Confucius once said: “The strength of a nation arises from the integrity of its home. » Many people around the world consider family to be the most important aspect of their lives. Family is something that often teaches us moral values ​​and helps shape the individuals we become later in life. The values ​​taught by family are not only essential but will also help develop the moral character of an individual. In the short story "Cakes", Salvatore La Puma conveys the importance of family values ​​in Italian-American immigrant culture in the industrial era of the 1940s. La Puma uses the first paragraph as a mini-ethnography to describe the unity of the Vitale family. The introduction states: “That summer he sweated from the humidity that in 1940 everyone in Brooklyn sweated; then he sweated in the hot ovens of Carlo Amato's pastry shop in Bensonhurst four or five evenings a week; then he sweated from the hot ovens of a downtown pastry shop every day of the week except Sunday, when he usually slept until noon. From downtown, Giovanni Vitale was returning home at the end of his work day on the BMT subway to his wife, Lisa, and their three children Anna, Steve and Johnny. After dinner, they all listened to Philco. Then Giovanni and the eldest, eleven-year-old Johnny, walked three long blocks and two short blocks, past the old people fanning themselves on the stoops, to Carlo's shop on Dix- Seventh Avenue (4). The first paragraph discusses the normal and typical family structure of Italian-American immigrants at that time. In the Vitale family, everyone has their role. The father, Giovanni Vitale, has a duty to work long hours to provide for his family. The mother, Lisa, plays the role of a housewife, preparing dinner for the family and taking...... middle of paper......llle the picture where mother Mary holds the child Jesus. Although Martina is not related to Johnny, her thoughtful and caring demeanor illustrates his thoughtful, kind and hospitable personality. Using Martina as a mother figure allows La Puma to convey the essence of family values ​​in Italian-American culture. Although many families today are dysfunctional and fragmented, "Cakes" serves to show the importance of unity within a family. No matter what we do or where we go, family is something that carries us and defines who we are. Family serves as a cornerstone or model of success. The values ​​that a family instills allow the “strength” of the individual to prevail. In this short story, La Puma manages to emphasize the role of the family as educator and protector, and to describe the importance of family values ​​in Italian-American immigrant culture..