An Analysis Of Frank’s Initiation In The Assistant

Bernard Malamud is considered as one of the most outstanding and influential Jewish writers in the contemporary American literature. The Assistant is his second novel, which took him two years to finish and was published in 1957. It helps him receive recognition as a major writer, winning both the Rosenthal Award of the National Institute of Arts and Letters and the Daroff Fiction Award of the Jewish Book Council of America.This novel has been interpreted from many different angles since its publication. Previous reviews on The Assistant are mainly concerned with the author’s writing style, biblical archetype, symbolism analysis, or the Jewishness. However, the initiation theme in this novel has not been adequately studied yet. This thesis, based on the theory of Bildungsroman, attempts to analyze Frank’s initiation in The Assistant with the expectation to contribute a little to the study of the novel.The thesis is divided into three parts:the introduction, the body and the conclusion.The introduction concentrates on the author and his main works, literature review as well as the structure of the thesis.The body consists of four chapters. Chapter One interprets the theory applied in the thesis, including the definition, origin and development of Bildungsroman. Then it goes on to illustrate the initiation theme in the novel. Chapter Two concentrates on Frank’s growing pains and confusion on his initiation journey. Chapter Three analyzes Frank’s guides on his initiation journey. It is St. Francis, Morris and Helen that help him complete his initiation. St. Francis serves as a spiritual model in Frank’s life. Both Morris and Helen play an important role in the process of Frank’s initiation. Morris has a great moral influence on him while Helen awakens his love awareness. Chapter Four focuses on Frank’s epiphany and initiation. After experiencing two decisive events, Frank achieves his epiphany and finally completes his initiation both in morality and love.Based on the above discussion, the thesis draws a conclusion. Everyone has the potential to reshape himself and be a moral self. Frank’s initiation enlightens modern people to search for a meaningful life. The paper also tries to advise modern people to reexamine their own conscience and life. No matter how difficult the life is, people should have hope and try to help those who are in need. In this way, the world will become a better place for us to live in.