Struggling And Embracing

Bernard Malamud is one of the most celebrated Jewish American writers in thetwentieth-century literature. As a Jewish writer, he is famous for his noticeable Jewishflavor. The Assistant is an approved fiction by many readers and critics which reflectsMalamud’s idea of what a real Jew is. By analyzing the different characters in thisnovel, we could realize their struggles and conflicts during the process of searching forhopes and adhering to Jewishness. For those Jewish and non-Jewish immigrants,America is not only a refuge, but also a land where they can put their dreams on. ForMalamud, Jewishness is a kind of quality or faith that not only affects the Jews, butalso has an effect on the non-Jews, helping them to accomplish their spiritual growth.Although these characters undergo struggles and conflicts, they finally understand theessence of Jewishness, embrace the Jewishness, and the non-Jew also becomes a realJew both physically and spiritually. Through the struggle and conflict, these charactersalso get their spiritual maturity.This thesis consists of three parts: the introduction, the body and the conclusion.The Introduction presents a brief introduction to the writer and this novel, thebackground of Jewish history, the literature review, and the purpose and thesignificance of the study.Chapter One discusses Morris Bober. He is the core of the fiction that has aninfluence on other characters. He shows what a real Jew is like through his constant endurance of suffering and adherence to Jewish morality. Morris is either a father or amoral mentor. Although he is also faced with the struggle and conflict in the dilemmaof remaining the Jewishness and searching for dreams in America, he still insists on hismoral faith as a Jew.Chapter Two centers on two women characters—Ida and Helen. Being a Jewishwife and a Jewish descendant, Ida and Helen fail to understand and face theirJewishness at first. Their longing for materialistic success reflects the moral choice thatJews have to confront in the new era. However, Ida and Helen gradually get tounderstand and embrace their Jewishness.Chapter Three is concerned with the Gentile—Frank Alpine’s moraltranscendence and conversion to Judaism. Under the Bobers’ influence, he understandsthe meaning of suffering, turns to be mature in facing moral choices, and becomes areal Jew at last. This non-Jewish young man’s conversion to Judaism also presents theJewishness’influence on the non-Jews.