Esther Klein- the true American life

They said life in America would be different. Mainly, that it would be wonderful. We could do whatever it is that we dreamed of doing, and make a living off of it, too. Well here I am working all hours in a textile mill, at just seventeen years of age. I hate the mill, and I hate to say it but it makes me miss the old country. Here, it’s like being a woman isn’t good enough. We’re yet to be equals, although I don’t see why we are any different than a man. The work I do at the mill is just horrible, and dangerous, too. As an immigrant, I am pushed around and made fun of by the “real” Americans. I wish we could stand up against the factory employers, but I’ve heard what has happened to others who have tried.
Women have yet to get our own independence, even though slaves already have! A black man can stand up at a ballot and vote, yet women still cannot. Before we came, I thought that it would be the most wonderful experience of my life. But now that we are here, my family and I agree that America still has a long way to go in gaining independence for all of their people.
Working at a textile mill is not the way I had pictured spending my days here in America. I am working long hours for very little pay, and the conditions are horrible. Once, I hurt myself and went to my employer and he simply sent me back to work. I hurt myself again, and the other workers told me not to complain or I would lose my job! I had pictured working somewhere much better than this textile mill when I came to America. Work would have been something enjoyable for me, but instead with the long hours and horrible conditions, I dread going to work each day.
As an immigrant, I am not considered a true American. They look down on me, especially because I am a woman, and think that I am not good enough to be in their territory. It’s as if I don’t have what it takes to make it in their eyes just because I was not born there or from their original countries. Adding to the frustration is my religious affiliation. As a Jew, I am not the most common religion and therefore am looked down upon. I wish that Americans had been what I pictured in my head.
America is not what I had pictured in my mind. I had pictured a place where I could come and live and work as I pleased and make a living surrounded by all different types of people who all have different backgrounds and still exist together. Instead, I work long hours in a textile mill for very small wages, and am looked down upon because of my gender and religious affiliations. Hopefully in years to come, the true American dream can come true.