An Analysis Of The Theme Of Existential Predicament In The Assistant From The Perspective Of Existentialism

Bernard Malamud(1914-1986) is deemed to be a contemporary American writer who harbors the strongest Jewish flavor, as he focuses on depicting the struggling lives of the disadvantaged Jewish immigrants during his whole writing career. The Assistant, one of his representative works, got published in 1957 and has attracted worldwide critics’ attention thereafter. However, most of the former research focus on the Jewishness, suffering and growth theme that are embodied in the work. Only a few studies have tried to interpret the work in terms of existentialist theories. Therefore, on the basis of the existing scattering studies, this thesis intends to explore the existential theme in the novel in the light of existentialism.In the introduction part, this thesis offers a general literature review of Bernard Malamud and The Assistant, and gives a brief introduction to the relevant Existentialism theories. In the body part, chapter one introduces the embodiment of existential predicament, mainly in two aspects: material poverty and spiritual desolation. In the novel, immigrants like Morris are trapped in material poverty as they adhere to Jewish traditional ethic. While immigrants like Karp, who gets rid of poverty successfully by betraying Jewish morality, fall into spiritual desolation. Chapter two analyzes two major causes of the existential predicament, the absurd external environment and the intense internal anxiety. Existentialists believe that conflicts between human beings are inevitable in a world that is full of subjectivity and filled with odiousness, criminals and absurdities. In The Assistant, the irresistible absurdity of the external world which is mainly responsible for the immigrants’ existential predicament is reflected in three aspects: discrimination among different ethnicities, invasion of material values and estrangement between community members. Existentialists also maintain that human beings who live in such an absurd world are bound to experience various anxiety on their ways towards authentic self-discovery. In the novel the anxiety that the characters suffer from can be divided mainly into three types: ontic anxiety which is represented by Helen with realization of the contingency of her fate and worry of her fleeting youth, religious anxiety that perplexes Frank due to his impiety to Catholic religion and misinterpretation of Judaism, and moral anxiety that bothers Morris as he fails to be a competent family supporter. These internal conflicts of the characters naturally intensify their existential predicament. Chapter three discusses the major characters’ final choices that lead them to disengage from the existential predicament. After all kind of sufferings, Morris’ choice is still to stick to Jewish belief and practice Jewish tradition of love and mercy. Eventually he redeems Frank as well as himself since the gentile young man obtains Jewish rebirth under his influence. As a Jewish girl born and raised in American, Helen chooses to embrace cultural reconciliation. Her insistence on her dream for a better future and final choice of love save her from the swaying situation between two cultures, setting an example for the immigrants who are determined to seek chance for the passing and development of Jewish tradition. The conclusion part gives a summarization to the whole thesis and points out that the study of the theme of existential predicament in the novel not only offers the novel with a comparatively new appreciative angle but also shows Malamud’s humanitarian concern towards human existence, and inspires people who are caught in predicament to make right choices and seek a worthy life.