''Salome of the Tenements'' is a novel published in 1922 by Jewish-American writer Anzia Yezierska. The novel follows the story of a young Jewish immigrant living in New York who wishes to marry a wealthy man and escape the bounds of her lower-class upbringing. Yezierska drew inspiration for the novel from the lives of

Rose Pastor Stokes Rose Harriet Pastor Stokes (née Wieslander; July 18, 1879 – June 20, 1933) was an American socialist activist, writer, birth control advocate, and feminist. She was a figure of some public notoriety after her 1905 marriage to Episcopalian mill ...

and her husband J. G. Phelps Stokes, as well as her own relationship with

John Dewey John Dewey (; October 20, 1859 – June 1, 1952) was an American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer whose ideas have been influential in education and social reform. He was one of the most prominent American scholars in the f ...

. The novel was published by Boni & Liveright, and it was adapted into a film of the same name in 1925.

Synopsis

The novel's main character, Sonya Vrunsky, is the daughter of

Russian-Jewish The history of the Jews in Russia and areas historically connected with it goes back at least 1,500 years. Jews in Russia have historically constituted a large religious and ethnic diaspora; the Russian Empire at one time hosted the largest pop ...

immigrants living in the

Lower East Side The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Traditionally an im ...

of Manhattan. At the beginning of the novel, Sonya is working as a journalist at a local Jewish newspaper, however she yearns to escape the lower-class world of the immigrant community. She sets her sights on marrying a wealthy, Christian man, named John Manning, who lives in the much wealthier and upper-class

Upper East Side The Upper East Side, sometimes abbreviated UES, is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 96th Street to the north, the East River to the east, 59th Street to the south, and Central Park/Fifth Avenue to the wes ...

of Manhattan. Sonya uses her ethnic background as a Russian Jew to portray herself as exotic and exciting, which ends up being, as she had hoped, appealing to John. Eventually, Sonya and John become married. Once married, however, Sonya soon realizes that the kind of life that she had desires for so long is not what she initially thought it would be like. Sonya leaves John, and by the end of the novel, Sonya has found a successful career as a fashion designer and has married a fellow designer whom she truly loves.

Reception

When first published, ''Salome of the Tenements'' received a wide variety of reviews. Some praised Yezierska's writing style and admired how the novel depicted immigrant communities that were often under-represented in literature. On the other hand, many critics found Sonya's attempt to pull herself up out of poverty by marrying a rich man to be both shocking and off-putting.

References

{{reflist Novels by Anzia Yezierska 1922 American novels Boni & Liveright books