1.Was Max Goldstein as evil as Sara portrayed him to be?
2. Was anyone surprised to see Sara's mother at her doorsteps?
3. Does Sara regret her decision to escape her family?
4. Why does Sara not fit in/escape her "black/ dirt abyss" when she goes off to college?
5. Is education now/ then the salvation or escape to the "American Dream"?
Education is one avenue to take towards the American Dream, though there are others. Fania and Mashah's husbands are good examples, but the novel easily discredits them as being petty, cheap, and lazy. The novel supports Sarah's path the best, and it happens to be education. As ambivalent as the ending is, it is the 'best' possible scenario within the realm of the story.
ReplyDeleteMax Goldstein, Max the madman. Well Sara saw him a bit evil only because he tried to buy her love with promises of a lavish life and what not. He wasn't necessarily evil because at that time, the men who made a load of money would think that any woman would be grateful to marry them.
ReplyDeleteSara's mother showing up at her doorsteps was in no way surprising because come on, she's still her daughter. They lived in a small apartment together, they worked for each other and ultimately they loved each other. If her mother didn't show up, THAT would probably a be surprise because it would be kind of cruel.
I don't believe Sara regrets escaping home because she's always wanted to be on her own, the privacy that she attained was her piece of bliss.
Sarah doesn't fit into college because she is different than the preppy college kids who has never had anything to trouble them, e.g: when the next meal would come, paying rent, finding an apartment, working, studying while working and finding a husband (just kidding).
During Smolinsky's time, I believe education was quite the necessity because otherwise, she would have had to handle pushcarts for a long time or at least until she found a husband that could support her. Education/schooling is also a safe haven for Sarah because knowledge does not judge and only grants a kind of wisdom that can be gained no where else besides school. Education is still essential today simply because it has been implanted into our minds that it is the only way out of poverty or to achieve the American dream. Instead of "a way out" or hoping to reach the "American Dream", some education teaches individuals how to think for themselves which is the best kind of education but there are also education systems that only makes students regurgitate what they have been learning, which I believe is somewhat discerning because it doesn't help individual thinking and will not help with innovation. I guess, it just depends on how you see it.