In Hester Street, Jake erases much of his Jewish background in favor of a standard American identity. During the opening scenes, Jake and Mamie have dinner with a man who has clearly recently emigrated. Throughout the meal it is clear that he is out of place. They mock his Jewish attire and take his hat to degrade him. This describes the lack of respect and importance of non-American culture in America. As a result of this perception, Jake knew he had to change his identity to meet American standards. First, he changed his name from Yankel to Jake so that people wouldn't judge him for being Jewish. He does the same for his son, renaming him from Yossele to Joey, despite the opposition of his wife Gitl. Also, Jake cuts Joey's hair and then proclaims, "Now you look like a real Yankee!" (Silver). Meanwhile, Gitl refuses to sacrifice her Jewish heritage and struggles to adapt to America as a result. This causes her marriage to Jake to fall apart and she ends up marrying Bernstein at the end of the film, as he still values ​​her culture. While minority culture plays a significant role in Hester Street, the lack of presence of minorities in Babbitt shows how little they mattered in upper-class society. Whenever an African American emerged in the novel, he simply appeared as an object of production working in low-skilled, low-paid jobs,