The Struggle of Fitting In

Even though America is seen as the land of freedom where people embrace it, it doesn’t seem that way from protagonist David’s point of view from “Call it Sleep” by Henry Roth, who in the novel struggles to fit in with others in society. While there are benefits to being an immigrant coming to America, there are also many negatives. The novel portrays the struggles and challenges faced by Jewish immigrants living in the Lower East Side of Manhattan during the early 1900s including David himself. Social indifferences are what made it difficult for people like David to be social. This essay will argue that while David has found some positives in his life living in America,  Roth shows the struggles David faces early on in his childhood, and how fitting in with others in the society is a long term difficult task.

In the beginning of the text, David is introduced as a young Jewish boy who is still getting used to life in America. He wanted a glass of water but realized he was too small to reach the sink so this made him start to think to himself. David starts to wonder and then he  “ became aware that this world had been created without thought of him. He was thirsty, but the iron hip  of the sink rested on legs tail almost as his own body,  and by no stretch of arm, no leap, could he ever reach  the distant tap”(Roth, 17). Even though it is clear that David is a little boy, the author emphasizes that he isn’t able to reach the sink showing the everyday struggles David has to deal with, maybe second guessing his place in his society. This text as well as the rest of the text shows the hardships and struggles David witnessed regarding trying to find himself and trying to fit in his society. He is a Jewish immigrant which poses a challenge within itself trying to fit in society and learning the language.

We can see David’s social engagement struggle when he met Yussie which at first was the   first time that he actually had a friend to play with and be around rather than always be home. He played a game with his sister Annie and he enjoyed it until it took a sour turn. Roth shows what David felt in that moment where “He was frightened. Be- fore the pressure of her body, he retreated slightly. Some- thing rolled beneath his feet. What? He knew instantly, and recoiled in disgust — ^the trap!”(Roth, 53). This indicates that he didn’t know that friendly games would be this uncomfortable. He soon reaches his limit and shows his concern for this “american game” and yells to Annie ““No! No! Leimne oud!” he pushed her away«  “Waid. Yussie’li fink we’re hiding’.”  “No! I don’t’ wanna!” He had raised his voice to a shout “So go!” she gave him an angry push. But David had already opened the door and was out”(Roth, 54). This shows that David is uncomfortable and feels like he doesn’t fit in with the others because he isn’t used to this game. If this is a game other kids enjoy, David would be looked at as an outsider where he doesn’t feel good playing this at all.

Throughout the story, we can see that David was content trying to be around others and act like a normal kid but couldn’t because of different aspects. Like in school for instance, David would hang around a group of kids while he was at school because they probably got the most attention. But he got in a fight and was bullied by them and he ran all the way home while they yelled things at him and chased him. He was scared to go home because of what was happening and “Thought, fear and flight, rebellion and  submission, alternated through Ms head in sharp, feverish  pulses. Must! Must! Must! His mind screamed down op“ position, and he sprang to the cellar door and pulled it  open — Darkness like a cataract, inexhaustible, monstrous.”(Roth, 91). This shows how from a different point of view, David never really fit in with no one around him and always felt alone. A regular kid would have gone home and told their parents what happened at school whereas David just stood at his door and didn’t even go inside. He also experiences something like this when he gets lost and asks for directions.  But a man says “Can’t say that I’ve ever — Oh! Heh! Heh!” He exploded good-natured again. “You  mean Potter Street. Heh! Heh! Bodder Street!” “Boddeh Stritt,” David reiterated weakly.(Roth, 97). David spoke with an accent which is more difficult to communicate with others. He would follow the man’s directions and when a woman saw him, she vowed to help him make it home. But he wasn’t taken seriously “and Mimicking him, the policeman’s hand  gilded about. The old woman had tricked him. She had led him to a  police-station and left him.(Roth 100). This shows that David realizes how difficult it is for him to communicate with people to ask for help regarding his English which explains the hardships he has trying to fit in with American society.

In conclusion,  Roth showed that David struggles in his childhood, portraying the struggles Jewish people face within their daily lives trying to fit in society. There was a lot of getting used to such as the games played here, but also communication which was a huge barrier for David as well as others in American society. Immigrant Jews would be laughed at and distanced  by others because of  their social differences such as how they talked and dressed. Because most Jewish immigrants spoke Yiddish, it sounded weird when they spoke English because they had an accent to it.They were so different compared to regular Americans  and many wouldn’t accept them. This is what makes it very difficult to blend in and fit with the society that we live in.

Work cited
Roth, Henry. “Call It Sleep : Roth, Henry : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming.” Internet Archive, 1 Jan. 1970,