On Deviation In The Magician Of Lublin

Singer is recognized as one of the greatest in a long tradition of Yiddish writers as well as one of America's most distinguished writers of the twentieth century. When he was ten years old, he received a traditional Jewish education and studied Hebrew and Yiddish and he is familiar with the Jewish code, religious rite and customs. What's more, he experienced WWâ…¡,so he saw his relatives and other Jewish people suffer persecutions and discrimination from the beginning, with his own eyes. The Jewish people's living conditions left a deep impression on Singer. Singer's work is a product of worrying about his national fate. It is a beautiful flower that comes from national culture. Singer often worries about Jewish historical situation of modern man. Thus, the Jewish historical fate is considered not only Jewish but also human's.Singer's literary works reflect clearly the sense of puzzlement when a nation abandons her heritage to seek another culture. Most of the protagonists in his works complete their spiritual growth from deviation to their return. In The Magician of Lublin, Singer depicts Jewish people in a dilemma, facing the small and weak social condition. And he tries his best to find an answer to solve their plight throughout his work.My thesis tries, through a close reading of the novel, to analyze the theme conveyed in The Magician of Lublin to present Singer's religious ideas and significance of his work. The thesis consists of three parts: the introduction, three chapters and the conclusion.Part one is a brief introduction about the author, the critical reception of the novel and the argument of the thesis. Part Two contains three chapters. Chapter one presents the social situation the protagonist lives in, based on the political, economic and religious factors. This situation leads the protagonist to the road of deviation. Chapter two centers on the modes of protagonist's deviation from his heritage. Chapter three analyzes the results that the protagonist suffers puzzlement after the deviation and provides the solution to the dilemma. The last Part, a conclusion, summarizes the theme conveyed in the work and then reveals Singer's religious ideas and the significance of the novel.