Social Divisions, Traditions in 'Brooklyn' by Colm Toibin

Introduction

Social divisions in Borough Park, Brooklyn can shape an individual’s lifestyle through many factors. The novel Brooklyn by Colm Tóbín shows this through the characters Tony and Eilis. The education and economic opportunities that Tony receives are based on his parents’ social status while it is similar for Eilis in terms of housing/living conditions. Brooklyn has not changed much in terms of social divide between the rich and poor for culture, education, economic opportunities and housing/living conditions. This is shown through a comparison between 1950’s Brooklyn and the neighborhood Borough Park today.

Education and Social Class in 'Brooklyn'

Someone from a lower class has limited education attainment as compared to someone from a high class. A high class individual has a better chance to pursue a high level of education since they are able to afford the costs. On the other hand, an individual from a lower class would have a more difficult time. As shown in the article “Education Gap Between Rich and Poor Is Growing Wider”, Eduardo Porter states “Poorer, less educated parents simply can’t keep up with the rich, who are spending hand over fist to ensure that their children end at the front of the rat race” (Porter, “Education Gap Between Rich and Poor Is Growing Wider”). As a result, high level education is more suited towards high class individuals due to the cost.

Social class influences the education, housing/living conditions and the economic opportunities of individuals during 1950’s Brooklyn. In the book, the economic opportunities and education that Tony receives are based on his parents’ social status. Therefore, as a result of Tony’s family being of a poor background, Tony’s opportunities are limited. This is shown when only one of his brothers is considered smart in the family since he is going to college while Tony himself has a job as a plumber.

Living Conditions in 1950's Brooklyn

However, social class also influences Eilis’s housing/living conditions in both Ireland and 1950’s Brooklyn. When living in Ireland, it is suggested in the book that Eilis’s family is poor. In the book it states that “As their mother’s pension was small, they depended on Rose, who worked in the office of Davis’s Mills; her wages paid for most of their needs” (Tóbín, 11). Therefore, Rose is the only one that is able to continuously support her family. In America, Eilis is in a similar situation since her mother coming from a poor background affects her living conditions and education. This is shown when Eilis has to rent a room in Mrs. Kehoe’s house and live with four other girls. In terms of education, this can be shown when Father Flood enrolled Eilis into Brooklyn College and payed for her tuition.

Brooklyn now has not changed in terms of education, economic opportunities and living conditions as compared to 1950’s Brooklyn. A parent’s social status still has an impact on the opportunities their child receives. My parents are from a middle class background and this affects the level of education I receive, the job opportunities that I can get in the future and my living conditions. Since my parents are from a middle class background, they are able to afford sending their children to pursue a high level of education. The level of education that I pursue also has a direct influence on the type of job that I get in the future and since we pursued a high level of education, it may be easier for us to attain a steady job. Lastly, my housing/living conditions are affected by my parents’ social standing allowing me to live in a moderately sized house.

A parents’ social status also impacts their children in Borough Park today. Since the neighborhood is Jewish and Chinese, this affects the structure of the buildings. As a result, many of the buildings in Borough Park have multiple levels that house many families. The environment also shows that residents of Borough Park mostly come from poor backgrounds. Because of this, the children have to live in the same conditions as their parents in terms of education and economic opportunities. However, social class also causes the structure of Borough Park to be divided as a result. This can be shown with the different pricings of houses in the neighborhood. In the article “Borough Park, Brooklyn”, Fabbella states “Detached single-family houses and semidetached multifamily houses routinely fetch more than $1 million, though smaller apartments in the $300,000 to $400,000 range can be found” (Beyer, “Borough Park, Brooklyn). Borough Park as a result of social class is divided.

Based on the similar living conditions between Borough Park and 1950’s Brooklyn, Eilis can adapt to Borough Park today. Since Brooklyn today as compared to the 1950’s hasn’t changed much in terms of the opportunities children get being influenced by parents’ social status, I feel that Eilis can live in Borough Park today and adapt to the neighborhood nicely. This can once again be shown through Eilis’s living experience in Ireland and Brooklyn. In Ireland, Eilis’s family had to depend on her sister for income. This shows that her family is of a lower class which influenced Eilis’ living conditions when moving to America.

Unchanging Cultural Values in 'Brooklyn'

I think that 1950’s Brooklyn is authentic in terms of cultural values. This is because the cultural values from back then set up a basis for the beliefs that the Jewish and Chinese individuals believe today. During the 1950’s, the Hassidic Jewish believed that nothing should be changed. As shown in the article “Hasidic Jewish Rules – Ultra Orthodox Beliefs & Practices “by Jeff, he states “The way that everything was back in Europe is how it should continue perpetually. This applies to language, clothing, food, and every other aspect of their lifestyle. (Jeff). Therefore, Hassidic Jewish individuals stick to the traditional beliefs made. However, even though the Jewish present today in Borough Park is Orthodox Jews, their beliefs are still similar. Orthodox Jews also believe that the theories in their religion should not be changed. This is shown during the article “Orthodox Judaism: Background & Overview” when Shamash states “The Orthodox movement holds that such information (except for scribal errors) is the exact word of God and does not represent any human creativity or influence.” (Shamash). The culture of both Hassidic and Orthodox Jews are based on traditional beliefs.

The Chinese beliefs from back then to now hasn’t changed. They are focused on family, based on education and the religion in general. Chinese individuals are not self-centered and focus their lives on their family’s health. They also respect the elderly greatly. Titles are also an important factor in Chinese culture. When a younger individual greets someone older by a title followed by their name, this is a sign of respect. This system is applied to everyone. In terms of education, the Chinese believe in attaining high education by immigrating to America for both themselves and their children’s future. Lastly, one of the ideologies is for individuals to not forget about the traditions and keep them in practice during their lives.

Conclusion

An individual’s education, culture, economic opportunities and housing/living conditions in terms of social divide has not changed between 1950’s Brooklyn and Borough Park today. A parents’ social class also influences their child’s education and housing/living conditions as shown through Eilis and Tony’s experiences in the book Brooklyn. Since Tony and Eilis’s families are from a poor background, their education and housing/living conditions are affected as a result. However, the economic opportunities that Tony receives are also affected. In 1950’s Brooklyn, authenticity is based off of the cultural values of both the Chinese and the Jewish. However, these beliefs haven’t changed since then which shows that the ideology of the Jewish and the Chinese are authentic. This can be shown when both the Hassidic Jews and Orthodox Jews believe in keeping the ideologies the same as when they were created and not changing anything as a result. The Chinese focus their ideologies on their family, respect and education. Therefore, culture, economic opportunities, housing/living conditions and education influenced both 1950’s Brooklyn and Borough Park today.

Works Cited

1. Beyer, Gregory. “Borough Park, Brooklyn.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 8 Oct. 2010, www.nytimes.com/2010/10/10/realestate/10living.html.
2. “Orthodox Judaism: Background & Overview.” Background & Overview of Orthodox Judaism, www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/background-and-overview-of-orthodox-judaism.
3. Porter, Eduardo. “Education Gap Between Rich and Poor Is Growing Wider.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 21 Dec. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2015/09/23/business/economy/education-gap-between-rich-and-poor-is-growing-wider.html.
4. Tóibín Colm. Brooklyn. Penguin Books, 2018.
5. Jeff. “Hasidic Jewish Rules - Ultra Orthodox Beliefs & Practices.” Hasidic Jewish Rules - Ultra Orthodox Beliefs & Practices, www.brooklynunpluggedtours.com/hassidic-jews-rules-beliefs-practices.