Anzia Yezierska's Salome of the Tenements: a Literary Mirror of Jewish Immigrant Life in Early 20th-Century New York

The present thesis investigates the experiences of Jewish immigrant women in early 20th century America through a literary analysis of "Salome of the Tenements", a 1923 novel written by Anzia Yezierska, herself a refugee. By focusing on the protagonist Sonya Vrunsky, a Russian Jewish woman living in New York’s Lower East Side, the study explores themes of gender, identity and socio-economic struggles encountered by immigrant women after their arrival in a country they believed would offer freedom and opportunities. Historical documentation and narrative will combine in order to provide a realistic representation of the Jewish immigrant experience in New York City and an accurate portrayal of the metropolis, metaphor of social stratification.