Essay - Endurance and Suffering in Bernard Malamud's 'The Assistant' Abstract: Endurance...

Endurance and suffering in Bernard Malamud's "The Assistant"

Abstract: Endurance ***** suffer*****g are main themes as projected through the two lead characters in Bernard Malamud's "The Assistant," a heartwarming mentor-student story set in early 20th century Brooklyn.

As is the case with many of his stories, "***** Assistant," By ***** Malamud, tells ***** story ***** a simple man trying to make his life better ***** a struggle against bad luck. Through ***** characterizations in The *****, Malamud makes his themes of endurance and suffer*****g.

Malamud, perhaps best known for "The Natural," which turned into a 1980s film starring Robert Redford, takes a turn *****t writing about those not in the limelight this time.

The Assistant," Malamud's second novel, ***** some consider his best work, was published in 1957. Set ***** the backdrop of the Depression era, it tells of a Jewish grocery-store owner ********** ***** Italian assistant is like a mor*****lity play.

Malamud's first theme of suffering in order to atta***** a higher moral stature ***** apparent in the character of Morris Bober, the shopkeeper and also through Frank, the assistant.

***** makes clear references to Dos*****yevski, whose philosophy was that through suffer*****g, one can be redeemed, and there are parallels *****out the story to the Book of Job in the Bible.

Frank also l*****ks love and suffering as he works in t***** store for Bo*****r. Bober th*****ks one should turn suffering, a condition we ***** all forced to take, and turn it into something positive. "I suffer for you," Bober tells Alpino.

***** theme through characterization is failure; but even as Bober thinks he is a failure, he ***** not. He has inner conflict with being Jewish and having success because of the innate role that Jews are doomed to uphold and that is one of *****ing. It is shown ***** Morris believes that honesty doesn't pay in the United States and that money is king.

Friends of Bober don't even really see him as successful ***** he doesn't live to possess material goods. Bober's wife constantly ***** him he's a financial *****, after all, ***** s*****re ***** failing despite his hard work and there is disappointment ***** it won't bring in enough money to put daughter *****len through college.

***** Alpino, a drifter who is It*****lian-American, learns much from Bober. He is an orphan who was raised in a Catholic children's institution and is a small-time thief. He has never *****d a wo*****, in fact, he's ***** even had a re*****l relationship of any k*****d. Alpino becomes the ass*****tant in the shop and wants to understand the family and their *****ness, eventually finding in his heart the sympathy for *****.

Bober stands for and is a lovely ex*****mple of suffering (Jewish) humanity; ***** ***** ***** with him — voluntarily sharing his fate — Frank ***** becomes a mensch. The Sisyphean moral burden of Jewishness is passed on from one gen*****tion to another and what is good, ***** is fundamental, survives." 1.

Bober ***** an old man who has