Reminiscing the past, pointing to the future: immigrant memoirs from the early- twentieth-century United States

Abstract

The aim of this article is to demonstrate that memoirs, which are usually examined in terms of their connection to the past, are often oriented towards the future. Using immigrant memoirs from the early twentieth century United States, this essay shows that immigrant authors wrote their memoirs with a specific audience in mind, an audience they believed they can instruct. One the one hand, immigrants addressed American citizens, and wanting to gain their sympathy, they described the difficulties of the immigrant life. On the other hand, they wrote for their fellow immigrants to show them that determination pays off and one can have a comfortable, or even successful, life in a new country. Their aim was to envision and promote a better future for the American society, a future based on tolerance and equality.