Call It Sleep by Henry Roth The book Call It Sleep written by Henry Roth is a literary work that explores the lives of immigrants as they adapt to new and unfamiliar ways of American life . The book is a kind of social commentary on the heyday of Eastern European immigration to America. The novel offers an inside view of how foreigners (primarily Jewish immigrants) fit into mainstream society. Over the course of the novel, you travel along with main character David Schearl as he ages from six to eight and grows up in Brownsville on New York's Lower East Side. David is torn between the love of his overprotective mother and the hatred of his angry, mentally disturbed father, trying to make sense of his life in contrast to all the other immigrant children he comes into contact with. All the adventures David encounters and all the people he comes into contact with are simply the author's way of describing an immigrant's internal struggle and dealing with the pressures of life as seen through the eyes of an extraordinarily insightful and imaginative child. the opening scenes are set in New York Harbor in 1907, at a time when the influx of foreigners is at its peak. A woman and her child step off the boat to be reunited with her husband who went before them to the new world to start a better life than they were accustomed to in their old country. The author makes you experience what it's like to enter New York Harbor and see the city skyline and lights; and also experience the feeling of hope and promise for a better future for immigrants. However, when Albert Schearl shows up late and careless to greet his wife and son who do not immediately recognize him, it is suggested to the reader that trouble is in store for the Schearl family. Father Albert Schearl is presented as a very haughty man and a proud individual who believes that he should abandon all trappings of his previous upbringing and conform to the American way of life. He is a printer by trade, but is unable to hold down a job long enough due to his violent and uncontrollable temper. He thinks people are constantly watching his every move, so he can't give