“There are 2 kinds of immigrants, I observe. One kind loves everything about America, is happy to throw off the ways of the old country, and thereafter looks back largely with contempt. The other kind dislikes, compares, regrets, awakens and sees the new life mainly as a loss of the old”

This passage sheds light on the fact that Mrs. Cooper moved from her native land which is Jamaica and started to work for employers in America. The protagonist further explained that she sees that there are two types of immigrants, one that is very grateful for everything that America has to offer you and the other that is almost yearning for having to leave their home. She says this because Mrs. Cooper tells her how she eventually wants to move back to Jamaica when she gets older, that she would move back right there but she cannot because her husband became a US citizen killing the hopes of going back anytime soon. On the other hand, Mr. Cooper digested life in America like watching baseball, fights on TV and as mentioned before becoming a citizen. This passage connects to the real world where you can see that many immigrants are comfortable with the changes that are in America and adapt to it as well where others struggle with the changes and ultimately become sort of an outcast in society.

This passage also kind of relates to the religious aspect where people of the same religion don’t also share the same strong beliefs. The protagonist is Jewish but she was born in America so her family evolved and don’t really celebrate holidays. But her husband is from and he experienced the holocaust first hand so he is a firm Jewish believer. He wanted the mezuzah on his door because it was important to him while his wife rejected the idea because she didn’t want everyone to notice that she was Jewish