Aaron D. Neufeld

Aaron D. Neufeld- BLOG #13- ‘The Unclear Beach Photo’

My grandparents came to America from Hungary following The Holocaust. They both lost most of their family during that time. They had nowhere in Hungary left to return to once the war was over. Their parents, siblings and relatives had all been murdered, their homes were repossessed, and they were jobless. They wanted to get out of the country, still ripe with anti-Semitism, and escape to America to start over new and fulfill the American dream.

The young couple was recently married and had a son, my uncle, who was just a young boy. When they came to America, everything was different. The country as a whole had not experienced the horrors of The Holocaust and World War II. The people here were very much unaware as to the true horrific experiences that occurred in Europe. Aside from their lack of understanding and knowledge, the people here led completely different lives. American lifestyles were nothing like European lifestyles and it was incredibly difficult for my grandparents to adjust.

One of the photos I chose for my project, I decided to warp the images of the people in the background. This photo is of my grandparents on a beach during the summer. They look happy, but out of place. The warped, misshapen people represent how unfamiliar, odd, and out of place, my grandparents felt in this new country. They didn’t fit in. They couldn’t understand or connect with the American people on any level.