcome in order to take part in the “American success story”. But even though ethnic and racial backgrounds can be denied and essential parts of one’s own identity can be ignored, full assimilation can never be achieved. The successful economic and social rise of the two men cannot be separated from the tragic personal failure to find their true identity and inner happiness. In their novels, Cahan and Johnson thus voice the dreadful loss of individual identity that full assimilation and passing ask for.
Table of Contents
I. Introduction
II. Assimilation and Passing: Two Different Strategies in the Search for an American Identity
III. Assimilation in Abraham Cahan’s The Rise of David Levinsky
IV. Passing in James W. Johnson’s The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man
V. Conclusion
Research Objectives and Themes
This work examines the complex interplay between minority identity and the societal pressure to assimilate in early 20th-century America. By comparing Abraham Cahan’s "The Rise of David Levinsky" and James Weldon Johnson’s "The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man," the study investigates how both protagonists navigate the struggle for an American identity through the contrasting strategies of assimilation and passing, and analyzes the profound personal costs associated with the suppression of one's ethnic and racial heritage.
- The divergence between assimilation as a strategy for immigrants and "passing" as a race-based social phenomenon.
- The influence of the "American Dream" mythos on the pursuit of social and economic success.
- The psychological impact of double-consciousness and the feeling of alienation from one's origins.
- The role of material wealth and social status as tools for and indicators of successful identity transformation.
- The inherent tragedy in the loss of authentic identity within the dominant American cultural framework.
Excerpt from the Book
III. Assimilation in Abraham Cahan’s “The Rise of David Levinsky”
Abraham Cahan’s protagonist, the Orthodox Talmudist David Levinsky, to whom the United States lured “not merely as a land of milk and honey, but also, and perhaps chiefly, as one of mystery, of fantastic experiences, of marvelous transformations”15, is among the early immigrants of the Jewish immigration wave. Being born and raised in Antomir16, in Northwest Russia, the twenty-year-old orphan, who lost his father early on and whose mother is brutally killed by Gentiles, arrives at New York City in 1885. The assimilation of Levinsky from “a green one”17 to a successful American cloak-manufacturer over a course of twenty-five years is described as a process of diminishing his foreign heritage in favor of American features and characteristics.
In the beginning, his new American identity is mainly created through a change of his outer appearance. Interestingly, it is yet another Orthodox Talmud scholar, Mr. Even, who urges Levinsky for a change and also pays for his transformation. “He spent a considerable sum on me. As we passed from block to block he kept saying, ‘Now you won’t look green,’ or, ‘That will make you look American.’”18 Levinsky even shaves off his side-locks, the ultimate sign for Jewish Orthodoxy. The result is overwhelming, because “[i]t was as though the hair-cut and the American clothes had changed my identity.”19 Paradoxically and regardless of his initiative attempts to Americanize Levinsky, it is as well Mr. Even who strongly urges him at their departure not to “neglect [his] religion nor [his] Talmud.”20 Mr. Even makes him promise and despite Levinsky’s oath to himself to “be more pious than ever, […], even if America is a godless country”21, it is a false promise, because Levinsky’s secularization had already started shortly after his mother’s violent death when “his communions with God [became] quite rare”22 and “the word America first caught [his] fancy.”23
Summary of Chapters
I. Introduction: This chapter outlines the work's focus on the search for American identity through the novels of Cahan and Johnson and establishes the central theme regarding the high personal costs of assimilation.
II. Assimilation and Passing: Two Different Strategies in the Search for an American Identity: This section differentiates between the concepts of assimilation and racial passing, highlighting how the American social hierarchy influenced the limited choices available to Jewish and African American individuals.
III. Assimilation in Abraham Cahan’s The Rise of David Levinsky: The chapter explores the protagonist's transition from an Orthodox immigrant to a successful secular American businessman, emphasizing the loss of his traditional roots and his internal conflict.
IV. Passing in James W. Johnson’s The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man: This chapter analyzes the protagonist's struggle with Du Bois' concept of double-consciousness and his eventual decision to permanently pass as white to gain social advantages.
V. Conclusion: The concluding section synthesizes the findings, noting that despite their external success, both characters experience a tragic failure to achieve true inner happiness due to the rejection of their authentic identities.
Keywords
Assimilation, Passing, American Identity, Jewish American Literature, African American Literature, Abraham Cahan, James Weldon Johnson, The Rise of David Levinsky, The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man, Double-consciousness, Immigration, Cultural Heritage, Social Mobility, Marginality, Success Story.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this study?
The study examines the struggle of minority individuals to establish an American identity by analyzing the novels of Abraham Cahan and James Weldon Johnson, focusing specifically on the themes of assimilation and racial passing.
What are the central thematic fields discussed?
The work covers themes such as cultural identity, the "rags to riches" American dream, the psychological weight of double-consciousness, and the societal barriers faced by ethnic and racial minorities in early 20th-century America.
What is the primary research objective?
The primary goal is to demonstrate that while assimilation and passing lead to economic and social success in the American context, they ultimately result in a tragic loss of authentic self and inner happiness.
Which scientific methodology is applied?
The work utilizes a comparative literary analysis of two primary narrative texts, drawing upon historical context and critical literary theories to interpret the protagonists' experiences.
What topics are covered in the main body?
The main body investigates the specific processes of transformation for David Levinsky (assimilation into American capitalist society) and the Ex-Colored Man (passing as white), alongside their subsequent feelings of regret and alienation.
Which keywords characterize this work?
Key terms include assimilation, passing, American identity, double-consciousness, and social mobility.
How does the author define the distinction between assimilation and passing?
The author distinguishes assimilation as a social transformation often available to white ethnic groups, while passing refers to the race-based strategy of concealing one's black heritage to bypass systemic racial discrimination.
Why are both protagonists considered "marginal men"?
They are described as marginal because they occupy a space between two cultures; having rejected their origins, they never fully attain a sense of belonging in the dominant culture, leaving them in a state of constant contradiction.
What role does money play in the protagonists' lives?
Money serves as the primary metric for their social and economic success, but ultimately becomes a symbol of the "lesser part" they have chosen, highlighting the hollowness of their achievement.
- Quote paper
- Sonja Longolius (Author), 2005, The need to assimilate: Searching for an american identity in Abraham Cahan's "The Rise of David Levinsky" and James Weldon Johnson's "The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man" , Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/80440
