ESTUDIO BÁSICOS DE INGENIERÍA

Y e z ie rs k a d e s c rib e s h e r e x p e rie n c e s in Hollyw ood in h e r f a t h e r ’s te rm s, nam ely as a re lig io u s c o n v e rs io n o r a p o s ta s y . T h e "g o d s" o f Hollywood— w r it e r s , d ir e c to r s , a n d a c to rs — n o t o n ly " to w e r o v e r " h e r

65 I b i d . , p. 8 7 . -

66 Sam Goldwyn made g lo v e s , W illia m Fox s t a r t e d w ith ^ b u rle s q u e th e a tr e c h a in , H a rry Cohn o f Colum bia P ic tu re s was a German c o b b le r ’ s son, Jessy Lasky o f Paramount was an im m ig rant shoe

salesman, th e Warner B ro th e rs were c o b b le rs and b ic y c le r e p a ir men, Marcus Lowe, th e owner o f a ch ain o f t h e a tr e s , A d o lf Zukor s t a r t e d by s e l l i n g f u r s , and Louis Mayer a ls o owned a b u rle s q u e house. C a rl Laemmle, whose f a t h e r was a Talm udic s c h o la r , was th e one e x c e p tio n . These form er businessmen became "noblemen" o f s a le s by s e l l i n g

movies l i k e th e "h u c k s te rs " who tra d e d c lo t h in g o r g ro c e rie s in th e g h e tto .

67 Ib i d . , p. 82. 68 Ib i d . , p. 81.

th r e a te n in g ly , b u t also te m p t h e r to ’’c o n v e r t to a new f a it h [o f th e r i c h ] ” .69 T h is new ’’f a i t h ” n e a r ly seduces Y e z ie rs k a in to th in k in g t h a t ric h e s make peo p le ’’ k in d e r , n o b le r a n d m ore b e a u t ifu l" , a n id e a w h ic h s tr ik e s h e r as a r e p u ls iv e "a p o s ta s y " a n d m akes h e r t h in k o f h e r " f a th e r [ t u r n in g ] in h is g r a v e " .70 A lth o u g h Y e z ie rs k a fe a r s t h a t she had c o m p lete ly r e je c te d h e r p a s t o r " r e p u d ia te d a ll t h a t I had b e e n " , she re fu s e s to c h a n g e h e r c lo th in g in H ollyw ood w h ic h illu s tr a te s h e r o n -g o in g tie to th e o ld w o rld a n d u n w illin g n e s s to g iv e in to th e new . H o w e v e r, w h e n h e r c o n tr a c t w ith G o ld w yn e x p ire s , Y e z ie rs k a is "too c o n fu s e d , too u n s u re o f m y se lf, to know w h a t to do n e x t" , u n til W illiam Fox fo rc e s h e r to choose b e tw ee n success an d a p e rm a n e n t re s id e n c e in H ollyw ood, o r r e je c tio n o f m oney an d r e t u r n to New Y o rk . L ik e G o ld w yn , Fox is a fa ls e

p r o p h e t (as b o th p ro d u c e rs * names im p ly ) w ho p ra c tic e s a r e lig io n o f e x p lo ita tio n a n d g re e d . B u t w h e n Fox tr ie s to te m p t Y e z ie rs k a aw ay fro m G oldw yn w ith a $100,000 c o n tr a c t h is f a it h in h e r m akes h e r d o u b t h e r w o r th , "He w as o ff e r in g me a fo r tu n e . B u t was I r e a lly a w r ite r ? " .71 Y e z ie rs k a r e je c ts h is m oney in a scene w h ic h is

in te n d e d to re m in d th e r e a d e r o f h e r f a t h e r ’s r e je c tio n o f th e

h u n d re d d o lla rs w h ic h she h a d e a rn e d b y s e llin g th e film r ig h t s o f H u n g r y H e a rts to G oldw yn in "H e s te r S tr e e t" : h e r r e je c tio n o f th is new lu r e o f m ore fame a n d fo r t u n e c le a r ly s ig n ifie s a r e t u r n to th e p a th o f rig h te o u s n e s s . E ve n Fox’ s o ffic e is d e s c rib e d as a k in d o f " s a n c tu a ry " lik e h e r f a t h e r ’s room , b u t h is o ffic e , w ith its glass w indow s an d th e a tr ic a l a tm o s p h e re , r e p r e s e n ts a "san ctu m " o f fa ls e id o la tr y . Fox, whom she d e s c rib e s as a " p r ie s t a t an a lt a r " , w ro n g ly b e lie v es t h a t Y e z ie rs k a w o u ld c o n v e r t to h is w o rs h ip o f m oney, "h is g lance r e s tin g on me as i f I w e re a lr e a d y one o f h is a n o in te d " .72 In th e tr a d itio n o f male m a n ip u la tio n o f fem ale c r e a tiv e p o te n tia l

re m in is c e n t o f th e P yg m alio n m y th , Fox w a n ts to ta l c o n tro l o v e r Y e z ie rs k a ’s c r e a t iv it y a n d s e lf-im a g e in o r d e r to l i f t h e r to e v e n g r e a te r stardom as he had done f o r M a ry C a rr.

I d ic ta te d e v e r y pose, e v e r y move she made. I gave h e r e v e r y b it o f h e r s tag e b u s in es s . T h a t woman n e v e r knew w h a t she was a c tin g . I d id n ’t w a n t h e r to know .

69 I b i d . , p. 59. 70 Ib id .

71 I b i d . , p. 85. 72 Ib i d . , p. 84.

B u t I k n e w w h a t I w a n te d — w h a t I c o u ld m ake o f h e r. A nd I kn o w w h a t I can make o f y o u .73

H o w e v e r, Y e z ie rs k a d o esn ’t w a n t to be c h a n g e d o r c re a te d b y o th e rs ; on th e c o n tr a r y , she w a n ts to h a ve f u l l c o n tro l o v e r h e r ow n

c re a tio n s a n d s e lf-im a g e . T h u s , Fox’s o f f e r o f a fa b u lo u s th r e e y e a r c o n tr a c t w ith to ta l c o n tro l o v e r h e r c r e a t iv it y r e p r e s e n ts a n e g a tio n o f s e lf o r s e lf-m u r d e r to Y e z ie rs k a , illu s t r a te d b y h e r r e fe re n c e to H am let’s s o lilo q u y , ” [t]o s ig n o r n o t to s ig n . To s ig n a n d become r ic h ; n o t to s ig n a n d p lu n g e b a ck in to p o v e r t y ” .74 B y r e fu s in g to s ig n , Y e z ie rs k a r e ta in s th e c r e a tiv e a u t h o r it y o v e r h e r fic tio n a n d s e lf-im a g e w h ic h she d e s ire s to possess m ore th a n m oney; s ig n in g h e r name sym b o lizes " s e lf - m u r d e r ” a n d r e lig io u s c o n v e rs io n —

" a n o in te d ”— s im u ltan e o u s ly . H e r r e fu s a l o f F o x ’s m oney re p r e s e n ts h e r id e o lo g ic a l r e t u r n to h e r ro o ts a n d c u lt u r e o f p o v e r t y . T h u s , p o v e r t y re p r e s e n ts life a n d fre e d o m , a n d ric h e s r e p r e s e n t d e a th , a lie n a tio n , a n d " lo n e lin e s s ”.

I n H ollyw ood, a l e t t e r fro m th e T a lm u d ic s c h o la r B o ru c h Schlomoi M a y e r p u n c tu re s Y e z ie r s k a ’s s e lf-c e n te re d n e s s a n d p re p a re s h e r fo r h e r r e t u r n to New Y o rk . B o ru ch M a y e r is, in Louise L e v ita s

H e n r ik s e n ’s o p in io n , one o f Y e z ie r s k a ’s " in v e n tio n s " o r " fic tio n a l e m b ellish m en ts o f th e t r u t h " ; 75 in my o p in io n , he r e p r e s e n ts

Y e z ie r s k a ’s l i t e r a r y m a tu r ity , an a b ilit y to d is ta n c e h e r s e lf fro m re a l fig u r e s , nam ely h e r fa th e r , in o r d e r to w o rk o u t h e r u n re s o lv e d c o n flic t w ith him. T h a t th e c h a r a c te r B o ru c h M a y e r had its so u rce in h e r f a t h e r is s u p p o rte d b y th e fa c t t h a t Y e z ie r s k a ’ s e n tir e fa m ily c h an g ed t h e ir name to M a y e r w h en th e y a r r iv e d in New Y o rk ; in a d d itio n , h e r choice o f B o ru c h , th e name o f a n a p o c a ly p tic p r o p h e t, as a fo ren am e is a c le a r re fe re n c e to h e r f a t h e r ’s ro le as a

p ro p h e tic f ig u r e in h e r a u to b io g ra p h y . W hen she r e t u r n s to New Y o rk to m eet "Reb M a y e r" to g iv e him m oney, as she h ad done in "H e s te r S tr e e t" w ith h e r fa th e r , i t is too la te as he is a lr e a d y dead (s im ila r to h e r f a t h e r , who is dead w h en Y e z ie r s k a w r ite s R e d R ibbon on a White H o rse). H o w e ve r, a lth o u g h Reb M a y e r ’ s le t t e r re m in d s Y e z ie rs k a o f h e r f a t h e r — i t had "so m eth in g fa m ilia r in th e t u r n o f th e p h ra s e . T h e Y id d is h o f i t re m in d e d me o f m y fa t h e r " — i t also exp resses Y e z ie r s k a ’s ow n p e rs o n a l c o n d em n atio n o f h e r d e s ire to

73 I b i d . , p. 8 6 . 74 I b id .

become a p a r v e n u .76 B a ru c h M a y e r’s d e s ire to go b a c k to P o lan d , ” [ b ] e t t e r to d ie th e r e th a n to liv e h e re , among th e m o n e y -m a k in g