Aspects of Ethnicity and Culture in ‘Call It Sleep’

The analysis of Henry Roth's "Call it Sleep" sees cultural diversity and race as important sources of the book's dynamism. It reflects on the author's depiction of racial disparities in an urban neighborhood in America, namely the Lower East Side of New York. Call It Sleep is the story of a Galic Jewish immigrant family in New York in the early twentieth century. David Schearl, six years old, and his mother Genya have a warm and caring friendship. His father, Albert, on the other hand, is enraged, resentful, and distant from his son and wife. David grows up amid fright of his father's possible violence and the humiliation of life within the slums. ‘Call It Sleep’ is a story based the experience of ethnicity by a Jewish immigrant family living in a new world, mainly observed from the viewpoint of a young boy called David Schearl. The destitution in the Lower East Side slum is not the sole urban context of the book, as its initial part happens in Bronzeville. Through the lens of the excessively sensitive young boy, the story follows his introduction to a strange and quite terrifying place. The boy and his mother receive an unexpectedly cold welcome from Albert when they arrive after a long time of not seeing each other. The diction of Roth when portraying the behaviour of Albert is threatening. The author uses the following phrases to describe Albert; “The man staring with aloof, offended eyes at the water, “Grimm smouldering face,” harsh.” wrathful glare.”(Roth, 2013 p 7). The exact reason for Albert’s anger towards his wife is because he thinks she failed to acknowledge his Americanized look. Nonetheless, his wrath is aimed at the boy. From the very start, Roth portrays America in its diversity in ethnic groups. To underscore the anomaly of the reunion of Schearl family, he shows the standard practices of various ethnic bodies in meeting scenes of English, Poles, Jews, Swedes, and Italians. Roth’s portrayal of the unusual meeting of Genya and David with Albert in the introduction causes the reader to think that all is not well in the family of Schearl. In the initial section of the book, David’s feeling of cultural alienation is best described at the moment when he gets lost on his way. Following an event with other children, the boy discovers he is at a strange place far from his residence and does not remember his path home. Finally, he helplessly begins to cry, and although passers-by try to assist him, their efforts are futile because he mispronounces the street name of his neighbourhood. Ethnic literature indicates that the coercion to assimilate is enormous. However, this does not apply to the family of Schearl. Genya mainly remains resistant to the allurement of assimilation of America and prefers to stay in her enclosed sphere. The language barrier, her home duties and the responsibility to children led her to live an isolated life. Isolated from others and separated from her spouse, her life was limited to the family’s apartment. The boy’s father was more adaptive to the likelihood of the lifestyle in America. However, his assimilation was impeded by his characters especially his irascibility and rudeness. The narrator considers the uncertainty of the family’s perception to their original land by documenting a series of varying views, mainly in discussions that are held in my family. David’s neighbourhood also had an active community of Italians and Irish people. The author shows that the communication among many ethnic communities is very challenging and burdened with several stereotyped notions, which were portrayed in vocabulary. It could be said that among the most significant agents of a declaration is cultural plurality in the story is language. It is mainly seen towards the end of the book. There is a climactic scene in the last chapter in which a short circuit causes David to suffer a burn and becomes unconscious. Here the author portrays an assortment of different voices, partly observing the accident and somewhat displaying inner thoughts evoked by individual feelings of speakers. Passionate outcries are mainly given in Yiddish language, however also in the native languages of the immigrants. The creative power of the last section of the book rests not only in the techniques of the modernist but also within the combination of several ethnicities that meet at the centre of David’s cleansing of sin. It is a symbol of light triumphing over darkness which used to terrify the young boy for a very long time. The experience of Christian and Jewish culture is complete. Indeed, cultural and diversity are significant sources of the dynamism of the book. Nevertheless, their other sources as well. Call It Sleep is a somewhat complicated work inclusive and not exclusive, hence succeeding in describing for many textual levels. Based on which aspect is the centre of focus, Roth’s book can be perceived as an ethnic chronicle or immigrant novel. Nevertheless, Call It Sleep constitutes the most eminent writings of Jewish American Literature before World War II hence should not be left unnoticed. Work Cited Roth, Henry. Call It Sleep. [Place Of Publication Not Identified], Farrar, Straus And Giroux, 2013,.