Who is responsible for Irmas untimate success - Essay Example

Who is responsible for Irma’s ultimate success? ‘When we were strangers’, is a compelling tale that is a mixture of dreams, heartbreaks, loss and success. The book brings out the life of a young poverty stricken young woman, Irma Vitale who lives in a tiny village of Opi hidden in the Abruzzi Mountains. What gets highlighted immensely early in the story is that she is of marriageable age. She gets considered too poor and unattractive to marry. It commences by her brother departing for America in search of a better life and future, in a bid to escape poverty that was in the village. When Irma’s brother departs for Cleveland, and she notices that more and more youth from her village are following in the same trend, she panics and loses hope of her chances of making a happy marriage. Irma’s life brings out the details of an Italian village life, troubles of immigration into a new world, and struggles of finding work. It talks about deception that goes on during immigration and people who come up as friends in an attempt to assist Irma. It is an inspiration of strength, courage and determination. It pays tribute to numerous women who bravely face the pain and losing loved ones in their journey to look for a new life in a land of hope. It brings out the strength of a woman in an attempt to look for a better life. This story highlights that with the right frame of mind, determination and the support of good people; current, challenging situations must not determine one’s future. Even with the summoning from the church priest and the declaration that Opi had officially been declared part of Italy, many lives had not changed (Schoenewaldt 2). Becoming official citizens of Italy had not changed the lives of people in Opi. Many were still poor, and no one ever saw the king (Schoenewaldt 2). This clearly meant that immigration was still inevitable and that people had extremely few choices living in Opi. With this in mind, Irma’s aging aunt encourages her to go to America, locate her brother and make a better living. Irma then decides to set out and boards a ship to America with a secret stash of money that had over the years been passed down from mothers to daughters. It documents the tumultuous life journey of a young immigrant seamstress. She starts her journey from her isolated Italian mountain village in the late and dark periods of the nineteenth century into America. The person who is primarily responsible for Irma’s success is Irma herself. Her sweat determination, courage and hard work got her to an ultimate successful destination. She never gave up. She kept trying until she succeeded. She was brave enough to move from Italy, and with the strength she possessed, determination and seamstress skills she was able to get work in different cities she lived in after her arrival in America. “I closed my eyes. No other way appeared” (Schoenewaldt 20) Schoenewaldt points out Irma’s life in detail. Irma starts out in Italy, travels the long and demanding journey to America, and struggles in the numerous cities she calls home. This clearly describes the fact that Irma worked extra hard towards her success, and did not falter until she achieved it. She chose to make a better life for herself in America with a faith, conviction and perseverance needed to survive. She was exceedingly courageous leaving Opi. “To keep from looking back, I fixed on pine needles pressed in packed earth, on dragonflies and thorny humps of blackberry bushes that would bear fruit when I was gone” (Schoenewaldt 25). I thought of embroidery stitches and catechisms, anything but home” (Schoenewaldt 25). Although Irma was a plain girl, she had a special quality that drew people to her because along her journey she many friends everywhere she went. Before she even gets to Naples, she meets Attilio who helps her a great deal. “Attilio led me to the table. Irma, I said we’d help you get in America. Come close to the fire” (Schoenewaldt 31). He invited his neighbors and friends and together they devised a plan that would help get Irma into America. Their plan was to get her to America without the problems that many who had gone before her faced. Attilio made sure that Irma got to Naples safely and gave her the courage to proceed with her journey to her destination. “You stay here with Rosso and the cart. I’ll find you a good ship,” said Attilio (Schoenewaldt 48). This helped Irma much because she faced remarkably few hardships before she began the official journey and this gave her hope that the future was bright. Zia Carmela, Irma’s aunt who also lived in the same house with her and the father also contributed to Irma’s eventual success. “This is Luigi’s pay from Russia. It has been kept by the women in our family for one who would truly need it” (Schoenewaldt 18). This is the gift that Zia gave to Irma that facilitated her moving to America. She had something to depend on when the going got tough. “Zia Carmela closed the gold in my hand. We knew those times would pass, but you must go to America, Irma. There’s no life for you here. Father Anselmo says that decent girls can earn their own bread even in America (Schoenewaldt 18). This was an encouragement to Irma to begin her journey to America. It shows that Zia also greatly contributed to Irma’s success because if it were not for the gift she gave Irma and the encouragement, she would not have considered journeying to America in search of greener pastures where finally she made something of herself. Zia wanted her to have a better life than she had in Opi. This happened after her father had attempted to rape her. “You know I love you like my soul, Irma. But you must go. You know your father. What will happen if he drinks again and comes after you?” “You are clever and work hard” (Schoenewaldt 19). This was the first time Irma’s journey got discussed, and this is where her life began to change. Father Anselmo also contributed to Irma’s success. He encouraged her to proceed with the journey after her aunt had given her the gold coins and seen her off. Her father also gave her a letter to get to America. This is because initially, Irma was immensely afraid and unsure of her capability to travel to America. “I stared at my hands laid open on my lap. Perhaps not, but I’m afraid of leaving, Father” (Schoenewaldt 20). Father Anselmo encouraged her and said, “of course. But what can we give you in Opi, we who love you? Many find happiness in America” (Schoenewaldt 20). Irma’s father also encouraged her and gave her dowry and food before she left. “Work hard in America and send money as soon as you can. You’re a good girl. Don’t dishonor us” (Schoenewaldt 22). After Irma gets left alone at the ship deck, we witness her brevity and courage comes into play and struggles by herself to make the payments and get into the ship. “I shuffled forward, pushing my bag until I reached the head of the line” (Schoenewaldt 54). She stands up for herself while getting asked questions until she succeeds to get into the ship. Irma risked her life and a rough passage across the Atlantic Ocean to pursue a new life. She risked the dangers that faced single women in an unfamiliar land. She boldly pursued a new life sewing dresses for gentlewomen. Another person that shaped the life of Irma is Sofia. Sofia was a part mother, part friend and part teacher. Sofia shapes the rest of Irma’s life and sets her out on a path that she would never have taken on her own. Her meeting with this woman changes all the avenues of her life. She guides Irma back to the path of success after becoming traumatized in Chicago. Out of that trauma in the immensely dark place, Sofia guides Irma back to a correct path, to someone that would be more self directed. Irma goes through ups and downs after she arrives in America. Upon her arrival in America, she became a victim of a couple of instances. Instead of buckling and giving up, she kept going strong. This novel shows just how tough it got for women who immigrated to America back in the 1800?s. Many could not speak English. They got looked down upon and got treated unfairly most of the time. The novel also shows courage in the part of immigrants who were in search of greener pastures. She blossoms at first when she goes to Chicago where she is capable of making beautiful fabrics. This calm gets short lived (Schoenewaldt 119). Irma was the pioneer and the author of her success. She is responsible for her ultimate success. She goes against so many odds that face her; the storm in the ship, the fire in Chicago, the rape, the abortion and the trying moments working for the missus. Irma defines her future and achieves success in the end. In the plight of human kindness and cruelty coupled with suffering and an enduring hope, Irma prevails. She discovers a talent she had never thought or dreamt of and reaches her success in life as the book winds up. Works Cited Schoenewaldt, Pamela. When We Were Strangers. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 2011. Read More