Arrogant Beggar

by Anzia Yezierska

The target of intense critical comment when it was first published in 1927, Arrogant Beggar’ s scathing attack on charity-run boardinghouses remains one of Anzia Yezierska’s most devastating works of social criticism. The novel follows the fortunes of its young Jewish narrator, Adele Lindner, as she leaves the impoverished conditions of New York’s Lower East Side and tries to rise in the world. Portraying Adele’s experiences at the Hellman Home for Working Girls, the first half of the novel exposes the “sickening farce” of institutionalized charity while portraying the class tensions that divided affluent German American Jews from more recently arrived Russian American Jews.
The second half of the novel takes Adele back to her ghetto origins as she explores an alternative model of philanthropy by opening a restaurant that combines the communitarian ideals of Old World shtetl tradition with the contingencies of New World capitalism. Within the context of this radical message, Yezierska revisits the themes that have made her work famous, confronting complex questions of ethnic identity, assimilation, and female self-realization.
Katherine Stubbs’s introduction provides a comprehensive and compelling historical, social, and literary context for this extraordinary novel and discusses the critical reaction to its publication in light of Yezierska’s biography and the once much-publicized and mythologized version of her life story. Unavailable for over sixty years, Arrogant Beggar will be enjoyed by general readers of fiction and be of crucial importance for feminist critics, students of ethnic literature. It will also prove an exciting and richly rewarding text for students and scholars of Jewish studies, immigrant literature, women’s writing, American history, and working-class fiction.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Classics, Literature

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Anzia Yezierska was a Jewish-American novelist born in Mały Płock, Poland, which was then part of the Russian Empire. She emigrated as a child with her parents to the United States and lived in the immigrant neighborhood of the Lower East Side of Manhattan.

Reviews

[Elyse Walters · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anzia Yezierska was a Jewish American novelist born in Poland. I had never read any of her books…and was curious to do so. (actually a ‘different’ wonderful review that Bruce Katz indirectly inspired me to read Yezierska……( ha, while waiting to read the book that Bruce read): “The Postcard”, by Anne Berest.

Tezierska’s books were usually about the struggles of Jewish people and immigration assimilation.

“Arrogant Begger” was first published in 1927.

This wasn’t what I was expecting — not that I’m sure ‘what’ I was expecting—(I have a couple of her books to try).

I liked it — but I doubt it will leave a lasting impression on me —

It’s not a book I’d highly recommend- unless you’re Jewish with curiosities—
It’s possible her other books are better.

It’s not boring - so there is that - but ‘feels’ somewhat dated to me.

Here’s a few sample experts I liked:

“You live with your parents?”
“I have nobody. My father died when I was ten and my mother when I was fourteen.
Ever since I’ve knocked about among strangers”.
“What was your father’s nationality?”
“Polish. But I’m an American, born in New York.”
“What was your father’s occupation?”
“He was a tailor. Oh, but not just a plain Taylor. He wanted to be a singer. That’s why he came to America. He thought here everybody could learn what they wanted. He got stung, though. Had to keep right on with his tailoring. So crazy he was for music that—“
“Yes. Yes. Miss Simons interrupted. How old are you?”
“I’m eighteen. But first I must tell you the way my father had to go to the opera every Saturday night, even when he robbed himself of his lunch money, a whole week for it. Such a voice he had! I still remember, way inside me, the way he sang Paglacci”.


“Nu, nu. Each one finds his happiness in its own way. You’re young yet. You need things. You’re glad with your new home. I’m glad when I drink in pleasure from my
Shlomoh. Soon he’ll finish. Doctor of Philosophy. What greater honor can I have in this world than to have a son, a learned man, a ‘Doctor of Philosophy’”.
—I laughed! I could think of a few more greater things.

“How could the soul keep alive here—where every breath of beauty was blotted out with soot, drowned in noise—where even the sky was a prisoner, and the stars choked?”

“When you’re tired of chicken and ice cream, you’re welcome to come back and have gefulte fish with Mother and me”.

“The worst thing about being poor—thinking
always of yourself. As Mrs. Hellman steps out of her riches to do so much for us, why can’t one of us step out of her poverty to do something for her?”

“Maybe being rich isn’t all sunshine and roses. What do I know of the travels of Mrs. Hellman? with all her beauty treatments, her Paris gowns, she can’t keep her husband’s love”.
“For once, I felt so sorry for Mrs. Hellman, I forgot the shame I had always experienced going through the servants entrance”.

“Life is not what you put in your stomach, or wear on your back, or the house you lived in. It was what you felt in your heart and thought in your mind”.

[Elliot Ratzman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anzia Yezierska’s life story—the one she constructed as a “Sweatshop Cinderella”—catapulted her to fame as a writer of the trials of working class immigrant women. This mid-career novel, first released in 1927 and brought back in print in 1996, is also an interesting critique of the foibles of upper-class philanthropists. Our heroine Adele escapes a stifling life in the tenements to a charitable boardinghouse for single working women. After experiencing condescending coldness from her benefactor and her handsome son Adele rebels, finding solace in the good-hearted poor of the Lower East Side. The fine introduction shows how this “sentimental” novel packs an ambivalent critique of upper-class charity. Such boardinghouses were established, some say, to help regulate the sexual availability of single working women. (Imagine the wives of MadMen fretting about the single secretaries of 1960.) In Yezierska’s novel, it's upper-class German Jewesses housing the working-class Russian Jewesses.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the introduction a bit hard to get through. The overall story has an important message to it: how charity can reduce one's freedom to take care of oneself. Some awkward phrasings here and there, but overall it communicates the struggles some immigrants and the working-class go through pretty effectively.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

1920s rejection of "Christian charity" and the hypocrisy of the magnanimous rich, from the eyes of a young woman living in a Home for Working Girls (no, not that kind of working girl). Controversial then and maybe still now.

A quick, enjoyable read. The narrator, Adele Lindner, has the overemotional, seemingly bipolar attitude towards various other characters that is typical of the generation. Like an overacted play - a little painful, but still well above tolerable.

[Sheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This 1927 novel with contemporary impact is a quick read (The academic/intellectual introduction was much harder to wade through than the book itself.) It provokes thought about possible unintended impacts of charity and gives good insight on some of the internal battles going on inside of a "poor" person receiving assistance.

[Ffiamma · Rating 4 out of 5]

feroce critica alle istituzioni benefiche che, negli anni 20, si riproponevano di aiutare le giovani lavoratrici a trovare una sistemazione dignitosa e a vivere meglio. yezierska va oltre la superficie della beneficenza dei ricchi e, attraverso la vita della giovane e ingenua adele lindner, graffia e non risparmia colpi.
molto bella l'ambientazione newyorkese, seconda parte molto commovente.

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed reading this novel and analyzing it. About a young girl who wants nothing to belong to a hypocritical, self-absorbed upper class just to later realize that she wants nothing to do with that class and happiness for her lies elsewhere.

[Liz Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was brilliant! Its protagonist is desperately grateful for her spot in the Working Girls' Home but then is overwhelmed by bitterness and rage towards the philanthropists who run it.

[Krysta Fremling · Rating 3 out of 5]

The beginning was rough to get through because I pretty much hated Adele, but she started to redeem herself towards the end. It was an interesting commentary on the rich and poor.

[Laura Boudreau · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best Jewish writers of the early 20th century, this book is even better than most of hers. Gives one pause to consider one's priorities in life.

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good short read

[Saara Sen-Basuchoudhary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a good book. The protagonist was very naive, but it worked with the story of disillusionment Yezierska was telling. Both the subtle and overt critiques of the upper class, charity, and the American Dream were masterful. At the same time, Yezierska wasn’t bashing America, but instead revealing the differences between expectations and reality, and how to be happy within those differences and work to change them. The writing was easy to understand while still being beautiful and there was a solid cast of characters that gained more depth as the story progresses (not to mention a splash of romance). Definitely would recommend, especially if you’re looking for a story about womanhood at the turn of the 20th century that isn’t upper/middle class.

[Korina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know if I would have given this 5 stars purely for the plot, but the writing was absolutely gorgeous. This was the first book in a long time where I actually stopped to re-read a line because it just connected on another level with my soul. I love the criticisms of classism and self-serving charity. I just love this book. Thank you professor for assigning it.

[Olivia Lavorini · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesting narrative about how some women don’t love helping women, redefined my understanding of how exploitation institutional charity systems can be.

[cas · Rating 4 out of 5]

incredibly underrated

[Bella · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5* stars. Had to read this for my 19th century lit class. It was okay, made me view things differently with a new perspective whether I agree or not which is always good

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought it was pretty good.

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Read this for my Jewish Lit class and, at least for me, it was a great introduction to late-19th/early-20th century Jewish immigrants living in the Lower East Side! Stylistically, it wasn't my favorite; it used a lot of clip sentences and had minimal physical descriptions. But, its characterization and themes were strong, and it works especially well as when paired with its historical context. Yezierska has another book about the overlap between feminism and Orthodox Judaism that is supposedly her magnum opus, so I will definitely try and read that at some point!

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been as almost 20 years since I read this book for/in college. Because of this, I wouldn't have bothered to review this book if there were ANY other reviews. But since there's not...
I can't remember many details at all, but I remember it left quite an impression. If I recall correctly, my main takeaway was to always remember that the poor are also complete human beings in their own right, in their needs AND in their sense of personal dignity.
This was one of only a handful of books I actually chose to keep instead of selling for cash after I was done with the class I bought it for.