Alexander Godin

My Dead Brother
Comes to
America
 Author
Alexander Godin, the penname of Joseph Katz (1909–70), was a Russian Jew who
immigrated to the United States with his family in 1922. He worked as a bottler in a
chemical plant in New York, while teaching himself English. He soon gained notice for
his short stories and novel On the Threshold (1933), the story of a Ukrainian peasant
girl. He is best known for his short story “My Dead Brother Comes to America,” which
was published in 1934 and included as part of The Best Short Stories of the Century.
Godin was later disabled by chronic schizophrenia and died in poverty in September
1970.
 Background

 Alexander Godin’s short story, "My Dead Brother Comes to

America," was written in 1934, takes place during the mid-
twenties to the early thirties at a time of large European
immigration to the United States. The story follows a young
boy and his arrival with his family to America, displaying his
thoughts and conflicts. Many changes were going on during
this period of time, and the same is true for the protagonist,
the boy.
Plot
The story is about a young boy and his arrival with his family
to America. The boy's father had left them 8 years ago and went
to America. The boy's brother had died in war and their father
did not know about this. The boy and his family came from
Ukraine. They had to leave their country to survive. The family
felt unwelcomed in America because the Americans did not
want more immigrants in their country and they were afraid the
immigrants would take their jobs.
The boy faced the death of his brother. he was suffering a lot
of pain physically and emotionally. He disliked his father for
leaving them alone. The father only knew about his son’s death
at the immigration office. He showed his deep regret and
sorrow. He bought them four caps and prepared dinner for them.
By the evening, they gazed at their brother’s cap. They felt
his presence and thought he had come to America in their
memories.
 Setting
 Alexander Godin’s short story, "My Dead Brother Comes to
America," is written in 1934, takes place during the mid-
twenties to the early thirties in New York city.
 The story must have taken place after the war in Ukraine
has ended.

Point of View
• The story is narrated by a limited first-person
narrator. We see everything through the eyes of the
hero of the story, the boy.
 characters
 The boy, 13 years old, was very emotional. He felt
sad and gloomy as he reached America after
looking at the grey and unwelcoming city. At the
beginning, he disliked his father for leaving them
alone. When his brother died in war he cried & lived
in deep grief.
 The mother
 4 children ( two girls, 14 & 9 years old, the boy
mentioned above and the dead boy).
 The father left the family from 8 years and went to
America.
 Symbolism\metaphors
 "My Dead Brother Comes to America" uses the literary
technique of naturalism along with intense symbols and
use of powerful metaphors to display the sentiment of
typical Americans and immigrants during the time
period in a vividly descriptive way. Godin uses
metaphors to introduce the harshness of the
immigrants’ situation and to show how unimportant they
were to the Americans because of the economic
instability.
 The hats their father brought symbolizes his struggle to
provide them shelters and safety.
 Godin uses intense imagery to display the boy’s strong
feelings, which has accompanied his arrival to America,
they were "herded together like sheep," and meeting his
father.
Themes
1. Theme of war effects

The mid-nineteen twenties and nineteen thirties were a

very rough time in American history and that of the rest
of the world. European and Asian countries had seen
much greater economic problems already. In Germany,
inflation soared, and in 1923, interest rates flew as high
as 90 percent (Rogers 402). The devaluation of currency
was a consistent problem throughout most of Europe
and Asia in the twenties and thirties, following the First
World War. People had to migrate to survive and some
were lost during war and migration. the boy’s brother
died during the war, and his father did not know of this
and eight years had passed since he had seen his father.
Theme of immigration

 the harsh treatment and the horrendous

environment that all incoming immigrants had to
face at Ellis Island. The entire “immigrant process”
during the late 1920s and throughout the Great
Depression in the 1930’s was meet with hatred,
anger, and fear by Americans due to economic
hardship, war, and job loss. The young boy and his
immigrant family were unwanted and Godin ensured
we understood that very well.
Other themes:

 Theme of poverty
 Theme of family bonds
 Theme of survive
 Theme of having a second chance