Jack Robin's Identity In The Jazz Singer

In the film, The Jazz Singer, the protagonist, Jakie Rabinowitz, goes through a major character change in becoming Americanized. That is, in leaving his family's Jewish faith, he adopts the attitude and culture of the American way of life. However, there are many phases and steps he takes in doing this along the way. The first signs are the feud between Jakie and his father and goes as far as his name changing and meeting with a Gentile. Because of these changes he chooses to make, his Jewish way of life becomes Anglocized and eventually this Americanization overtakes his character causing him great issues with his true identity. He is forced to come to terms with who he is, and who he wishes to be. Jakie's family has a very strong Jewish
This, alone, displays a significant change in his character. The name Jakie Rabinowitz is one of strong Jewish heritage and culture and is a symbol of where he came from. In disbanding his name it seems to show his disregard for where he came from and who he is. Jack Robin proudly shows his acceptance and conformity to American and Anglicized culture, as well as the rejection of his Jewish faith. At this point Jack is singing his Jazz music in nightclubs to large audiences. A young woman he meets, Mary Dale, tells him she hears much more emotion in his voice than that of other Jazz singers. We can tell from this that he has come to be a part of the American culture as he is singing American tunes and is still able to pull emotion from these songs. The music, itself, has also allowed his merge into the American way of life as it gives him an American identity to the people in his audiences. From an audience perspective, when one sees a singer performing a particular type of music, as in Jazz music, it gives the impression that the theme of the music coinsides with the identity of the performer. Thus, without knowing Jack Robin was once Jakie Rabinowitz, the audience is led to believe this man of Jewish faith is, in actuality, an American man with an American name singing American