Essay Draft Two

Vincent Qian
May 20, 2007
Draft Two

In the story of the Americanization of Shadrach Cohen, Bruno Lessing tells us a story about how an old Jewish man, coming from the Russian ghetto, adapted himself into American life, centering a series of conflicts and divergences between he and his two sons. Thinking themselves as fully Americanized, the two sons, Abel and Gottlieb, tried so hard to Americanize their father. Seeing the contrast between the old man and his two sons, I can’t help wondering, what is the real sense of Americanization, who is better Americanized, Shadrach or his two sons?

Five years of departed time, the gap between the two generations of the Cohen was already quite evident, which surfaced as soon as they reunited. From the quotation “It took him some time to realize that these were his two sons” we can see what complete changes must have happened to Abel and Gottlieb, at least in their appearance. According to the two brothers’ perception, these changes should be called Americanization. Wearing “a flaring necktie with a diamond on it”, the two “dapper-looking” young men thought modifications in appearance made them Americanized.

It was because of this mentality that they emphasized their father’s image so much and expected the same extrinsic changes to happen to their father. But their suggestion was rejected. Old Cohen felt nothing embarrassing about his looking like a “newly land Russian Jew”. However, at that moment, he could never know that more profound changes of his two sons were yet to be discovered-religious ones-they had omitted the after meal grace because they believed “it was not quite American”.

A wall stood silently between Shadrach and his sons. “Distressed and puzzled” as he felt, what he didn’t know was that this wall wasn’t built up in one day. It started from the moment the two sons become “Americanized” but had just unveiled itself in front of him. Shadrach just wouldn’t understand even when “he was racking his brain to find some explanation that would account for the changes that had come over his sons”.

Nevertheless, it showed from that early a stage that Shadrach Cohen’s way of being Americanized was bond to be a different one from his sons. Unlike them, he believed that “the same Jehovah rules supreme over America even as he does over the country that he came from”. He clung to the Jewish traditions and culture.

Things kept on worsening-money seemed to be the only tie between them. Again, we can tell how shallow the sons’ Americanization was from how much they cared about their father’s appearance and other superficial aspects-“wearing your beard shorter and trimmed differently and learn to speak English”.

Then there came the trigger of final explosion. By refusing to arrange a meeting for his father with his girlfriend, Gottlieb hurt Shadrach’s feeling badly. The old man turned. What had happened to his son that they were now even ashamed of him? The sound of Marta dropping the iron port tore that moment of silence apart. A lightening must have dashed in Shadrach’s mind. It was the pivotal point of this story. And it was from then on that Shadrach began to take the initiative and things began to develop for the better.

The old man stepped into the business by criticizing “if becoming Americanized means becoming stupid, I must congratulate you upon the thoroughness of your work”. After taking over the shop, Shadrach’s business instinct was finally made full use of. The two sons began to look upon their father with increasing respect.” “They became proud of the old man.”

Meanwhile, there came the most essential and exciting part of the story-Shadrach Cohen’s Americanization-“he, too, was slowly undergoing a change”, “broader minded, more tolerant and above all, more flexible in his tenets.”

But these changes still had nothing to do with appearance, still had nothing to do with his firm belief in religion. “And yet, it was the same Shadrach Cohen”. By nature, Shadrach Cohen never changed. Through contact with his American business partners, he learnt from them “the faculty of adaptability”. And they, at the same time, evinced “an amount of deference and respect never showed to the sons.” On top of these changes, Shadrach still demands from the two sons “implicit obedience and profound respect”. “He insisted upon a strict observance of every tenet of religion”. He taught them that “life was earnest”.

The two sons seemed no longer that fervent and passionate about being Americanized as “they learnt value of discipline, learnt the beauty of filial reverence, learnt the severe joy of the earnest life.”

At the end of the story, Miriam, whose boyfriend had been so reluctant to arrange a meeting for her and his father but now so anxious, finally got the chance to meet Shadrach. From her angel, the writer again, portrayed the image of Shadrach Cohen. The appearance never altered-“with a long, straggling beard, and ringlets of hair falling over the ears, and clad in the long gabardine of the Russian Ghettos”. But, if there was any change, the eyes were shiner, moisturized by the essence of America-liberty and democracy.

Same as his two sons, Shadrach finally became Americanized, only that he omitted the skin-deep part and started right from the core, which was one’s spirit, value, character and above all, one’s view on the world. That difference made it so easy for us to discriminate whose Americanization was more profound and closer to its real meaning.

Hundreds of thousands of immigrants flock into the U.S. each year in pursuit of the American dreams, among which there are people like the sons as well as people like the father in this story. I believe the reason why Bruno Lessing wrote this story is to tell us that what really precious America provides for its people is a dreamland where everyone can enjoy its liberty and democracy while still be committed to his own traditions. In return, while these newcomers’ virtues and culture mingle into the American society, they all contribute to make this dreamland a better place. That, I’m sure, is the real sense of Americanization.

25.5.07 12:13