an d s h r u n k e n ’’c h ild " . I n a d d itio n , th e p ro s p e c tiv e m a rria g e o f Hugo an d S a ra a n d in c o rp o ra tio n o f Reb S m o lin s k y a ll u n d e r one ro o f shows how Y e z ie rs k a a tte m p te d to fu s e th e elem en ts o f e x p re s s io n — re p re s e n te d b y Hugo a n d th e New W orld— a n d r e p re s s io n — sym b o lized b y Reb S m o lin sky a n d th e Old W orld— in a " p ra g m a tic a n d u to p ia n " u n io n . T h e fa c t t h a t S a ra ’s c a r e e r p re d o m in a te s o v e r rom ance is c le a r ly in lin e w ith Y e z ie rs k a ’s e a r lie r w o rk s , su ch as H u n g r y H e a rts , Salome o f th e Tenem ents, a n d C h ild re n o f L o n elin ess,
H o w e ve r, th is them e is h a n d le d w ith less success a n d less c o n fid e n c e in h e r la s t tw o n o vels.
A r r o g a n t B e g g a r a n d A H I C ould N e v e r Be b o th r e v e a l t h a t
Y e z ie rs k a ’s p o w ers w e re n o tic e a b ly ta p e r in g o ff. D is c o n c e rte d , i f n o t sh o cked b y h e r c o n fro n ta tio n w ith h e r f a t h e r , Y e z ie rs k a b e g a n to lose h e r c o n fid e n c e a n d c r e a tiv e p o w e r du e to h e r fa ilu r e to a c h ie v e th e r e g e n e r a tiv e re c o n c ilia tio n w h ich she had d e s ire d . T h e la n g u a g e o f A dele L in d n e r in A r r o g a n t B e g g a r is p e rv a d e d b y d e s c rip tio n s o f a lo s t woman s e e k in g f o r some s o rt o f r e v e la tio n a n d a to n em en t. S im ila r to S o n ya in Salome o f th e Tenem ents, A dele u ltim a te ly r e je c ts th e a r is to c r a tic rom ance w ith A r t h u r H eilm an a n d r e t u r n s to h e r people in a sym bolic u n io n w ith Jean R a ch m an sky— c o n c lu d in g once a g a in w ith a p la to n ic u n io n o f "co m p reh en sio n " b e tw ee n Y e z ie r s k a ’s h e ro in e a n d a male a r t is t . A d e le ’s new lo v e r , R ach m an sky, in s p ir e s h e r w ith his "m usic o f th e R e s u rre c tio n " ,126 a n d th u s Y e z ie r s k a ’ s h e ro in e s a re s till s e a rc h in g fo r a s a v io u r in an a r t is t - g o d f ig u r e .
[A d ele ] How is i t th a t I ’m n o t fr ig h te n e d b y y o u r g e n iu s , Jean? [ ...]
[J e a n ] M y g e n iu s — w h a te v e r t h a t is — is dead w ith o u t you [ ...] You b r o u g h t me b ack to lif e — o u r ow n people. T h e r e ’s a n a tm o s p h ere h e r e .127
H o w e ve r, now th e h a p p y u n io n a t th e en d o f th e n o v el, w h ic h is j u s t as c o n tr iv e d as t h a t o f B re a d G iv e rs an d Salom e o f th e Tenem ents,
"m akes [A d ele ] fe e l g u ilt y " , a n d h e re we seem to see Y e z ie rs k a lo sin g f a it h in th e p o s s ib ility o f b oth an id e a l r e la tio n s h ip w ith a man a n d w o rk in g s itu a tio n .
A ll I C ould N e v e r Be, th e n e xt and la s t n o v e l, en d s in a s im ila r k in d o f u n io n b e tw ee n h e ro in e a n d male a r t i s t b u t w ith a d if f e r e n t r e s u lt. F a n y a Iv a n o v a , who was a s u cc e ss fu l w r i t e r b u t ad m its t h a t
126 Y e z ie rs k a , A r r o g a n t B e g g a r, p. 260. 127 I b i d . , p. 2 6 1 -2 6 2 .
"so m eth in g has sto p p e d th e w r itin g in h e r " , m eets V la d im ir
P a v lo w itc h , a n o u tc a s t p a in te r who e a rn e d h is liv in g as a com m ercial a r t i s t . 128 F o r th e f i r s t tim e, Y e z ie rs k a ’s h e ro in e has a s u cc e ss fu l re la tio n s h ip w ith a lo v e r who is n ’t Jew ish , a n d A ll I C o u ld N e v e r Be en d s n o t in a p la to n ic u n io n b u t in a sexual consum m ation— one sh o u ld n o te, h o w e v e r, how q u ic k she is to d e s c rib e th is sexual u n io n in te rm s o f exile a n d re v e la tio n .
W ith o u t lo o k in g a t each o th e r, th e y r e a d each o t h e r ’s essences a n d flo w e d to g e th e r in u n d e rs ta n d in g . In to each face had come t h a t look o f re le a s e — exiles in s tra n g e la n d s , s u d d e n ly g ra n te d a v is io n o f home.129
A lth o u g h D o ro th y C a n fie ld F is h e r h e lp e d Y e z ie rs k a w ith th e f in a l d r a f t o f A ll I C ould N e v e r Be— m aking th e " g i r l [F a n y a ] less s e lf- rig h te o u s a n d th e man r ip e r , more c le a r -s e e in g w h en she condem ns th e to w n " — , Y e z ie rs k a was u n w illin g to c h a n g e th e " fin a l p a r t [o f th e n o v e l]— t h e ir b e in g " p h y s ic a l lo v e rs a t s ig h t" as F is h e r had s u g g e s te d .130 I n a l e t t e r to F is h e r, Y e z ie rs k a ju s tifie d F a n y a a n d V la d im ir’s sexu al u n io n w ith th e re m a rk :
[ t ] h a t is th e k in d o f people th e y a re . T h a t is th e
w hole t r a g e d y o f th e book. T h e w a y th e y a re a t sev e n th e y a re a t s e v e n ty . People do n o t seem to g ro w v e r y m uch— And y e t in s p ite o f th e g i r l b e in g th e same s o r t she was a t th e b e g in n in g — she d id c h a n g e — she d id g ro w — e v e n th o u g h th e chang es w e re n o t v is ib le . B u t a R ussian Jew ess could n e v e r a c h ie v e th e h e ro ic p o w e r o f r e s t r a in t o f an E m ily D ic kin s o n .131
T h e la s t s en ten ce a b o ve is iro n ic since Y e z ie rs k a , who c re a te d a s e rie s o f h e ro in e s m ore s im ila r to E m ily D ic kin s o n in t h e ir sexu al r e s t r a in t , 132 f in a lly a ccep ts passion as a p a r t o f love. A lth o u g h F a n y a is no lo n g e r s e a rc h in g o r lo st a t th e e n d o f th e n o v e l,
Y e z ie rs k a seems to use h e r to confess th a t she had come to a dead en d in h e r c a re e r. A t one p o in t, F a n y a re m a rk s t h a t she has:
s u ffe r e d a t e r r ib le d is illu s io n — a loss o f fa ith th a t l e f t me in u t t e r d a rk n e s s . A ll I w a n t now is a jo b to k e e p
128 Y e z ie rs k a , A ll I C ould N e v e r Be, p. 131. 129 I b i d . , p. 253.
130 L e t t e r from A n zia Y e z ie rs k a to Dorothy C a n fie ld F is h e r , D o r o th y C a n fie ld F is h e r C o lle c tio n, B ailey/H ow e M em orial L ib r a r y , U n iv e r s it y o f Vermont.
131 I b i d .
b u s y , to sto p th e a g o n y o f th o u g h ts t h a t c a n ’t come th r o u g h .133
T h e fa c t t h a t th e h e ro in e o f Y e z ie rs k a ’s la s t n o v e l w a n ts to w o rk in a fa c to r y r a t h e r th a n to w r ite illu s tr a te s how Y e z ie rs k a had come f u l l c ir c le in h e r c a re e r: S h en ah Pessah, S a ra R eisel, a n d th e n a r r a t o r o f "How I F o u n d A m e rica ” a ll w a n te d to w o rk w ith t h e i r "h e a d s ” a n d n o t w ith t h e ir "h a n d s " in H u n g r y H e a rts . Now F a n y a , s im ila r to Y e z ie rs k a , w a n ts to r e t u r n b a ck to th e p o v e r ty an d
s tr u g g le w h ic h c h a r a c te r iz e d h e r e a r ly y e a rs as a w r i t e r a n d w h ic h also h a p p e n e d to b e h e r most c r e a tiv e p e rio d . P e rh a p s Y e z ie rs k a h ad p re d ic te d th e e n d o f h e r l i t e r a r y c r e a t iv it y a t th e v e r y b e g in n in g o f h e r c a r e e r w h e n S ophie S a p in s k y re m a rk s t h a t th e
voices o f H an n eh B re in e h a n d S h m e n d rik " w ill n o t be s tille d in [ h e r ] , t i l l a ll A m erica stops to lis t e n " .134 A m erica had lis te n e d to Y e z ie rs k a a n d h e r h e ro in e s f o r o v e r a decade b u t now th e y had v e r y lit t le new to say. A lth o u g h F a n y a , lik e Y e z ie rs k a , h ad become a w r it e r a n d gone to H ollyw ood, she re a lis e s t h a t "[f]a m e is a m ore t e r r ib le