The Role Of The Family In Italian American Culture

Many Americans believe that family values are only upheld when individuals belong to a “traditional family”, which consists of a working father, stay-at-home mother and their biological children. Any fluctuation from this ideal family model is considered “non-traditional”. In Barbara Kingsolver’s, “Stone Soup”, she shares her perspective about society’s negative vision of the non-traditional family. As a divorced single mother, Kingsolver suggests, “To judge a family’s value by its tidy symmetry is to purchase a book for its cover.” Similarly, Richard Rodriguez’s, “Family Values” also addresses the subject of family. However, his theme focuses on how immigrants and politicians view the family dynamic. Rodriguez believes that America severely

When placing the novel in the context of our course numerous topics are illuminated, such as, how these immigrants attempted to hold onto the values and traditions of their ancestors, how the immigrants faced discrimination and what certain immigrants had to do in order to make a living. The Italian Immigrants migrated to the United States eventually making their way to New York City and in particular the upper east side of Manhattan. This migration to a certain location demonstrates how the Italians felt more comfortable living with one another rather than assimilating into the American culture and living with other ethnic groups. Throughout the novel Orsi provides

Although we all are living on the same planet we have a huge diversity among us. One of these notable differences between the people on earth is their different cultures. One can notice these differences when traveling or relocating to a new country with another culture he or she are familiar with. For example, the American culture and the Italian culture both have more differences than one would expect. When people try to visit Italy they should be aware of the cultural differences, and the right way to communicate with the Italians.

As an Italian-American, I was and am still told by my mother, grandparents, and great-grandparents how proud I should be of my heritage. I was taught to respect my great-grandmother who, after arriving in America along side her husband, fully committed herself to raising her four sons and eight nieces and nephews in a two-bedroom house in Pennsylvania. She was motivated by the drive of a better life in a new, strong country for the young-ones she loved. I was taught to treasure both food and family, praying each night through the Blessed Mother. I was handed Pizzelles and Almond cookies as snacks throughout the day, and listened to Dean Martin through the stereo almost every night. My grandmother’s family came from Mezzogiorno, while my grandfather’s family hailed from the North Country. Though I had never been to Italy, as a child, I still knew the significance of being Italian and was thankful. It was not until I entered public school that I began to understand the teasing that my own ethnic group was subject to on a near daily basis.

This essay, The Myth of the Model American Family, is a discussion of the concept of an ideal family in the different perspective specifically social, cultural and economic. This is also an attempt to identify the structural changes in relation to the global development and the international economic crisis that immensely created impact on their lives. However, the discussion will limit itself on the different identifiable and observable transformations as manifested in the lifestyles, interrelationships and views of family members and will not seek to provide an assessment of their psycho-social and individual perceptions.

With Nicholas working in a factory and Florence as a schoolteacher they were able to scrape by and provide a modest life for their children. Growing up my grandfather described a general disdain felt towards his family by other members of the town. This attitude stemmed from the general dislike of Italian-Americans in the country during this time. Even after Nicholas returned from his time in World War 2, people still would treat him as second class. Luckily Italian-American families in the area developed a tight-knit community, mostly centered around going to church. These were the people my grandfather credited with helping pull his family up and comfort them during the hard times. For instance when my grandfather’s brother died in a car accident the community joined in the mourning and helped with the funeral. Or when my grandfather’s

Italian American and Greek American parents are devoted to raising their children, and caring to them well into their adult years. While the Irish American culture allows their children to move out, prepared or not, the Italian American and Greek American cultures would not do this willingly. The Italian American and Greek American cultures believe that they will not have as much an impact or closeness, and their children could venture into trouble if not advised everyday of their lives. With that being said, Italian American and Greek American children often live in their parent’s homes well into their adult years. What might be surprising to other cultures, especially the Irish American culture, is that even newly married couples are welcomed to live in their in-laws home until they find, or until they can afford, their own home. The Italian American and Greek American cultures are even big on assisting their relatives in finding employment, and this ties into the importance of family businesses, where they will hire and keep their success

Family has a large impact on one’s life because they provide support and help guide one in the right direction when making decisions. In Nino Ricci’s Lives of the Saints and Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes, family plays a large role in shaping the lives of the protagonists, Vittorio Innocente and Frank McCourt respectively. A distant father results in the boys’ innocence and naiveté as their fathers never had the chance to explain the mysteries of life to them nor did they serve as proper role models. Frank’s and Vitto’s grandparents results in their distrust towards their own families. The boys’ incapable mother’s results in them not knowing what a family structure is, which in turn causes them to look to alternate people for parental figures. The family dysfunction of absent fathers, unsupportive grandparents, and inadequate mothers forms Vitto’s and Frank’s personalities negatively as it deprives them of the positive influences they desperately need in order to grow up with the right morals.

Families acquired a new form and with it a myth of the American family was created. The myth of the American family is one where “father knows best, mothers are never bored or irritated, and teenagers rush to the dinner table each night, eager to

When Italian families first arrived in America around 1900, they stayed true to the old proverb “father headed, but mother centered” when regarding to the family. The role of married women did not change that much if at all when coming to America, the only difference was serving the family in a different continent. Married women still could not handle or deal with money that the husband brought in, instead just inquire what was needed around the house. These women main job, as they were in Italy, stayed very

In a recount by Addams, she explained how a young Italian girl was too embarrassed to enter her class with the presence of her traditional Italian mother wearing “a kerchief over her head, uncouth boots, and short petticoats” (Addams, 11). The younger generation appeared to be embarrassed by their parents and therefore, was embarrassed by their background and cultural heritage that they knew little about. The older generation did not grow up with the same luxuries as the younger generation. The parents, back in their home countries were oppressed and held under strict laws and religious grounds, limiting their behavior and abilities (Addams, 11). This way of living though for the older generation was a part of them. They grew up in this lifestyle and were not free until their arrival in the United

Between the years of 1870 and 1930, there was an influx of about 5 million Italian immigrants seeking a new life in the US, out of the 5 million immigrants who arrived there, 4/5 were from the South of Italy. Most Italians left their native land in pursuit of a more economically stable, prosperous and happy life didn’t come without prejudice, racism, animosity and questions. For, the Italian Immigrants that were seeking this fruitful life across in America, the main and concerning question was of their own culture, ethnicity, and race. Going to the US meant leaving behind all that was familiar and accepting, and become “white”. To hold truthfully to this custom one must obey and sacrifice not only their way of life, but essentially who and

The padrone system faded out as family networks grew. The relationships of their family were essentially the only connection they had. They did not rely on politics or get involved in public office. They tended to only associate with family or fellow Italians in the area. For this reason, mafias emerged in America because of the strong devotion to family and eventually family business. The Italians were mostly Catholic with the belief that “priests were agents of the pope and bishops” (Daniels, p. 197). As more Italians arrived, they began to form distinct enclaves in neighborhoods first settled by earlier immigrants. Interestingly the issue of diet among immigrant workers received attention during this time. Italian Laborers, Padrones, and Pernicious Pasta reads, “In the process, Italian foods were redefined as a "problem" for the fitness, health, and future prosperity of the Italian worker and therefore a threat to workplace efficiency and productivity” (Slideshow 7: Additional Links). The padrone system became concerned with the foods their workers ate because it could affect the way they worked and essentially the way the padroni was paid. In 1890, Jacob Riis, a Danish immigrant and police reporter published How the Other Half Lives where he wrote about a mixed impression from the Italian immigrants in New York City. In the excerpt regarding Italians, Riis judged them on their unsanitary living conditions and

Anna Romano was 24 years old when she, her husband Gino, and her expected daughter moved from Ponza, Italy to the United States in 1971. Her sister-in-law was the first of her relatives to move to the United States, in hopes of finding opportunity for her family. After hearing great things about

The families in America are steadily changing. While they remain our most valued and consistent source of strength and comfort, some families are becoming increasingly unstructured. In the past, the typical family consists of a working father, a stay at home mother and, of course, well-rounded children. Today, less than 20 percent of American families fit nicely into this cookie cutter image. American households have never been more diverse. Natalie Angier takes stock of the changing definition of family in an article for the New York Times.