On The Construction Of Fidelman's Jewish Identity

Bernard Malamud(1984-1916)is ranked among the most distinguished American Jewish writers along with Philip Roth and Saul Bellow in the 20 th century.He accomplished 8 novels and more than 50 short stories throughout his life,most of which are filled with rich Jewishness.This thesis mainly investigates in the first three short stories of Pictures of Fidelman: An Exhibition Fidelman's Jewish identity pursuit and his growth in art.The thesis draws on Stuart Hall's theories of cultural identity and diaspora,cultural representations and Homi Bhabha's mimicry to analyze Diaspora's communications and collisions with Western mainstream culture as well as their dilemmas and breakthroughs in the pursuit of Jewish identity and art.The first chapter of the thesis mainly introduces the background information of the author and the story,the theoretical framework,and the thesis structure.The second chapter focuses on the causes of Fidelman's cultural identity crisis in “Last Mohican”.Firstly,from the perspective of the history and religion of Diaspora,the thesis analyzes Fidelman's alienation of Jewish history.Religiously,it is said that in the Bible,the Jewish people and their ancestors were punished for the desecration of Jesus Christ,which leads to their destiny of dispersion and affliction;historically,the destruction of Jerusalem and their kingdom contributes to the 1800-year diaspora experience of the Jews.The subsequent loss of cultural root and the lack of cultural confidence are the fundamental causes of Fidelman's identity crisis.Therefore,the pursuit of Jewish identity is to return to the Jewish root.Secondly,Fidelman's blind adoration of Roman culture and art worsens his identity crisis,too.It is mainly manifested as the appreciation for Roman history,the imitation of Italians' eating habit as well as the passion to study Giotto's art.Thirdly,Fidelman's active neglect of Jewish history and culture also causes his identity crisis.He adores the glorious history in Rome city but neglects Jewish history and the Jewish fellow,failing to understand the Jewish spirit.Unable to grasp the essence of Giotto's art,Fidelman's art critics end up a failure.The third chapter aims to analyze the plights that Fidelman experiences in the pursuit of Jewish identity in “Still Life”.The thesis first discusses Fidelman's chasing for Annamaria,which indicates Fidelman's adoration for Catholic culture.His obedience and compliment both imply the landlady's power and desire to conquer.Second,the thesis analyzes the exclusion and oppression of Fidelman by Western mainstream culture represented by Annamaria with Hall's theory of cultural representation,which displays the difficulty of pursuing Jewish identity and the helplessness of being misrepresented.Third,with Bhabha's notion of mimicry,the thesis illustrates the challenge and resistance of minority groups to Western mainstream culture through the analysis of Fidelman's mimicry of classic Christian paintings.On the one hand,the mimicry of “Virgin with Child” is the appropriation of Catholic culture,and it shakes the dominance of Western mainstream cultural groups;on the other hand,the mimicry of Rembrandt's self-portrait enables Fidelman to greatly weaken the binary opposition between him and Western mainstream culture,which in turn proves his awareness of pursuing Jewish history and culture.The fourth chapter reveals the relationship between Fidelman's art growth and the return of Jewish identity in terms of his art creation in “Naked Nude”.First,the thesis discusses Fidelman's difficulties to return to Jewish origin.Second,the thesis uncloses the moment of Fidelman's return of Jewish identity through analyzing the perfect painting created with Jewish tradition and spirit.Third,the thesis highlights the significance of putting Jewish spirit and life experience into art creation.Through the analyses of the three short stories,the thesis reveals the fact that Jewish artists can have a better understanding of themselves and others unless they are profoundly aware of their own culture and Western culture and able to combine the Jewish spirit and life experience with art creation so as to create true art with souls and grow into independent and mature artists.