Joy in a Tragic Sense of Life

Sheria Lenae Scott

English 102 WD-1

E-4 Redone

May 13, 2009

Joy in a Tragic Sense of Life

In The Assistant by Bernard Malamud tells the story of a struggling grocer, Morris Bober and his family. The story revolves around Bernard Malamud's own life experiences. The Assistant, which was first published in 1957, reflects back on the years Malamud worked in his father's grocery store. Morris, one of main characters believes that there is good in all humans. Malamud's father was a grocer, who worked sixteen hours a day. He served as a model for the Jewish grocer in The Assistant. Morris's character represents decency and values that he believes about others and what he expects things to be. Malamud spoke of himself as "a real child of the depression" and how as a child his mother taught him such things as religious values, what was right and he also felt that he had an understanding of the life his father and mother lived (1). Malamud held these convictions deeply throughout his life. Although Morris Bober is a poor, elderly Jew who had a hard life filled with bad luck, Morris's conscience is clear. He serves milk and bread every day to the customer's who patronize his store. Money is a very important factor in having a more comfortable life; it is not something that could make a person more important to Morris. Some people look at money as a deity or something that rules their lives, and they feel important and powerful with money in their hands. However, Morris believes that it is not everything. The decency inside of Morris does not allow him to look at people based on how much money they have; rather, he looks at them and bases his respect on how they handle their struggles. No matter what the circumstances are people can overcome. People without money make themselves very respectable, by doing what is right.

Malamud's experience as a young boy comes to life in The Assistant. Bernard Malamud was born in Brooklyn in 1914 to immigrant parents. His father was actually a struggling grocery store owner, much like Bober's character. Edward A. Abramson critic of "Bernard Malamud Revisited" pointed out that "Malamud was considered one of the most prominent figures in Jewish America Literature. He draws upon his Jewish heritage to address the themes of sin, suffering, and redemption. Malamud emphasizes human contact and compassion over orthodox religious dogma" (2). He also pointed out that "Malamud didn't content that we should seek out suffering, but saw it as an aid to moral growth" (3). Malamud stories are filled with "Jewish" immigrants. In "Bernard Malamud's Revisited" Malamud says "I write for all men. A novelist had to or he's built himself a cage. I write about Jews, when I write about Jews, because I think I will understand them better as people, not because I'm out to prove anything....His stories make readers feel that Malamud knew exactly what he was writing about" (qtd. In Abramson 2). Malamud was quoted as saying "I was from the beginning an imaginative child who told stories to express my feelings on life and the world" (5). Accordingly, Morris struggles to discover the ways in which humans handle their tragic sense of life. This is apparent when Morris reflect on "Last year a broken, tailor, a poor man with a sick wife, had locked up his shop and gone away, and from the minute of the store's emptiness Morris had felt a gnawing anxiety" (11). Even when he was sick and tired of getting up in the morning and doing the same routine; for a minute he thought he would help the store burn, but he knew it wasn't the moral thing to do.

In an article in "General Interest Module" Donna Seaman writes "Morris is a victim of his own tragic sense of life". Although Morris views his store as a prison and tomb, he still cares about the store and wouldn't change one minute of the sacrifices he's made to keep it afloat. Malamud's