The Costs of Assimilation
Costs of assimilation in America 1880-1924
As we know, millions of Italians came to America to reap the benefits. They were aware of some potential hardships they would face when they came to America, but did they know to what extent? Were they aware of the racial tension occurring amongst the different ethnic groups? Were they aware that poverty was still a problem for some Italians in America as it was back home in Italy?The Language of a New Land
There was a lot on the minds of Italian immigrants in a new country. Where they would live and how they would communicate with the new population were two to mention. Most Italians felt comfortable within their own ethnic population. As Jerry Finzi stated, “Italian immigrants tended to be gregarious--often clustering together in "Little Italy's". Often, they didn't feel there was a need to learn English, another factor in not being able to secure better-paying jobs” (Finzi, 2017). Learning a new language is difficult. Learning a new language is especially difficult when you're surrounded by individuals who do not speak the new language, leading to the inability to practice. By not practicing, Italians faced trouble speaking with American co-workers and employers. This lead to many Italians either losing their jobs or not finding one at all.
Gino from Confetti for Gino provided a characteristical view of an Italian immigrant struggling to learn English. Lorenzo Madalena wrote, “He hated struggling through math and science classes, but he actually dreaded English and the complexities of unraveling a language which he seldom spoke at home” (Madalena, 11). He also wrote, “When world events or politics or scientific advancements or a dozen other topics found their way into the discussion, Gino floundered” (Madalena, 13). Gino was a young man that was going to school here in San Diego with other American kids with no prior existing knowledge of these subjects in American culture, nor the American language itself it may seem.
Repatriation
Some Italians realized that America was not the place for them when they arrived. According to Jerry Finzi (2017), “About 50% of Italians repatriated, which can be interpreted as many having trouble assimilating into the American way of life. Some of this can be blamed on the blatant racist views toward Italians and refusal to hire them for better-paying jobs”. So if 5 million Italian immigrants came to America, about 2.5 million went back to Italy. That’s an incredible amount and truly shows how difficult it must have been to assimilate here in America.
Fitting In
Gino from Confetti for Gino is a great example of a young Italian-American man that had troubles fitting in with other Americans. Gino was in the U.S. Navy where he found getting along with the other sailors difficult. He came to the realization that he had been living a much different life than the others. Lorenzo Madalena stated, “Emotionally, however, Gino had undergone what was for him an uncomfortable awakening. His associations with thousands of other men had jolted him into realizing his educational and social poverty” (Madalena, 13). Imagine you’re on a ship with men and women from all over the United States, with different ways of communicating, but at the same time, all having that one thing in common; they’re American, and you are not. We can imagine how singled out Gino must have felt.
In reference to "fitting in", George Pozzetta states that “World War II was a critical benchmark in the acceptance of Italian Americans. Their wholehearted support of America's cause and their disproportionately high ratio of service in the military legitimized them in American eyes. The war also transformed many Little Italy's, as men and women left for military service or to work in war industries. Upon their return, many newly affluent Italian Americans left for suburban locations and fresh opportunities” (Pozzetta).
Ethnic Assimilation
Sal's pizzeria from the Italian-American film Do the right thing had been in the city of Brooklyn for 20 years. The film shows Sal serving different ethnic groups throughout the movie including African-Americans and Puerto-Ricans. Sal had willingly served everyone that came into his pizza shop. Although Sal had no problem serving them, they had a problem with Sal. The reason? Being Italian-American, and having an Italian-themed restaurant in a dominantly African neighborhood. Sal, Vito, and Pino were not exactly accepting of the other races themselves, given the troubles they had faced with individuals throughout the film. Young locals Buggin' Out, Radio Raheem, and pizza delivery guy Mookie (Spike Lee) view Sal's as a symbol of the successful economic and cultural assimilation of Italian Americans and as an oppressive economic force that profits at their expense. Although the restaurant had been in the city for 20 years, it still had not completely been accepted into the American culture of that part of town.
