Spiritual Ghetto Of The Deviants In The Novels Of Isaac Bashevis Singer

The American Jewish writer, Isaac Bashevis Singer, is the only one insisting on writing in Yiddish to depict the life of the Jewish people and at the same time, the one acknowledging his Jewish identity. He is viewed, by Eugene Goodheart representing some critics, as the preserver of the Jewish culture; however, in the viewpoint of Joseph C. Landis representing other critics, Singer is the deviant of the Jewish nation. The controversy that he is involved, to some extent, adds some mystique to him.In this thesis, the theory of collective unconsciousness and the definition of "Spiritual Ghetto" raised by Liu Hongyi, the expert in Jewish literature, are applied to analyze three novels of Isaac Bashevis Singer-The Magician of Lublin, Enemies, A Love Story and The Penitent. In the viewpoint of Singer, Ghetto brings the Jewish people much tribulation and at the same time, it helps to structure the spirit of the Jewish nation. Spiritual Ghetto indicates the profound emotion towards the Jewish culture, signifying the collective unconsciousness shared by the Jewish nation. Under the influence of Spiritual Ghetto, the deviants return to the Jewish root, becoming penitents eventually. Because of its preserving function, Spiritual Ghetto helps inherit the Jewish spirit. Against the backdrop of Poland in 19th century, because of the antipathy towards the Jewish history which is full of agony as well as the attraction of the world out of Ghetto, Yasha-the protagonist of The Magician of Lublin deviates from the Jewish nation; however, Spiritual Ghetto reveals his devoutness to readers. Establishing a Ghetto of his own signifies his return. Because of its healing function, Spiritual Ghetto helps the Holocaust survivors to get rid of agony and embrace new life. The setting of Enemies, A Love Story is America after the Holocaust. In this novel, Singer depicts the Jewish people gradually deviating from the Jewish tradition due to the trauma that they underwent during the Holocaust. However, the Jewish culture contains the power which can console the soul. Religion helps to soothe the spiritual pain when an individual is at a loss. The deviants of this novel return by establishing a Ghetto shared by several people. Because of its dynamic function, Spiritual Ghetto motivates people to seek for the faith that they lose. In The Penitent, when faced with assimilation, the Jewish identity slips from the protagonist’s memory and thus he integrates into the community of America, where he is engulfed by puzzlement and emptiness. However, Spiritual Ghetto motivates the protagonist to set foot on the way to seek for the faith that is lost. At the end of the novel, the protagonist returns to the Ghetto of the Jewish nation-Israel established in 1948.Analyzing the three novels, it can be found that Ghetto brings the Jewish nation much tribulation and at the same time, it, to a degree, plays the role of cultural fence which can protect their culture and keep their tradition though they are dispersed in different countries; however, Ghetto is by no means impregnable. When Ghetto crumbles, Spiritual Ghetto which contains the Jewish spirit can help to preserve their culture. The umbilical connection to the Jewish nation and the profound emotion towards it motivate the deviants in the three novels to seek for the faith that is lost and regain their Jewish identity. Singer highlights the importance of Spiritual Ghetto by portraying the return of the deviants.