Crumbs From the Table of Joy

The American Dream is the promise that anyone, regardless of the circumstances of their birth, has equal access to success in the United States. It’s the promise that has drawn many immigrants to the country, and it’s integrally tied to capitalism, insisting that the only obstacle to success is hard work. Crumbs from the Table of Joy subverts the idea of the American Dream, highlighting how circumstances such as race, gender, and class affect one’s opportunities. Godfrey knows that as a Black man in 1950, the American Dream does not include him. He moves his family from the Jim Crow South to New York City, settling in the mostly white borough of Brooklyn, but he avoids unnecessary interactions with white people and expects his daughters to do the same. Despite the Peace Mission’s objective of radical desegregation, Godfrey is reluctant to let Ernestine and Ermina go to the apartment of the old white couple to earn money. He is also uncomfortable when Gerte asks for help on the train, noting his fear of winding up like one of the Scottsboro Boys, a group of Black teens who were falsely convicted of raping two white women. This explicit reference to this court case represents the disparity in safety and opportunity for Black people in the United States, situating them outside of the myth of the American Dream.