Becoming an American. The story of finding cultural identity is not a pretty one. One must first reject the idea of the old identity and then take on the affirmative identity. The story of Henry D. Schuster is one of love, death, life, and of finding ones self. Henry, a boy born in a small town in Germany in 1926 lived a simple life. He spent large amounts of time with his family and studying the Jewish Culture. Everything was perfect until 1933 when Adolf Hitler rose to power as the German Chancellor. When Hitler began placing rules that Jews were to be treated as second class citizens Henry's life changed. Henry soon lost his father to a beating received by Non-Jewish settlers in the town. As Hitler changed his methods from ill treatment to full on extermination Henry was forced into many different orphanages and his mother and sisters killed. He ran from orphanage to orphanage avoiding Nazis left and right. He was granted the opportunity to board a ship for America and his life changed forever...
He arrived at Ellis Island and worked until he could find the closest relatives of his. When he finally found them he was despised for being an outsider. He was despised because he did not speak English well. He was despised because he was not an American. Again, Henry's life changed. He had always wanted to gain citizenship but had not had the incentive. Now he had a means. This sudden burst of Patriotism caused Henry to join the military to kill the Nazis that killed his family. He learned English very quickly and was well liked by most of the soldiers he came in contact with. He felt like an American and through interaction and the correct thought process became American.
Henry and I have a direct relation. He is my 3rd Cousin. I can not say that I have ever experienced anything remotely close to what Henry has but the basics of out struggles can be perceived to be similar in my eyes. Henry learned what it meant to be a Jewish American. I learned what it means to be a man when my father had passed away. Both Henry and I had suffered tremendous loss and come back from it and made a positive situation. While Henry was making his new life as an American, I was raising my sister as I would like to think my father would have. We both understood that things generally perceived as bad can also be perceived as a learning experience that is positive. The process of growth into a man and the process of growing in an American. Both of the preceding are parts of our identity. This is what Henry's message was. The message of taking negative events and using them to find one selves true purpose and abilities. The message of becoming what you want. The message of choice.
Speaker - The speaker is an aged Henry Schuster. A man who has come to learn much about himself throughout the reminiscing required to write what he did. A man narrating his own life from the first person. At times he is a young German boy and at others a proud American man.
Occasion - The Second World War. Saying that this piece took place during the Holocaust would be a inaccurate statement. Although, the first half of the book is described as in a small town in Germany during the Holocaust. It then transitions into a broader setting of World War Two America. The book begins in 1926 when the author was born. This is a time of post World War One tension. This tension translates into World War Two and throughout the book.
Audience - Henry intends for all to read his book, young and old. His story is one to be told throughout time. It is directed to anyone who has ever felt alone, lost, or like a stranger. It is a true story of a life hard lived.
Purpose - Henry, like many other Holocaust survivors has a melancholy and powerful story. Henry was determined to get his published because there was greater meaning to his story. Not only did he survive, not only did he escape to America, but he learned the meaning of cultural identity and what it means to be an American.
Style - The story was very straightforward, just like his life had been. The language was fairly basic seeing that Henry's first language is not English. No bag was held over the readers eyes to mask the terrific story that was Henry's.
Tone - The story was left with many blanks, leaving the reader to think them through and create a story that he or she choses to believe. The overall tone was a tone of choice. There was a tone of choice for the reader to fill in gaps in the story just as there were choices in Henry's life that although were difficult had to be done.
