In his two short stories “In Dreams Begin Responsibilities” and “America! America! », Delmore Schwartz portrays two protagonists born in America to Jewish immigrant parents. These two protagonists and the world as they see it through their eyes exhibit one of the important characteristics of Schwartz's prose: alienation. His depiction of the Jewish experience in America, particularly that of the children of immigrants, is one of alienation, foreignness, and displacement. These adult children do not find themselves in their parents' home or in American society - since Shenandoah Fish wants to leave for Paris and the unnamed protagonist of "In Dreams Begin Responsibilities" wants to prevent his parents from marrying and starting a family . This inherent alienation from their parents and society also signifies an alienation from the self – as Shenandoah questions his own identity and the unnamed protagonist can only relate to his family's history via an outdated film in his dream . This, according to Schwartz, is the identity problem of the children of immigrants: they are neither American nor foreign, they are caught in a strange place of rejection of old values ​​and acceptance of new values. Say no to plagiarism. Get a Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get Original Essay The unnamed protagonist of “In Dreams Begin Responsibilities” is an alienated outsider from his intimate family history. At the beginning of the story he finds himself in a cinema, watching a silent black and white film "in which the actors are dressed in ridiculously old-fashioned clothes [… and] the shots are full of points and rays" (1 ). He discovers that he is watching his father's marriage proposal to his mother, but he nevertheless remains as alien to this story as the rest of the people sitting in the theater. This method is, by definition, alienating: rather than being told to the family in the living room or around a dining table, these intimate moments are mediated on the big screen, numerous copies can be made, and anyone pays "thirty" -five cents to get home" (7) can observe them while eating candy. Their most important recipient, the anonymous protagonist, has the same status and privileges as the other observers: he is not allowed to show emotion or react to anything that happens on screen, even if it could determine his life. As he cries, an angry face silences him and he is then told that "this is all nothing." than a movie" (5). Later, while he shouts at the screen to prevent his mother from agreeing to marry his father, he is warned by an old lady that he could be deported, then he is expelled by the bailiff who explains to him that he cannot do so. This treatment further distances the anonymous protagonist from his family history. The film's outdated technique prevents him from identifying with his parents, and when the screening is interrupted due to a mechanical problem, he is "awakened to myself and my misfortune just as my interest was growing." […] It is difficult to make yourself understood. I come back to the film and I forget myself" (3). This feeling of alienation is fully accentuated when the protagonist discovers that he was dreaming, that it was the realm of the unconscious, where we encounter our most profound truths. more intimate and yet unknown The protagonist of “America! America!", Shenandoah Fish, returns home a stranger: his friends have all changed and he is unable to reconnect with them, and he is not troubled by the economic situation, and does not bother to find a job or even to help his mother with household chores He is rather a host of his own life, which leads him to question himself., ?. 10-33