New+Historist

Opening Activity:

My Name is Asher Lev is based in the 1950s but written in the 1970s. As a group, list similarities and differences (specific events or ideas) between the 1970s and the 1950s, and how they relate to each other and to a theme, motif, or character in the novel.

(exp. The end of World War II relates to the end of the Civil Rights era which reflects the desire for normalcy and conformity reflected in Asher’s Jewish community)

Background Info:

As we discussed during the biographical discussion, //My Name is Asher Lev// was deeply based off of Chaim Potok’s personal experiences. Written in the 1970s, this novel reflects a deeply disturbed nation. Many Americans believed that America, and what it stands for, had come to an end. Potok’s novel demonstrates the power of American freedom and individualism, even within certain constraints. In Chapter 8, Asher is introduced to the New Testament, his life has become volatile, much like America during the 1970s. Asher should be afraid, and I believe is afraid of the commitment Kahn knows he must make to art, but he chooses to pursue his dream anyway. Asher’s religious, community, and family life could, at any time, self destruct, just like America during this period.

We must also examine the time period in which //My Name is Asher Lev// is set. The period after World War II was devastating for many Jewish communities, especially with the start of the Cold War and the USSR. Art played a major role in turning the mass German populations against the Jewish people. Hitler and the Nazis used exaggerated pictures of Jews, put them in newspapers and on buildings, claiming that Jewish people caused their personal poverty and country’s inferiority. Also, America in the 1950s was a time of conformity. America, because of strain of the Depression and World War II, fought hard for American unity and peace. They wanted to create a sense of separation from evil. You see this in Asher’s families distrust of his talent. It represents non-conformity in a society where being alike is prized more than anything else. People often see Potok’s commentary as strictly Jewish, but we see that this epidemic was felt in every community in America. In Chapter 9, Kahn explains to Asher that artist paint either geometric shapes or flowers. He says he rarely paints the world “beautiful” (Remember, Asher’s mother telling him to do this in a previous chapter?). Asher, again turns to “immodest” paintings when he paints himself without a shirt, demonstrating his rebellion and desire to be honest. His uncle’s hatred of this reflects society’s view that ‘hiding the truth to make the world more beautiful is necessary’. Art represents the non-conformity that people during the 1950s despised and destroyed.

This literary criticism ties together Potok’s theme in relation to history//. My Name is Asher Lev// is a “reflector of the novelist's commitment to contribute to a new Jewish civilization, one which rebuilds its core from the treasures of the past and fuses that with the best of the surrounding world.” (Kremer). But I believe this does not only reflect the Jewish civilization, but America as a whole.

Discussion Questions:

1. Why do you think Kahn really believes that Asher needs to read the New Testament? 2. Do you believe that Asher is innocent, ignorant or correct about not needing to free himself as much as Kahn did to paint? 3. How do innocence and ignorance tie into Asher Lev and society at the time of the 1950s versus the 1970s? 4. What does Jacob mean by saying that Asher’s art has too much love? How does a lack of love represent Jewish (and even American) ideals in both decades? 5. Rivkeh supports Asher, even it is dangerous to his Jewish foundation. Why do you think she is willing to do this? Also, what societal group could Rivkeh represent from either the 50s or the 70s? 6. What does Kahn’s geometric painting state about his character and role in the novel? What could this represent about society at the time? 7. Why do you think Kahn is trying so hard to push Asher away from Judaism? 8. How do you think Asher’s paining of his mother reflects his mental state of being? Or does it? 9. What role does Asher’s fear of the “Other Side” play in stifling his artistic talent? Or does act as a catalyst for his painting? 10. What significance does Asher’s parents’ departure have on his development? Symbolically, is this a step forward or backward in Asher’s life? In society? 11. What historical event could his parents leaving represent or parallel?

Works Cited:

"Chaim Potok." //DISCovering Authors//. Online Detroit: Gale, 2003. //Discovering Collection//. Thomson Gale. 7 May. 2007 [GSRC&type=retrieve &tabID=T001&prodId=IPS&docId=EJ2101206709&source=gale&srcprod=DISC&userGroupName=litt24484&version=1.0|http://find.galenet.com/ips/infomark.do?&contentSet= GSRC&type=retrieve &tabID=T001&prodId=IPS&docId=EJ2101206709&source=gale&srcprod=DISC&userGroupName=litt24484&version=1.0]. Ashley L.