An Analysis Of The Theme Of Suffering In The Assistant By Malamud

Malamud is the most excellent author among the American Jewish writers whocreated literary works with the theme of suffering. He also advocates that Jewish peopleshould save themselves according to their preserving religious belief and proposition ofredemption of non-Jews.The thesis focuses on the reasons why Jewish people suffered from historical,religious and social aspects. The reasons of suffering were analyzed for understandingThe Assistant. There are three chapters in this thesis.Jewish suffering is deeply rooted in the history of the Jewish people. In the novel,Morris’ miserable immigrant experience in the foreign land and Frank’s rootlesswandering since childhood made them the actual epitomes of the suffering history forJews.From the religious perspective, Jewish suffering is a religious legacy of Judaism,by which wrongs could be corrected, sins could be redeemed and moral freedom couldbe achieved. Malamud interpreted Jewish suffering as a means of redemption, throughwhich one could transform into a better man.From the sociological perspective, assimilation began from the moment when theJewish immigrants set foot on America. Living under the shadow of anti-Semitism andfrantic pursuit of American dream, Jewish characters’ identity in The Assistant haveundergone transformations of different degrees and their dangling or marginalizedidentity partly accounted for their Jewish suffering.As a writer standing for humanity, Malamud transcended the ethnic boundary andmade great meanings of this suffering world. Just as Cynthia Ozick remarks, Malamudis truly worthy of the title,“a Maestro of humanity”.