The Assistant

Context

Bernard Malamud was born was born on April 28, 1913 in Brooklyn, New York. His parentsMax and Bertha Fidelman Malamud had immigrated to Brooklyn from Russia and met in theStates. They owned a grocery store in Brooklyn, which accounts for the primary role of agrocery store in The Assistant and other Malamud stories. Malamud graduated from EramusHall High School in 1932. He went on to graduate from City College of New York with a B.A.in 1936. Six years later he earned a Master's Degree in English literature from ColumbiaUniversity. Malamud began writing stories after graduating from Columbia. He took a job withthe Bureau of the Census in Washington, D.C. in 1940, but left to become an evening instructorin English at Eramus High School. In 1949, he joined the faculty of Oregon State Universitywhere he remained until 1961 when he began working at Bennington College. He married Anade Chiara in 1945 and had two children, Paul and Janne.

Malamud's first novel, The Natural, was published in 1952 and many critics see it as anecessary reference text for Malamud's later work. In the novel, which was later popularized ina movie staring Robert Redford, Malamud uses a realistic, yet folkloristic technique to explorethe idea of the American dream, as seen with through the career of a baseball player. By mixingallegory and realism, Malamud explores the motifs of character development, the Americandream, and the transcendence of the self. Most of these motifs reappear in Malamud's secondnovel, The Assistant which was published in 1957.

Malamud uses the The Assistant to address some of the motifs from The Natural, but sets thenovel in an immigrant setting with strong Jewish main characters. The novel manages to evokethe tradition of Yiddish folklore while maintaining Malamud's training in classic literature andphilosophy. The main character of the novel, Morris Bober, for example can be interpretedfrom both traditions. Some critics have pointed to Morris Bober being a version of theschemiel, a traditional archetype from Yiddish folklore who acts as an ironic hero, using lighthumor and irony to soften an otherwise harsh world. At the same time other critics havesuggested Morris Bober as the embodiment of the existential "I-THOU" philosophy describedby Bober's close namesake, Martin Buber. Both of these interpretations seem fitting and theydemonstrate that Malamud's novel reflects his ethnic familial background, while alsomaintaining the intellectual tradition in which he was trained. Malamud always objected tobeing called a "Jewish writer," because he has found the term too limiting. Malamud's mainpremise as a writer, as he explains, was "to keep civilization from destroying itself". As such,he worked for humanismand against nihilism".

Malamud's other publications include The Magic Barrel, a collection of short stories, in 1952;A New Life in 1961; The Fixer in 1966; Pictures of Fidelman, a collection of short stories, in1969; The Tenants in 1971, Dubin's Lives in 1979, and God's Grace in 1982. Malamud won theNational Book Award twice for the The Magic Barrel and The Fixers in 1959 and 1967. He wonthe Pulitzer Prize in 1967 for The Fixers, as well. He died on March 18, 1986 in New York City.

Plot Overview

The Assistant tells the story of an immigrant grocer, Morris Bober, who lives and works inBrooklyn, New York. Bober emigrated from Russia in his teenage years and met his wife Ida inNew York. Their grocery recently has fallen on hard times because a new store has openedacross the street and is taking their customers. To stay afloat, the Bobers also rely upon thewages of their daughter, Helen who works as a secretary.

On the opening day of the novel, two men rob Morris's grocery and knock him unconsciouswith a blow to the head. Following his injury, a man named Frank Alpine arrives in theneighborhood. Frank has come from a rough life in the West to start again. When Morris re-opens the store, Frank appears each morning to help him drag in the heavy milk crates.Eventually, Frank asks if Morris would let Frank work for free so that Frank could learn thetrade. Morris says no and Frank disappears. Soon after Morris observes that a quart of milk andtwo rolls are stolen from his deliveries each morning. After a week, Morris alerts the policebecause he cannot find the culprit. On the next day, Morris finds Frank Alpine sleeping in hiscellar. Frank admits to stealing the milk and bread out of hunger. Morris feeds Frank and letshim sleep in the grocery for the night. The next morning, Morris slips while dragging in themilk and passes out. Frank rescues him then puts on the grocer's apron and starts working in thestore.

During the two weeks that Morris recovers, Frank manages to bring in much more money thanMorris had done. When Morris returns, Frank moves upstairs to a small room off an apartmentthat an Italian couple, the Fusos, rent. Because business is so successful, Morris eventuallywants to pay Frank. Frank feels guilty about being paid because unknown to the grocer, Frankhas been stealing money. Furthermore, it was he and Ward Minogue, a boy whose father is alocal detective, who had robbed the grocery.

Frank becomes interested in Helen Bober. Helen recently lost her virginity to Nat Pearl a localJewish boy whose parents own a candy store and who is attending Law School, but she shunnedhim after learning that he only wanted sex. The other local Jewish boy on the street, LouisKarp, suggests that Helen marry him, but she is not interested. Frank courts Helen by meetingher at the library, which she visits twice a week. Eventually, they start spending a lot of timetogether and even kiss. When Frank suggests that they touch more, Helen tells him that shecannot have sex with someone unless she is sure that she loves him. Frank tries to control hisurges.

Morris Bober enjoys working with Frank and the two men tell stories to each other during theday. One day, Morris starts to suspect Frank of stealing because revenues do not equal whatMorris thinks that they should be. He starts watching Frank closely. Frank, at the same time, isovercome by his guilty conscience and decides to repay all the money he has stolen. He placessix dollars back in the register one day, but when he realizes that he will need some money forthat night, he steals a dollar back. Morris catches him and is heartbroken. Still, he orders Frankto leave.

The same night, Helen goes to meet Frank late in the park. She has decided that she loves him

and will have sex with him. When she gets to the park, a drunk Ward Minogue, whom sheknows from primary school, tries to rape her. Frank appears and rescues her, but proceeds torape her himself.

The following day, Morris Bober falls asleep in his apartment with the radiator unlit, floodinghis rooms with gas and almost killing himself. Frank and Nick Fuso save him. Morris contractspneumonia and has to go to the hospital. Frank keeps the store open for the weeks when Morrisis sick. Business is terrible because two Norwegians have just reopened the competing groceryand all the customers have gone there. Frank gives all of his personal savings to the grocery andworks all night long at a different job to keep it afloat. Still, when Morris returns to the shop hemakes Frank leave. Morris himself then tries to save the business by finding another job, but hecannot. A mysterious man appears one night offering to burn the store down so that Morris cancollect the insurance money, but Morris turns him down. Later Morris tries to light such a firehimself, but nearly burns himself to death before Frank appears and rescues him. Morris againorders Frank out.

One night, Ward Minogue, who has been diagnosed with diabetes and who is actingdesperately, sneaks into the Karp's liquor store through a broken back window. After gettingdrunk, Ward accidentally sets the store on fire. Karp's store and building are ruined. The nextday, Karp, who has insurance, offers to buy Morris's store and grocery so that he can reopen.Morris feels happy and goes out to shovel snow for the pedestrians, although he fails to wearhis coat. Later that night, he falls sick and dies three days later from pneumonia.

After Morris's death, Frank Alpine starts running the store. He works all night at a different joband tries everything to make the store work, but times are tough. Still, he decides that he wantsto pay for Helen to attend college. At the end of the book, Helen has become friendlier to Frankand seems ready to accept his offer of tuition. Frank himself has changed utterly becomingcompletely honest and very much like Morris Bober, whose store and philosophies he nowembraces. In his final act, Frank Alpine goes to the hospital, has himself circumcised and afterPassover becomes a Jew.

Character List

Morris Bober - The protagonist of the novel. Morris Bober runs the grocery that is central tothe novel and is the character who represents the heart of the novel. Morris is an honest,thoughtful compassionate man who serves other people even though the world constantlydelivers bad luck to him. His character is held up as the model of morality and it is what FrankAlpine attempts to emulate. In a community characterized by social and economic troubles,Morris stands as a bedrock of moral support. His store provides the milk and bread thatnourishes the community, just as his ethics help to treat all people in a humane manner.

Read an in-depth analysis of Morris Bober.

Ida Bober - The wife of Morris Bober and the mother of Helen Bober. Ida is a slightlyworrisome older Jewish woman, but she is a good person who appears to have a good soul. Idaworries most about Frank Alpine, a gentile, becoming involved with her daughter. Her biastoward her ethnicity is such that she weeps upon finding out that Helen actually kissed Frank.Still, although Ida views Frank suspiciously throughout the novel, she is not unkind to him.Like Morris, she does not consider Frank a bad man for taking milk and bread because he wasstarving. Additionally, although she would like him to leave, she also pays him more moneybecause she feels that it is only fair given their increased profits. While Helen worries, she hasa gentle character that is without malice. Her constant Yiddish style of debating and arguingwith her husband provides a light comic touch to the novel.Helen Bober - The daughter of Ida and Morris Bober. Helen bears a classical name and inmany ways appears to be a classical character. She lacks the Yiddish dialect of her parents andspeaks in educated English. She longs to read and become a great scholar and learn the classics,but her limited access to college makes her very frustrated. For this reason, Helen becomes adreamer who does not always perceive people and situations correctly. For example, sheinitially fails to perceive that Nat Pearl is not seriously interested in her, which later crushesher after she has sex with him. Next, she places her own perceptions of Frank upon him,thereby not entirely reading his character correctly. Helen undergoes a character developmentof her own that mirrors Frank's in some ways, making her a more realized creature at the end ofthe novel.

Read an in-depth analysis of Helen Bober.

Frank Alpine - The stranger who appears in the Bobers' neighborhood and eventually takesover their grocery. Frank Alpine's struggle to control his self and his character is the drivingconflict of the novel. Frank is torn between his tendency to do bad and his desire to do good. Heidolizes Saint Francis of Assisi as a model of good, yet even while he fantasizes of being likethe Saint he continues to steal from the grocery. Frank initially appears to be the assistant toMorris's techniques of running the grocery, but in truth becomes an assistant to his way of life.By the end of the novel, Frank will have fully come to embrace Morris's ethical system.

Read an in-depth analysis of Frank Alpine.

Julius Karp - The liquor storeowner down the street from the Bobers. Julius Karp is a

Yiddish- speaking immigrant to Brooklyn like Morris Bober, but Karp is a far lesscompassionate character. Financial considerations almost always influence Karp's actions.Karp leases the tailor shop to a grocer, even though he realizes that the move will possibly ruinMorris Bober's business. Karp wants his son to marry Helen Bober, but only does so because hewants to expand his economic empire to include Morris's store. Karp is the most prosperousmerchant on the block, but he is too cheap to buy a telephone and always uses Morris. Karplikes to be around Morris and likes Morris to like him, but Karp has little moral conscience ofhis own. Karp is an immigrant who managed to have initial success in America, but who doesnothing to support his fellow immigrants around him.Louis Karp - The lazy son of Julius Karp. Louis never has achieved anything on his own andmakes his living running his father's store. Louis has no ambition for anything greater in life.Even as an employee in his father's store, Louis steals from his father. When Julius Karp has aheart attack at the end of the novel, Louis decides that the liquor store will be closed because heis too lazy to take care of it while his father recovers. Louis's actions stand in sharp contrast tothose of Frank Alpine, who effectively is the foster son of Morris Bober and who worksdiligently to keep the store running.Ward Minogue - The son of Detective Minogue and the true bad person in the novel. In thepairing of sons and fathers, Ward Minogue represents the wicked son. Although his father is adetective, Ward Minogue has long violated the law. His father takes Ward's failings as a sonand a human seriously, beating him, and ejecting him from his household. Although theseriousness of Ward's father might seem slightly harsh and although Ward is a character whosuffers, mostly from Diabetes toward the end of the book, he is not a very sympathetic person.He is racist and cruel. He tries to violently rape Helen and he hits Morris Bober out of spite andcomplete malice. Ward Minogue is an evildoer, with no redeeming qualities.Detective Minogue - The father of Ward Minogue and the detective who investigates thecrimes on the Bobers' block. Detective Minogue is portrayed as a sympathetic character, whotreats the Bobers kindly and genuinely tries to help them with no discrimination. DetectiveMinogue is a strict father, but his desire to maintain the law seems appropriate. AlthoughDetective Minogue beats his son after his son robs Karp's liquor store, if he did not, his sonwould be put in jail. Detective Minogue's troubled relationship with his son testifies to thetheme of father-son relationships that Malamud explores in the novel.Nat Pearl - Represents the most socially and educationally successful son in the novel. NatPearl has managed to become a college graduate and a law student as a first generationAmerican, something that none of the other immigrant children have done. Despite hisachievements, Nat is not a kind and compassionate man. Although he will study the law, hetreats Helen without true fairness by using her for sexual favors, although he will not marry herdue to her poverty. Nat, like Julius Karp, is another person who acts out of self-interest withlittle care and attention to the needs of others.Betsy Pearl - Nat's sister and Sam and Goldie Pearl's daughter. Betsy is a minor characterwho serves as Helen's one friend. Compared to Helen, Betsy is unintelligent and uninteresting,but there is no evidence that she is unkind.Al Marcus - The seller of paper bags who frequently visits the Bobers' grocery store. AlMarcus represents life and the unwillingness to suffer and yield in the face of difficultcircumstances. Although he has a terminal form of cancer, he keeps working diligently as apaper bag salesman, not willing to simply give up and die. Because of his attitude, he is able tolive much longer than the doctors believe that he shall. Frank thinks that Marcus represents

suffering, but actually Marcus represents the desire for life and living that people in difficultcircumstances manages to embody.Breitbart - The seller of light bulbs. Breitbart rarely speaks in the book, but he too is a manwho persists in the face of difficult times. Although Breitbart's partner defrauded him and ranaway with his wife, Breitbart goes on. He does not seem happy and he suffers, but his lifecontinues. Through his struggle, he embodies the possibilities of life. His sale of light bulbscarries a metaphorical connotation in that he is giving people the instruments that will light uptheir lives, symbolically suggesting the possibility that he is giving them the tools that willallow them to illuminate themselves.Sam and Goldie Pearl - Nat and Betsy's parents who own the candy store on the block. Theyare relatively successful and Sam manages to make money betting on the horses. Little isknown about them, but they help demonstrate the ways that immigrants in America havestruggled.Nick and Tessie Fuso - They rent the upstairs apartment from Morris Bober. Little is knownabout them. Nick and Tessie are Italian and poor immigrants. Their presence helps to show thediversity of the neighborhood and the way that people of all different ethnic backgroundsstruggle in the city after they first arrive.Ephraim - Morris and Ida Bober's deceased son. Ephraim died of an ear infection at an agethat is not specified. Little is known about Ephraim's personality, but his death has created avoid in Morris Bober's life that creates much of his sadness. The fact that Morris Bober hasbeen left without a son is important in the plot, however, because Frank Alpine is able to fillthe space that Ephraim one held and become a foster child.Schmitz - German owner of the grocery store across the street. Schmitz never acts in thenovel, but is a subtle presence because the presence of his store negatively affects the Bobers'store. Schmitz's German ethnicity is noteworthy because of the persecuting role that German'splayed on the Jews during the Holocaust. On an allegorical level, the way that Schmitz pushesMorris out of business and into deeper poverty can be compared to the way that Germans madeJews suffer in Europe.

Analysis of Major Characters

Morris Bober

Morris Bober represents the moral center of the novel. Morris is a kind and generous figurewho believes that people should treat each other compassionately and not cheat one another.Morris is an ironic hero because while he is the champion of the novel, he does not achieveanything significant or win any great battles. Morris's temperament is governed by quietresignation to the hand that he has been dealt. It is a hand that is characterized by suffering, dueto economic deprivation and the death of a loved son, but Morris accepts it without muchcomplaint. For Morris, suffering is an unfortunate but necessary part of life. Through it, one isable to spiritually transcend the pain and see the meaningful beauty of life. Morris lives thesevalues everyday. Although he is not happy being trapped in an unsuccessful grocery, he thanksGod for the presence of Julius Karp because Karp's presence reminds Morris how much morevaluable it is to be poor and realized, than rich and foolish.

Morris's behavior is also characterized by his kindness to other people. Morris wants to shovelthe snow in front of the shop for the Christians going to church. Morris chases after a customerwho leaves change in the store. Morris opens his shop at six am just to sell the Polish woman athree-cent roll. It is Morris's insistence that he always act well to others, in fact, that createssome of his suffering. While other merchants make money by cheating their customers, Morrisremains poor but triumphs spiritually because he remains good. Morris may have died a modestman who felt like a failure, but his true success as a human being can be measured in thetransformation of Frank Alpine. It is under Morris's influence that Frank turned from being aman of moral degeneration to a good man who has accepted another's burden of suffering out ofa commitment to love, compassion, and responsibility. On the level of morals and ethics,Morris succeeds, even if others think that he failed in life.

Frank Alpine

Frank Alpine is perhaps the most important character in the novel since he is the assistantnamed in the novel's title. It is Frank's transformation from a dishonest character to one markedby goodness and grace that motivates the novel's movement. Having acted in a robbery againstMorris Bober, Frank arrives at the Bober store in an effort to "make it up" to the grocer. At thesame time, Frank's behavior has a slightly masochistic edge, where he is trying to punishhimself for bad deeds done. Although Frank is trying to be good, his dishonesty cannot stop.His continual thievery from the store demonstrates the extraordinary difference between whathe longs for and what he actually does. Although Frank occasionally feels guilty, his need tosteal resembles a disease where he almost involuntarily keeps slipping change into his pocketwhile receiving a mild thrill from the theft. Frank's pursuit of Helen follows an equallyambiguous pattern. On the one hand, Frank wants to love someone purely, but on the other handhe simply lusts after Helen's body. Frank cloaks his desire for Helen under the guise of truelove. To some extent, Frank believes that he is in love, but his eventual inability to control hislust slips out as he forces Helen to have sex despite her resistance. Frank initially tries toemulate Saint Francis of Assisi in his pursuit for goodness, but after working with MorrisBober begins to take up Morris's philosophy for his own. It is not until after Frank's exposure as

the dishonest person that he is that he is able to truly patch his life together in the way that hewants it. He has become the assistant to Morris Bober and has learned from him a peaceful wayof life that will not grant him riches, but will grant him the patience and goodness to survive.When his transformation is complete, Frank finally is able to fully love Helen.

Helen Bober

Helen Bober has a classical name that does not reflect her Yiddish background. Helen's nameevokes the idea of ancient Greece. Like Helen of Troy, Helen Bober is a figure that many menbecome interested it. Furthermore, Helen's name suggests her desire to study the classicsherself, a desire that has been thwarted by her family's poverty. Helen is the character wholinks the owners of the grocery to the other people in the neighborhood. Helen leaves thegrocery everyday and heads out to work as a secretary somewhere in New York. Helen has hadrelationships with Nat Pearl and Louis Karp. It is through her interaction with those men thattheir true natures become known and it is also through her interaction with their families thatMalamud is able to explore their family dynamics. Despite her ability to leave the grocery eachday, Helen is perpetually unsatisfied. She spends her hours dreaming of a better life. She clingsto novels and visits the library several times a week, in an effort to use literature as a means toflee the mediocrity of her life. Because Helen is a dreamer, she does not always accuratelyunderstand people when she meets them. Her strong longing to flee poverty initiated her love ofNat Pearl. As a future lawyer, Nat represented someone with a possibility. Regardless that hischaracter was not all charming, Helen fell in love with him for what he represented to her.When Helen realized his true desiressexshe shunned him. Helen also initially loves FrankAlpine even though she is not able to see him for who he is. She believes that he really willattend college because it is what she wants and fails to imagine that the presents he gives herwere stolen because she does not want them to be. It is only after Frank's vicious treatment ofher and Morris's death that Helen slowly comes to a new realization about Frank and Nat. Withher realization, she is finally able to love more than she an image that she has created.

Themes, Motifs, and Symbols

Themes

Father and Son Relationships

Four father-son relationships exist in The Assistant, three biological and one created. Thecreated relationship exists between Morris Bober and Frank Alpine. Morris's biological son,Ephraim, died at a young age, but Frank arrives to learn Morris's trade and philosophy. Frankwill be the one to inherit the grocery when Morris dies, which a son would normally do. Theother sons and fathers demonstrate the difficult nature of passing on one's ethics and values toone's child. Jeffrey Helterman proposes that Malamud's presentation of four-father sonrelationships evokes the tradition of evoking four kinds of sons during the Passover Seder: thewise son (Nat Pearl), the wicked son (Ward Minogue), the foolish son (Louis Karp), and the sonwho has wits not to ask (Frank Alpine). Frank eventually does learn to ask the right questionsand in doing so becomes more of a son to Morris Bober than the other sons are to their fathers.The way that these various relationships are explored in the novel touches on the relativedifficulty of passing a historical legacy from father to son, as well as one's philosophy ofsystem of laws.

Transcendence of One's Self

Frank Alpine spends the novel learning to transcend the ignoble desires of his self and learn tobe a good person. Frank's general tendencies, as exhibited in the beginning of the novel, leantoward dishonesty and lust for Helen. He desires to become like Saint Francis, a model ofgoodness, but it is only through a fierce struggle that he is able to do so. Morris Bober is aperson who has learned how to transcend his self and proceed with grace. Morris Bober fullyaccepts the idea of suffering. He sees that it is necessary to his self and the world. Through hisacceptance, Morris is able to transcend the imprisoning effect of his suffering and liberate hisself. Frank Alpine's eventual transformation in the novel allows his to achieve similar spiritualfreedom.

Struggle for the American Dream

All of the characters in the novel are either immigrants or the children of immigrants. In thebelly of New York City, they all struggle for the American Dream. Malamud suggests that thisstruggle is difficult, but also acknowledges its possibilities. Some immigrants, like Julius Karp,have managed to become rich. Although Julius is not an honorable person, his economicsuccess came in part from his own hard work and his willingness to take advantage of theopportunities before his eyes. Nat Pearl represents another success story in the community.Although his parents still speak Yiddish, he managed to attend Columbia and now attends LawSchool. While there are these successes, there are also many difficulties. The Bobers barelysubsist even though they own their own business. Carl, the Swedish painter, has children whoappear to be constantly hungry. Even the tendency for customers to leave the Bobers' store forbetter prices seems reasonable given their economic struggle. Malamud exposes the possibilityof realizing the American Dream as a new immigrant, but also its harsh reality by exposing thelives in an immigrant community in Brooklyn.

Motifs

Saint Francis of Assisi

Saint Francis of Assisi reappears throughout the novel mostly when Frank Alpine discusseshim. When Frank was an orphan, the priest used to read portions of Saint Francis's book SaintFrancis's Little Flowers to the boys. Frank always longed to achieve the goodness that SaintFrancis embodied. The constant reappearance of Saint Francis in the text, or through the imagesof flowers and birds, constantly reminds Frank of his desire to be good, even though hecontinues to always do wrong. Saint Francis also was an eclectic monk who preached thatpoverty was the way to reach God and was Christ's true message. The Catholic Church of histime considered Saint Francis's ideas incorrect and dangerous, since their ability to collectfunds from their parishes kept them rich. Morris Bober, however, shares Saint Francis'sperspective and accepts his impoverishment as a way that he has remained spiritually afresh.Eventually, Frank Alpine will come to accept impoverishment as well and despite living in it,will be able to spiritually transform.

Prison

The idea that the grocery where the Bobers' work is a prison occurs often throughout the novel.Helen Bober always thinks of her home as a prison and once even dreams of it as such. Themerchants who find Frank Alpine working in the shop warn him to leave or he will get stuckthere too, in a prison-like death tomb. The idea of prison relates to Malamud's discussion ofsuffering and redemption. When asked about the prison motif in his work, Malamud oncestated, "I use it as a metaphor for the dilemma of all men: necessity, whose bare we lookthrough and try not to see. Social injustice, apathy, ignorance. The personal prison ofentrapment in past experience, guilt, obsessionthe somewhat blind or blinded self. A man hasto construct, invent his freedom." Within The Assistant, the only character who does not thinkof the grocery as a prison is Morris Bober. Although he is not happy there, he has come toaccept the grocery store and he also does not see it as the sole factor imprisoning him in hislife. As Frank Alpine changes, he will willingly come to live in the prison of the grocerydespite everyone's warnings. His doing so is possible because his changed self as altered thenature of his imprisonment, as his soul has been freed.

Yiddish Language

Phrases and words from the Yiddish Language dominate the way that Morris and Ida Boberspeak. Malamud emphasizes their native language by placing Yiddish words directly in the textsuch as: "landsleit" (countrymen), "parnusseh" (livelihood), and "gesheft" (business). The useof Anglicized Yiddish terms also demonstrates their native language, such as the Polish womanbeing a "Poilisheh," the Italian tenant being an "Italyener," and the possible robbers being"holdupnicks." Most importantly, Malamud directly translates from the Yiddish into theEnglish, with the parts of speech not appearing in their normal American locations. Forexample, Ida's inquiry of Morris, "You said to him something not nice," might normally beexpressed in American English as, "You said something not nice to him?" The Yiddish phrasinghelps to ground the characters' ethnic backgrounds. It also plays an important textual role inindicating Frank Alpine's evolution. Toward the end of the novel, Frank too occasionally thinksin Yiddish phrasings, indicating his full embrace of Morris Bober's philosophy.

Symbols

Flowers

Flowers reappear throughout the text as a symbol related to the motif of Saint Francis of Assisi.Helen's naked behind is compared to a flower; Frank dreams of Helen throwing him a flower;Frank carves Helen a wooden flower; and Helen tosses a flower into her father's grave. Realflowers represent the realization of pure love that characterized Saint Francis. For most of thebook, Helen and Frank are not able to love one another. The symbol of the wooden flowershows Frank's desire to love Helen, but also his inability to transcend a concrete image of whatthis love would equal and fully embrace it. At the end of the novel when Saint Francistransforms Frank's wooden flower into a real one, his love has become fully realized and pure.

The Novels Frank reads

After learning that Frank wants to go to college, Helen makes Frank read Anna Karenina,Madame Bovary, and Crime and Punishment. Helen's desire that Frank read these bookshighlights her desire to transform him into something that she wants him to be. Helen isbeginning to fall in love with him, but not with who he truly is, but with the man she believesshe can make him into. On one level, these books suggest Helen's inability to properly love. Onthe level of text, the books all contain plots that mirror Frank Alpine's own struggle. In all ofthe novels, the main characters commit a "crime" that changes their entire life: both AnnaKarenina and Madame Bovary have affairs; and Raskolnikov commits a murder. Given Frank'sguilty conscience, these books all make him consider whether or not he will be able to redeemhimself in the future. Ironically, although Helen gave Frank the books, she barely understandsthem herself and as the novel continues she is not able to forgive Frank even though hecommitted a crime just like her revered heroes and heroines.

Milk and bread

Morris Bober receives crates of milk each morning from the deliverymen, which sit outside hisdoor until he drags them in. He also receives two bags of rolls that he sells throughout the day.This milk and this bread symbolize Morris's importance as a sustainer of the community. Thesetwo products provide physical nourishment for the neighborhood. When Frank Alpine isstarving and sleeping in the basement, he survives alone on milk and rolls. Morris's tendency tosell products that support his customers is consistent with his status as a moral supporter forthe community. While Julius Karp makes much more money by trading in alcohol, MorrisBober is content to sell people health and nourishment through his marketing of these morewholesome goods.

Chapter OneSummary

Morris Bober opens his store on a cold November morning at 6 a.m., after dragging in crates ofmilk and bag of rolls left by delivery men. An old Polish woman is at the door and he sells hera roll for three cents. After she is gone, he heats up the store. A young girl whose mother is adrunk comes in and asks for food on credit and although Morris initially wants to say no, hegives the girl the food. He notes the drunk woman's debt on a piece of paper, reducing itslightly so that Morris's wife, Ida, will not be too upset. Morris thinks to himself that businessis rough, as he awaits the arrival of his upstairs tenant, Nick Fuso, who usually buys ham andbread each morning.

Morris has owned the grocery for twenty-one years and it has basically remained the sameduring those years. As the morning passes, Nick does not arrive and Morris sees him returninghome with a bag from a different grocery store. Morris feels depressed. A few customers enter,but buy little. Breitbart, a light bulb peddler, comes in for a cup of tea. After Breitbart leaves,Morris's wife Ida comes downstairs. At age fifty-one, she is nine years younger than Morris.Despite her younger age, her aching feet keep her from working frequently. Morris tells herthat business has been slow. Together, they discuss their desire that someone will buy the store.Ida reminds Morris that Julius Karp, a man who owns a liquor store on the street, telephoned aman who might be interested. She hopes the buyer will come today. Ida chastises her husbandfor smoking and tells him to go upstairs to eat and rest.

Upstairs, Morris eats and reflects that business is so bad lately because a new grocery storeowned by a German, Schmitz, opened across the street. A tailor used to work there, but after heleft, Karp, who owns the property, leased it to Schmitz. Morris asked Karp why he could be sounkind to him, but Karp told him not to worry. Morris had worried for about a month and thenafter Schmitz's store opened, he found that it was as bad as he thought.

The narrative cuts to Helen Bober, Ida and Morris's daughter. She is on the subway cominghome from work when Nat Pearl approaches and asks if she is mad at him. Helen tells him no.She reflects that during the summer she had felt in love with Nat, so she agreed to sleep withhim, thus losing her virginity. Later she realized that Nat only wanted to have sex and not toform a meaningful relationship. Since then, she had shunned him. Nat and Helen grew upon thesame block since Nat's parents, Sam and Goldie Pearl, owned a nearby candy store, but Nat hadmanaged to graduate from Columbia University and now attends law school. Helen gets off thesubway and heads home. She passes the Pearls' candy store and also Karp's liquor store, the twostores owned by Jews on an otherwise gentile block. Karp used to have a poor shoe store, buthis liquor business made him very successful.

Morris wakes and heads downstairs just before Helen walks in. The buyer has not come. Idasends Helen upstairs to eat. Helen hates their small dark apartment and reflects that her fatherhas never really left their block since her brother, Ephraim, died. Morris comes up and offers tolet Helen keep more of her paycheck, but she refuses. Morris feels shame that he cannot sendher to college, which is her dream.

In the evening, business picks up. Karp comes in and asks if the buyer came. Morris has feltmildly annoyed with Karp since Karp rented his space to another grocer. Karp tells Morris thathe has seen a car pass by several times and thinks that they want to rob him. Karp, althoughricher, is too cheap to have a phone and asks Morris to call the cops in a few minutes, afterKarp hollers to him. Morris agrees and Karp leaves. Nick Fuso's wife, Tessie, enters and buyssome food to make amends for her husband shopping elsewhere in the morning. Morris hearsKarp call to him and he starts moving toward the phone. As he does so, he sees two men withhandkerchiefs on their faces enter the store. One has a pistol. They take the money from theregister and ask where the rest is. Morris insists that he is poor and has no more money. Theman with the gun calls Morris a lying Jew and strikes him across the face. The other perpetratorprotests his partner's movements and immediately offers Morris some water in a cup. The mensearch the store, but find no more money. The man with the gun again questions Morris formoney, but when Morris offers none he strikes him again. As Morris passes out, he thinks thatit is a fitting end to his unlucky day.

Analysis

This opening chapter introduces the novel's characters, setting, as well as the plot event thatsets the story moving. The book opens with Morris Bober unlocking his cold store at six am fora waiting Polish woman. This opening is significant. First, as Morris brings the Polish womaninside, so too does he bring the narrative gaze. The movement of the narration from outside toinside immediately locates the reader in the primary setting for the novel: the grocery. Theview of the world that the reader shall become to learn will be that of the grocer, first MorrisBober and then Frank Alpine. The immediate movement into the grocery thus seems highlyappropriate.

Morris Bober's opening act also is crucial to his personality because it shows his generous andself-sacrificing nature. Morris always opens the store at six am just to sell the polish woman athree-cent roll. Although Morris has economic need, he does not wake so early to help thepolish woman simply because of it. He does so because he knows that someone needs to serveher, so it might as well be him. Morris's act suggests his moral order in which hecompassionately supports the needs and desires of other people to the best of his ability.Morris's generous and kindly disposition can also be seen when he sells the drunk woman foodthat he knows she will never pay for. Morris's generous behavior in this chapter helps to depicthis strong moral fiber and sincere character. In doing so, it helps to frame the plot and establishthe themes of the book upon which Morris's character depends.

The idea that Morris suffers and has economic desperation also is established in this chapterand will be expanded upon throughout the book. The Bobers have owned the grocery fortwenty-one years, a significant number that suggests the age of true maturing from child toadult, and their economic subservience to the success of the business places them in a difficult,almost imprisoned state. If the grocery does poorly, as it is doing now, the Bobers are stuckwith no livelihood and can only pray for a buyer. The idea of the grocery being a prisonreappears as a motif throughout the novel. It should also be noted that Malamud's ownimmigrant parents owned a grocery in which they were also trapped and the grocery setting andits subsequent signification is an on-going theme in his stories.

The Bober's suffering has not only been economic, as the chapter suggests with its reference tothe death of their son, Ephraim. His name first is mentioned without context as Morris thinksabout Ephraim in the store, which makes Morris's eyes grow wet. Later Helen's thoughtsexplain who Ephraim is as she remembers her childhood. How Ephraim died is not explained inthis section, although it is an obviously poignant remembrance. The memory helps to suggestthe pain that the Bobers have suffered and as the novel continues Ephraim will play anincreasingly important symbolic role as a lost son while his father develops a new foster fatherrelationship with Frank Alpine.

Helen's walk through the neighborhood after leaving the subway locates the grocery within itsBrooklyn neighborhood. The neighborhood has only three Jewish families, but is an immigrantlocation where all of the characters are referred to their ethnicities. There is Carl the Swedishpainter, Schmitz the German grocer, the Polish woman, and Nick Fuso the Italian mechanic.These ethnic references suggest that these people are true immigrants who left Europe tostruggle in America for a better life. Everyone in this community lives in varying shades ofpoverty, which the exception it seems of Julius Karp, who has run a successful liquor business.All future events in the novel should be understood as taking place in this impoverishedimmigrant community. Nat Pearl's ability to attend Columbia and law school, for example, istruly noteworthy, given the fact that his parents recently arrived off a boat from somewhere inYiddish speaking Europe.

The speech patterns of the character also highlight their ethnic backgrounds. Morris and IdaBober along with the other older Jews, the Karps and the Pearls, all speak Yiddish. Malamudshows their language by placing Yiddish words directly in the text such as: "landsleit"(countrymen), "parnusseh" (livelihood), and "gesheft" (business). The use of AnglicizedYiddish terms also demonstrates their native language, such as the Polish woman being a"Poilisheh," the Italian tenant being an "Italyener," and the possible robbers being"holdupnicks." Finally, the way that Ida and Morris speak English uses Yiddish grammartranslated, with the verbs and adjectives not in the normal American locations. For example,Ida's statement, "You should long ago sell the store" suggests her Yiddish speech patterns sinceit is not expressed in the normal American manner, which would be something like, "Youshould have sold the store long ago." The translated Yiddish style allows Malamud to preservethe mixture of comedy, irony, and tragedy in that language. The ironic language is importantsince Morris Bober will prove to be an ironic hero whose life is both comedic and tragic. Hisironic style can be seen in the final sentence of the chapter, "The end fitted the day. It was hisluck, others had better." The tone of the language will play an important part in characterdevelopment and since the novel's plot concerns character, this use of language is crucial.

Chapter TwoSummary

After Morris's injury, he stays in bed for a week. For one day during that week, the store is shutcompletely, but during the other days Ida and Helen manage to keep it open. During the sameweek, a skinny, sad eyed stranger appears on the block. He frequently sits in Sam Pearl's candyshop drinking coffee and tells them that his name is Frank Alpine and he has just moved toNew York from the west. One day, Frank shows Sam Pearl a picture of Saint Francis of Assisithat Frank just found in a magazine. Saint Francis is Frank's hero, of whom Frank frequentlyheard when he was a child in an orphanage.

A week after the robbery, Morris opens his store. The Polish woman returns the next morningto buy a roll and Morris sells her one as he has for years, even though he knows she is slightlyanti-Semitic. As Morris goes to bring in the milk, he almost swoons from dizziness but a mancatches him. It is Frank Alpine. Frank unloads the milk. He drinks coffee with Morris. Frankexplains that he wants to find a job working in a grocery somewhere and Morris gives himsome suggestions on where to go.

For the next two mornings, Frank Alpine appears again to help with the milk. On the secondday, the two men talk over cups of coffee. Frank grew up in an orphanage after his mother diedand his father abandoned him. After some rough foster homes, he left the West to start again onthe East Coast. Frank asks about Morris's bandages and Morris describes the robbery. Franksuggests that they should kill the robbers and then asks if Morris is a Jew. Morris says yes.Upon Frank's questioning, Morris explains that he has a daughter and had a son who died of anear infection. Frank leaves but reappears a few hours later to wash the windows. When Morrisconfronts him, Frank explains that he wants no money but that he just wanted to pay Morrisback. He proposes that Morris let him assist in the grocery, for free, so that Frank can learn thetrade. Ida comes down during the discussion and does not like the idea, so Morris says no andFrank leaves.

The narrative cuts to Helen Bober and Louis Karp who are walking on the Coney Islandboardwalk. Louis pestered Helen numerous times for a date, so she went to Coney Island withhim. Louis is a lazy, young man who rides on the money from his father's liquor store. Uponbeing questioned, Helen explains that her life has not yet turned out as she wants it to since sheis twenty-three and has not gone to college. Louis tells Helen that he would like to marry her,but Helen is not interested, even though they kiss momentarily. He drives her back to thegrocery.

The next morning, Morris finds a bottle of milk and two rolls missing from his delivery. Hedoes not tell Ida, but the theft of a quart of milk and two rolls continues for two more days.Morris then starts waking early before six to see if he can observe the robber, but he does notalthough the food keeps disappearing. The grocer questions some people who might beinvolved, but finds out nothing. After five days, he tells Ida and they call the police. DetectiveMinogue, who is investigating the holdup, comes to question them. Detective Minogue lives inthe area and his son, Ward, went to Helen's school, but later got in trouble for molesting girls

there and stealing from his job. In response to Ward's crimes, Detective Minogue had beatenhis son and made him leave him. Morris feels sorry for Detective Minogue. After the detectiveasks them about the thefts, he asks if they have seen his son, but they have not. Later that night,Morris closes the store early and impulsively visits his cellar. He finds a dirty and tired FrankAlpine there, sleeping on the floor. Frank confesses to stealing the milk and rolls due to hunger.Morris takes Frank upstairs and feeds him. Ida comes down and, upon seeing Frank, guessesthat he stole the milk and bread. Although Ida wants Frank to leave and fears he will steal,Morris insists that Frank sleep at the back of the store for that night. The next morning, Morrisrises to sell the Polish woman her roll. When he grabs the milk crates, he slips on ice, hits theground, and passes out. Frank rises, carries Morris inside, gets Helen to notify Ida, and placesMorris's apron around his own neck.

Analysis

This second chapter introduces one of the most important characters in the novel, Frank Alpine.Frank appears mysteriously just after Morris Bober's unfortunate robbery. He has come fromthe West and appears to be a poor man. The only things that are known about him are those thathe shares: he has had a rough life and appears to be looking for a second chance. Frank is asympathetic young man. He is skinny and rough shaven and these factors, along with hiseventual theft of the milk and bread suggest that he is a man of need for whom one should havecompassion. Both Morris and Ida Bober have compassion for Frank, even though Ida does notwish him to stay. Morris could turn Frank away or even have him arrested upon finding him,but in a typically humane move, Morris instead feeds him. As do Ida and Morris, the tendencyis to sympathize with Frank at this point even though he has done something bad by being athief. This tendency to feel for Frank will continue through the entire novel even as Frank'sdishonest acts grow more egregious. Malamud maintains the sympathy by constantlydemonstrating Frank's own belief in his culpability, just as he does here by having Frankimmediately confess to his crime while begging forgiveness. Malamud also shows Frank'sstruggle for goodness by letting the reader see the contents of Frank's mind.

The image of Saint Francis of Assisi appears for the first time in this chapter and will reappearas one of the novel's main motifs. Frank Alpine admires Saint Francis because Saint Francis'sinnate goodness is so pure that it brings Frank to tears. Frank's own desire to attain such innategoodness in his self will drive the novel's plot. Furthermore, the image of Saint Francisprovides an important commentary upon the possibilities of spiritual success amidst trueimpoverishment. Saint Francis, as Frank tells Sam Pearl, believed in poverty for spiritualpurposes and maintained to bring freshness to impoverishment that most do not see. SaintFrancis's ability to see through poverty and create a spiritual life within it will also be Frank'schallenge in the novel. The neighborhood of the grocery, for example in Helen Bober'sperspective, exists as a wasteland full of ruined dreams and difficult lives. Within such adifficult environment, Morris Bober manages to maintain a spiritual sense of goodness, andFrank Alpine's arrival will attempt to bring in an additional freshness in Saint Francis's style.The motif of Saint Francis will re-appear with references to birds and flowers, the creaturesthat the Saint once preached to, as well as by mentions of the Saint himself.

The interlude of Helen Bober and Louis Karp draws out their characters in more detail. Helen isone of the three most important characters, with her father and Frank Alpine. Helen bears a

classical, non-Yiddish name that evokes images of Greek myth. Helen Bober, like Helen ofTroy, is desired by many men and in the novel serves unifying role in her multiplerelationships. This chapter shows Helen as a dreamer who yarns for something better that herfinancial situation cannot provide. While Helen is an intelligent dreamer, Louis Karp, is anuninteresting mope. With his father's money, Louis could do what Helen longs to do, attendcollege, but Louis has neither the interest nor the diligence. Louis is content simply to make doon his father's achievements. Speech patterns again are important in this chapter anddemonstrate Louis and Helen's relative perspectives. Louis relies heavily on casual Americanslang"Say, baby, let's drop this deep philosophy and go trap a hamburger. My stomachcomplains"while Helen's articulate grammar exceeds that of the other characters. Theexposition of both of these chapters is important, as Helen will play a crucial role in the textand Louis, although not a major character, fits into Malamud's important theme of father-sonrelations. Louis and his father, Julius, are one of the three biological father-son pairs that existin the novel that will serve a comparative basis for the symbolic foster fathering that will takeplace between Morris Bober and Frank Alpine.

The ability for Morris to give people milk and bread symbolically suggests his position as asustainer in the community. As the book continues, his ability to sustain others on a spiritualand moral level will become clear. The food that Morris gives others nourishes them andprovides for them, as does his beneficent generosity. Ironically although he gives nourishment,he does not reap financial gain from his efforts while Karp, a seller of destructive alcohol, does.This irony testifies to another theme in Malamud's book, the struggle for the American dream.

Chapter ThreeSummary

Morris has reopened the old injury on his head from falling. The doctor insists that he rest inbed for a few weeks. Ida cares for Morris all day, but later remembers Frank Alpine and goesdownstairs to tell him to leave.

Frank looks clean and fresh when Ida enters and he shows her fifteen dollars in the register,saying that they had a busy morning. Ida does not like the idea, but tentatively suggests thatFrank stay during Morris's illness and continue to sleep on the couch in the back. The nextmorning, he has done eight dollars of business and also cleaned the store and fixed a brokensink and light. Ida thinks that the store looks better. Even though she distrusts him, she showshim how to cut the meat. Ida then spends most of her time upstairs resting, looking forward tothe time that Frank, a non-Jew, will be gone.

Frank finds life in the store relatively pleasant. He sells the Polish woman her roll at six andspends the day trying to improve the store while selling goods. He eats whatever he likeswhenever he is hungry. The customers like him and so do the deliverers, even though they allwarn him not to work for a Jew and that the grocery is a prison-like death tomb. Ida feeds Frankhis meals and gives him fifty cents a day spending money, which he uses to see the movies.Frank meets Nick Fuso in the grocery and Nick invites Frank over for dinner after learning thathe is Italian.

Ida always keeps Helen away from Frank, but he occasionally catches a glimpse of her andthinks of her. He finds her quite attractive. Because he is lonely and never sees her, one nighthe conjures a plan and calls her to the telephone even though no one is there. After she finds theline dead, she looks perplexed and he explains that he did not know what happened to the caller.

While Ida dislikes having a non-Jew running their store, she has to admit that his presence hasdriven up their revenues. Although they are still poor, Frank is bringing in five to seven moredollars per day than Morris had been. He also makes the customers laugh and even gets them tobuy more. At the end of the next week, Ida insists on giving Frank five dollars in wages becauseof all he has done, despite Frank's protests. Frank then feels bad, because while the store hadbeen making money, Frank had also secretly been pocketing some of itabout ten dollars overthe two weeks. Frank reasons that he deserved some of the money, but also feels bad abouttaking it. He tries to get himself to stop, but it becomes a bizarre compulsion.

One night, Frank feels terrible about all the wrong he has done and decides to set things right.He remembers that it was he and Ward Minogue that robbed the grocery store. It had beenWard's idea to rob Karp's liquor store, but when Karp fled, Ward insisted that they rob Bober,since he was just a Jew as well. At the time Frank had thought that a Jew is a Jew, so they mightas well rob him, but now he is not so sure. In his contemplation, Frank goes to a nearby bar andfinds Ward Minogue. Minogue is feeling sick and laughs when Frank asks for his gun back.Minogue still wants to stick up the liquor store and laughs at Frank for working at Bober's.Frank explains that he did it to quiet his conscience and that he placed the money from the

robbery in the register on his first day back. Minogue laughs and tells Frank to seduce the Jew'sdaughter.

Back at the store, Ida counts the money and leaves some in the till for the morning. Helen goesto take a shower. Frank goes into the basement and hides himself in the dumbwaiter and pullshimself up to the bathroom and looks at Helen's naked body. Helen has a delicate, attractivebody. After Frank lowers himself to the basement, he feels a surge of moving joy.

Analysis

With this chapter, Malamud links the events of the previous two chapters while proposing thenovel's conflict to come by shows that the sympathetic Frank Alpine is also a thief and one whoeven was involved in the robbery of Morris. Because of the way that Malamud has framed theexposition of Frank, her character appears to be a puzzle. This presentation is appropriatebecause Frank's character is a puzzle to Frank himself and it is Frank's attempt to unravel thepuzzle and make sense of his character that drives the plot of the novel.

Frank appears to be a good soul at the beginning of this chapter as he did in the one before it.When Morris falls sick, Frank voluntarily runs the shop, with almost miraculous results. Thefirst day he brings in fifteen dollars, much more than Morris had been earning. The rest of theweek he does better as well. Frank's abilities astound Ida and she lets him stay, even though shedoes not approve of him because he is not Jewish. Frank's arrival from nowhere and his abilityto improve the shop lends him an almost supernatural charm. For this reason, his figure evokesthe tradition of Yiddish folklore. It is perhaps because Ida sees him as a good luck charm thatarrived in their time of need, that Ida lets him stay.

While Frank starts the chapter as a miracle worker, he ends it by being exposed as a commoncriminal. First, we learn that he is stealing from the small revenues of a poor man, MorrisBober. Second, and perhaps worse, we learn that it was Frank who was involved in robbingMorris in the first place. Frank's deceitful deeds normally would make him appear as a purelyevil character. However, because Malamud already exposed Frank as a sympathetic characterwho has had a rough life and who yearns to do good, his previous and current evil deeds simplyseem curious. Frank explains his thefts from Morris's shop almost as a compulsion or a disease.Although he knows that it is wrong, he cannot stop slipping quarters into his pocket. BecauseMalamud exposes the war within Frank's conscience, it is difficult to think entirely poorly ofhim. Instead, one tends to want Frank to succeed in his quest to conquer his dark side. It isFrank's fluctuating struggle to be good and his tendency to do evil that is the driving force ofthe novel.

Toward the end of the chapter, the other weakness in Frank's character, his inability to controlhis fleshy desires, also becomes clear. Frank is physically and emotionally lonely, having nofriends, and no girlfriend. Having seen the attractive, though hidden, Helen, he desires her.When he sneaks up the dumbwaiter to spy on her naked body, however, Frank exposes himselfagain as less than a sympathetic character. He wants to be good and love, like Saint Francis ofAssisi, but actually his actions show that he does not really know how. Frank's quest to learn tolove and to control his physical urges is a theme that will run concurrent to his desire to controlhis petty dishonesty. When Frank sees Helen's body, he admires its shape but also notices that

her buttocks resemble a flower. Even the comparison of Helen's buttocks to a flower invokesthe motif of Saint Francis of Assisi and the idea of freshness existing in the wasteland of theimmigrant ghetto. The flower serves as an image to remind Frank of his true quest to learn tobe a controlled individual. The flower also suggests the way that Frank will manage to bringlight and joy to himself and the community. Through his dedication and love to Helen. At thispoint in the novel, however, Frank is unable to do so.

Chapter FourSummary

After just a little more than two weeks upstairs, Morris is anxious to get back to work. SinceMorris is returning to work, Ida wants Frank to leave. Morris, on the other hand, wants Frank tosay, since he believes that Frank is the reason for their recent success. Morris proposes thatFrank move into the small room upstairs near Nick and Tessie's apartment and keep workinguntil the summer. Ida mentions that she is worried about Frank and Helen, but Morris calmsher. Frank agrees and everyone is happy.

Morris Bober feels his mood lighten as he works with Frank. The two men share stories as theywork. Frank grew up in California primarily in an orphanage, but also in some rough fosterfamilies. After his foster parents forced him to work as a twelve year old, Frank started to gohis own way. Morris grew up in Russia but fled just after being conscripted into the army. Afterarriving in America, Morris originally considered being a pharmacist, but he met Ida and hehad an opportunity to buy the grocery so he did. Morris tells Frank about the evolution of thegrocery. In the olden days he had to package everything himself, and this made some grocerscheat their customers by fiddling with the quality of what they sold. When Frank suggests thatthose techniques might increase Morris's small profit, Morris looks surprised and asks why heshould cheat his customers when his customers do not cheat him. Franks nods, but continues tosteal himself from the grocery all the time. Sometimes he buys himself new presents and feelsjustified, but other times his behavior makes him sick. On some days, life in the grocery storealso drives him crazy. He does not understand why Bober, why Jews, simply wander aroundsuffering and acting like born prisoners of the world. Morris acted this way as did the otherJewish merchants such as Al Marcus, who sold paper bags, and Breitbart who came in each dayas he was selling light bulbs. Morris explains the misery of these men by telling Frank thatMarcus had been diagnosed with a terminal form of cancer some time ago, but that Marcuskept working and pursuing life despite his eminent death. Furthermore, Breitbart's old businesspartner cheated him out of all his money and stole his wife, so Breitbart just took to sellinglight bulbs while supporting his half-witted son, Hymie. Frank decides that Jews only live tosuffer.

Helen's presence still torments Frank and he wants to talk with her. Frank decides that he needsto confess his role in the robbery to Morris or Helen, in order to come clean. When Frank findshimself in a quiet store with Morris at the perfect moment, however, Frank says nothing.Instead, Frank tells Morris that he committed some mistakes in his younger years that he wantsto make amends for. To himself, Frank reflects upon his not so distant past. Frank had given upon life and became a bum, eating from garbage cans, sleeping wherever he could. But one day,Frank woke up and decided that he did have something special inside of him and if he dedicatedhimself to a life of crime, this would become clear. So he got cleaned up, bought a gun, andmoved east. After he arrived in Brooklyn, he met Ward Minogue and they decided to rob theliquor store. But when Ward hit Morris, Frank realized that he had made the biggest mistake ofhis life and that he had to make amends. Frank fantasizes about explaining his whole history toHelen, but then decides he would have no chance if he did so he does not.

In the last week of December, Helen and Frank randomly meet in the library where she hascome to get a book and where he is reading a magazine. He walks home with her and they talk.Helen describes her dream of attending college and explains that she works as a secretary.Frank describes his life briefly for her and indicates that he pictures attending college in thefall as well. He also tells her about Saint Francis of Assisi, who when he had no wife to loveshaped out of snow and called her his snow wife. Finally, he tells her a story about a girl heknew at a carnival who broke her neck in a car accident on the same day that they realized theirlove for one another. When they reach home, Helen thinks about Frank before going to bed andtries to figure out who exactly he is.

Analysis

The two most important relationships in the novel, between Frank and Morris and Frank andHelen, truly get underway in this chapter. Morris has returned to work and he and Frankinteract daily. Morris believes that Frank is a good-luck charm, possibly because he brings innon-Jewish customers. As a result, Frank's presence makes Morris happy. While he moanedabout the pain of his meager existence and painful life during the previous chapters, Morrisfeels hopeful and even happy now.

Morris's happiness to work with Frank in great deal relates to his ability to finally instruct ayounger man, an ability that he lost when his son died. In some ways, this foster relationshipcould be compared to Joyce's similar pairing in Ulysses of Leopold Bloom, whose young sonRudy died, with Stephen Dedalus, though Leopold and Stephen are quite different from Morrisand Frank. Marcia Booher Gealy also has recognized the idea of an older man tutoring ayounger as a primary theme in Yiddish literature. As this chapter shows, Morris Bober hasbecome an instructor not just in how to run the grocery, but also in a system of moral values.When Frank proposes that Morris cheat his customers, Morris is aghast. Morris's small lectureon ethical shopkeeping is just one of the first of many that he will deliver to Frank. Frank hasbecome Morris's assistant, yes, but in becoming so he will become a student of Morris's entireway of life, not just his techniques for running the grocery store. Given the fact that bothMorris and Frank are missing a son and father respectively, their relationship will also take onone of a foster parentage.

While Morris begins to instruct Frank in this chapter, it is clear that Frank is far fromunderstanding Morris's perspective. Already, Frank has grown edgy in the grocery as hewatches people suffer in the prison-like environment of the ghetto. He criticizes Al Marcus andBreitbart for their meager existences, but as Morris explains Frank entirely misreads thesituation. While Frank thinks that Marcus is weak, Marcus is actually incredibly strong,insisting on working day after day despite the fact that he has terminal cancer. Furthermore,while Breitbart appears grim, he managed to pick himself up after being left in financial andemotional ruin by his business partner and wife. The unwillingness of these men to give up inthe face of hardship should be emulated in Morris's ethnical system. Although Morris explainsthese values to Frank, Frank still is unable to truly understand.

By constantly showing the reader Frank's internal thoughts, Malamud continues to dramatizeFrank's painful struggle to be a good person. Frank still entertain thoughts of being a purelygood character, but his actions contradict his desires. Frank keeps stealing. Although Frank

decides to confess his role in the robbery, he does not. His failure to do so is not trulysurprising. Frank long has demonstrated his good intentions, but never followed through uponthem with his actions. His learned behaviors restrict his abilities to be the person that he wantsto be. Eventually Frank's behaviors will have to change if he wants to reach his ideal, but he isfar from such a change in this first chapter of moral instruction.

Frank also starts to pursue Helen with increased fervor. Their relationship begins in the library,which seems an appropriate setting. Its appropriateness comes not simply because of Helen'sinterest in learning, but because the two will initially only be able to see themselves like two-dimensional images on a page, without full depth of character. Their tendencies to cling tocertain preconceived notions become clear as they walk home together. Helen first has negativeopinions of Frank because he is a gentile and her mother has always drilled into her head theidea that all gentiles possess a form of evil. Furthermore, she assumes that he lacks intelligenceshowing that she is an intellectual snob. When she sees him at the library, she assumes that heis reading Popular Mechanics, but actually he is reading a biography of Napoleon. Hermisconceptions fall apart as they walk, because Frank describes his desire to go to college andtells her a story about Saint Francis of Assisi. The story of Saint Francis is, in itself, importantand actually neither Frank nor Helen truly understands it. In the story, Saint Francis laments hisdesire to have a wife and children because he is a monk, therefore he shapes a family out ofsnow and feels better. What this story truly testifies to is Saint Francis's ability to supplant hisphysical earthy desire for lust and love with a pure love for God and his natural creatures.Frank likes this story, but is very far from understanding what a pure form of love is. Frank istrapped in his physical sexual desires, although he thinks that he is not. For Helen, the storysuggests a level of intelligence and literacy that Frank does not truly have. Helen, the dreamerthat she is, begins to spin fantasies about his ability to intellectually overcome the world. Atthis point in the novel, both Frank and Helen are trapped in their preconceived notions of theother and although they have a yearning to love, they both cannot because of limitations in theircharacters.

Chapter FiveSummary

Business at the grocery keeps improving. Morris lets Helen keep more of her check and wantsto pay Frank more sometime soon. Helen feels jealous of Frank's past travels, which she hasnever managed, and feels excited that he will attend college in the fall. To help him prepare,she insists that he read Anna Karenina, Crime and Punishment, and Madame Bovary. Frankreads them all, but feels confused as to why Helen enjoys reading about other people's misery.The books make Frank wonder if one error in a man's life can change his future forever, with nopossibility of amending it.

One night, Helen is sneaking up to Frank Alpine's room to say something to him when NatPearl telephones. He asks her on a date, but she declines and will not even let him come overright then for a chat. He tries to find out why she is shunning him, but she says nothing. Aftershe hangs up, her mother criticizes her treatment of Nat and warns her that she is not gettingyounger. Finally when Helen is able to leave, she goes to Frank's room. She has brought twopresents that he gave her earlier in the day: a black scarf with gold in it and a red leathercovered collected Shakespeare. She insists that she cannot accept them because they are toomuch for her. He reluctantly takes them back. Later, Helen reflects upon her need to give thepresents back because men usually expect something for them.

The next day on her way to work, Helen sees the scarf and Shakespeare book in the garbage canon the street. Astonished by the waste, she takes them out and places them in the cellar. Thenext day, she asks Frank why he did not return the presents instead of throwing them out. Hestates that he lost the receipts and did not want them anymore, but she insists that she willreturn them on his behalf so that he shall not waste money, he will give her the receipts.

Helen visits Betty Pearl, Nat's sister, with whom she has been friends since high school. Bettyasks why Helen never sees Nat anymore, but Helen declines to discuss it. Betty recently has gotengaged to an accountant and they offer to take Helen out for a drive, but she refuses and headshome.

Helen is walking through the park and sees Frank Alpine feeding some birds. Helen approacheshim and discusses the presents once more. Frank apologizes for giving her something that shedid not want, but requests that she keep at least one of them and he will return the other. Shedecides to keep the Shakespeare. Frank then asks her to a movie and she accepts. As Frank andHelen's relationship continues, Ida senses something is happening, but can discover nothing.She complains to Morris, but Morris tells her not to worry.

The next day, Morris and Frank are peeling potatoes and Frank asks Morris what a Jew isanyhow. Morris says that a Jew is someone with a good heart who believes in the Torah, theLaw. Morris thinks that things like eating kosher are not important, which is why he does notdo it. What is important is for Jews to do what is right, honest and good. When Frank asksMorris why Jews suffer so much, Morris says that Jews suffer just as everyone does and if onedoes not suffer for the law, in order to be good to others when will one suffer. After the

conversation, Morris feels worried that Frank's interest might have to do with Helen.

Morris notices the next day that his hair has grown long, so he goes to the barber. As he isgetting his hair cut, he sees three customers go into the store and come out with heavy lookingbags. Morris feels happy thinking that he has made some good sales. When he returns, he findsthat only three dollars has been rung up. Morris feels stunned and upset. With the nextcustomer, Morris sees that the register is working and decides that Frank has been stealingfrom him. Although Morris feels sick about it, he says nothing to anyone. He watches Frankcarefully for the next few days, but sees no sign of dishonesty. Morris feels unsure about hissuspicions and then decides that if Frank has been stealing it was because they were not givingFrank enough money. He decides to start paying Frank fifteen dollars a week, without tellingIda. Frank seems surprised and argues against the raise, but Morris insists. Frank leaves thestore looking down.

Analysis

Frank's relationship with Helen, Morris, and himself continue in this chapter. Helen continuesto remain blinded to Frank's true identity. As she starts to spend more time with him, sheinsists of making him into the person whom she wants him to be. She imagines that if they doever get married, her goal would be to make him into a person who really is someone. Sheenvisions him, with his nose straightened, his hair shorter, and being well versed in literature.Helen is structuring her love for Frank upon her own images and expectations that shall notmeasure up to who Frank truly is. She is falling in love with an image.

Helen tries to create this image by giving Frank several novels to read. These novels aresignificant because all of them involve characters, like Frank, who commit "crimes" that affecttheir lives. Both Anna Karenina and Madame Bovary have romantic affairs that ruin them.Raskolnikov in Crime and Punishment may be the most like Frank as he commits a crimewhose moral consequences he cannot outrun, a vicious murder. Raskolnikov ultimately willachieve redemption after a lengthy stay in a prison camp during which time he achieves a senseof peace. Frank is on a similar quest to find peace in himself, but even after reading the novelsis not sure that redemption is possible. Ironically, Frank seems to understand the true essenceof the novels better than Helen, who although book savvy, still is unlearned in the way ofhumanity.

The image of Frank in the park surrounded by birds again evokes Saint Francis of Assisi andhis correlating goodness. In the scene that follows though, Frank's quest for goodness obviouslyfalls short. After Helen refused his presents, Frank entertained less than charitable thoughts,wondering if Jewish girls were not just too much trouble a thought revealing bothcallousness and racism. Next the exposition of his internal thoughts shows the insincere natureof his pursuit of her. While Helen longs for love, Frank longs for physical gratification, in part.After Helen keeps badgering Frank about the presents, Frank thinks that he may still "have achance." This chance is for sex, not love, as his thoughts make clear. Thus, while Frank may betrying to change himself, his thoughts show coldness in his heart that is not characteristic ofSaint Francis of Assisi.

Frank's relationship with Morris continues as well. When Frank asks Morris what a Jew is,

Morris describes Judaism as a code of ethical behavior rather than a system of religious rules.Morris believes that a Jew is a Jew if he follows the true law, which requires compassion andhonesty for all people. Strict dietary laws noted in the Torah as less important to him. Again,during this lecture Morris appears as an instructor of morals. Furthermore, although Morris isspeaking about Judaism his philosophy also seems to follow in the footsteps of Christ. LikeChrist, Morris suggests that he suffers for everyone in the world, including Frank. In Morris'sworld, people suffer for one another and in doing so provide the moral cushion that makes aharsh existence possible. Frank does not understand, but this lesson from Morris is one of themore valuable ones.

While Morris continues to teach Frank, his suspicions about Frank's honesty also arise in thischapter when Morris suspects that Frank might be stealing from him. Morris's reaction to thetheft follows in his characteristically charitable veinhe blames himself for not paying Frankenough and he offers Frank more money. Morris's suspicions foreshadow his eventual exposureand confrontation of Frank's thievery in the chapter to come.

Chapter Six, Part OneSummary

Helen decides that she is falling in love with Frank. One night she dreams that her house hasburned down and she and her parents have no place to go. This dream makes Helen doubtFrank, but she cannot help but think of him with affection.

The gift of the book has subtly changed their relationship. Whenever she reads Shakespeare,she hears Frank saying the lines. She also starts to see him everywhere. They meet in thelibrary and they walk home together. One night, they stop and kiss in the park. The kiss givesHelen overwhelming happiness, but still a sense of doubt lingers. She worries about Frank notbeing Jewish and dreads her parents' reaction to the relationship. She decides that if she marriesFrank she would help him become somebody and hopefully that they could leave New York andpossibly even move to California. Helen also decides to be patient because she does not want tocommit to someone who will not lead her to the place where she wants to be. Meanwhile, sheand Frank secretly meet in the library, the movies, or a pizzeria.

Frank enjoys spending more time with Helen, but increasingly longs for significant physicalcontact with her. Frank hints at his physical desires in several ways, but Helen does notrespond. Finally, she tells him that she is not going to make love to him until she is really surethat she loves him, possibly not even until they are married.

Several days later during a heavy rainstorm, Helen leaves a note under Frank's door saying thatif Tessie and Nick go to the movies, she will come to his room. When Helen finally arrives,Frank thinks that Helen will let him make love to her tonight. They kiss for a while, but whenFrank tries to move further Helen makes him stop. For a brief moment Frank pulls Helen backto the bed after she has said no, but then he releases her. Helen explains that although she is nota virgin, she only wants to make love to people that she believes she loves. Frank considersHelen's statement and his near loss of control and decides that he can wait for her.

The next day, Detective Minogue brings a suspect into the grocery. He gets Frank, who isnervous, to tie a bandana around the young man's face. He asks Morris to decide if he was oneof the robbers. Morris decides that he was not, because the one who hit Morris was fat and theother had big hands. Detective Minogue then asks Morris if he has seen his son, Ward Minoguearound, and asks Frank if he knows Ward. Frank says no. Detective Minogue takes the suspectaway and Frank think that it could be him going to jail, even though he is now a changed man.

Later that night, Ward Minogue raps on the door, waking Frank. He asks Frank for moneybecause he wants alcohol. Ward insists that Frank help him rob a liquor store or he will frameFrank or write a letter to Morris and Helen Bober about Frank's role in the crime. Frank givesWard all his money, eight dollars, and threatens Ward that his father, Detective Minogue, islooking for him and will beat Ward when he finds him. Ward calls Frank a "kike" and fallsdown the stairs upon leaving.

Ida follows Helen one night and sees Helen and Frank kissing in the park. When Helen gets

home, she finds her mother weeping and knows why instantly. Helen tries to defend Frank, butIda keeps calling him a "goy," a slightly derisive term for a non-Jewish person. She makes herpromise to call Nat Pearl. Helen agrees and does the next day. She agrees to go for a drive withhim on Friday. The next day, Ida tells Morris that Helen and Frank were kissing. Morris is nothappy, but tells Ida that a kiss is not so significant. She warns him that it portends bad things tocome.

Analysis

This chapter is the longest of the novel and is the one in which the climax of the novel occurs.This first part of the chapter sets the stage for the second portion of the chapter primarily byestablishing Frank's lust for Helen's body. While Helen feels like she is falling in love withFrank, Frank primarily remains interested in touching her. When Helen comes to visit Frank inhis room, Frank almost loses control and attacks her even though she has asked him not to.Frank resolves then that he will be willing to wait until Helen is ready. This scene howeverforeshadows the one to follow at the end of the chapter when Frank will no longer be able tocontrol his physical urges.

Both Detective Minogue and his son Ward appear in this chapter. They both are importantcharacters for different reasons, but perhaps most importantly they make up one of the father-son pairings in the novel. Ward is the wicked son who does wrong. Detective Minogue'semployment as an enforcer of the law emphasizes Ward's deviance. Detective Minogue'sstruggle to raise his son the way that he wants to testifies to the difficulties of father-sonrelations, one of the themes in the novel. Detective Minogue is a harsh father who respondswith physical violence to his son's wrongs, but his desire for justice is honorable and the reader,like Morris Bober, tends to sympathize with him.

The scene in which Detective Minogue brings a robbery suspect to the grocery heightens thenarrative tension by demonstrating Frank's nervousness. When Morris describes that one of therobbers had large hands, Frank finds himself looking at his own hands. After DetectiveMinogue takes the youth away, Frank considers how easily it could have been him in thosehandcuffs. As he did after reading Helen's novels, Frank considers whether one act in his lifecould change it so much that he would be placed in jail. Earlier Frank articulated his belief thata life of crime could bring him the glamour and money that he desired, but now seeing this lifeof crime embodied in a handcuffed youth, Frank wants no part of it. Detective Minogue's visitissues a wake up call to Frank, which he needs to change his behaviors. The later visit of thenasty Ward Minogue reminds Frank again. Ward leaves calling Frank a "kike," a derisive slurfor Jewish people. Ward uses this label because Frank is staying in a Jewish home, but his useof it also foreshadows Frank's conversation to Judaism.

Ida's grief at Helen's kissing of a gentile provides a keen example of discrimination againstgentiles by Jews. Bernard Malamud himself married an Italian who was not a Jew and his actcaused much friction between himself and his family. Ida's sorrow for her daughter's act istreated with compassion, but it is based upon prejudices. Ironically, while Ida believes that thematch between Helen and Frank will bring bad things, it is Frank's presence that shallultimately help to save them all. Initially, Frank's deeds will cause pain and hardships for theBober family, particularly Morris and Ida, but as his character changes, he will be their savior.

It is only through Frank's true love for Helen that his character will completely evolve.Therefore, although Ida views their relationship as bad, the combination of their personalitieswill allow both of their characters to transform and will ultimately bring life and love to thegrocery.

Chapter Six, Part twoSummary

Julius Karp and Morris Bober have spoken infrequently since the robbery, because Morrisdecided, in his recovery, that he liked Karp less than he thought. As Morris ignores Karp, Karpdecides to approach him. Karp likes Morris to like him, but he finds that Morris is unfortunateand inept. Karp sees the robbery as Morris's own fault, especially as Karp had warned him.Furthermore, Morris is just unlucky. Hiring Frank Alpine was a bad idea, for example, sinceKarp knows that Frank is a thief from the money Frank spends in the neighborhood. While allclerks steal slightly, Karp did once and knows his son does from him, Karp condemns Frank fordoing so from Morris. Furthermore, he has seen Frank hanging around Helen and thinks thathaving a "goy" around a Jewish girl is a bad idea. Karp decides that it is his duty to warnMorris.

Karp also has his own motivations for speaking to Morris. He wants his son, Louis, to marryHelen. This would help Helen, because she is poor, and after the marriage, Karp and his soncould help fix up Morris's store. Once it was improved and Karp stopped the lease of the othergrocer, Karp could effectively be a silent partner in Morris's business. Karp only worries thatHelen will not agree to the marriage. He knows that she was interested in Nat Pearl but that Natpushed her away because she was too poor and although he will be a lawyer, he needs to find agirl with more money.

When Karp knows that Frank has left the store, he drops in on Morris. Karp is surprised to findthat Morris's business is going pretty well. Morris tells Karp that Frank has brought customersto him, probably because he is a gentile. Karp feels distressed at Morris's affection for Frankand wants to set the record right. He explains quickly that Morris's success is not due to Frank,but to the fact that the other grocer, Schmitz, has been sick and keeping his store shut for partof the day. In fact, Schmitz just sold his business to two Norwegians, who were going to reopenit as a gourmet deli. Morris seems devastated at this news. When Karp tries to mention Louisand Helen and Frank, Morris roars and Karp runs from the store.

After a painfully contemplative night, Morris decides that he must try and sell the store, butuntil he does Frank needs to stay with him to help him fight the Norwegians. Frank himself hada guilty night considering all the money that he has stolen from Morris. He has kept carefultrack of it, one hundred and forty dollars, and decides to pay it all back. The next day, Frankslips six dollars back into the register. Soon after, Helen telephones and tells Frank thatalthough she is going to see Nat tonight, she wants to meet him later in the park. Frank agrees,but realizes that he has no money to take Helen out. When a customer comes in, Morris steals adollar from the sale and Morris catches him. Frank confesses and tries to explain, but Morris,brokenhearted, says that Frank has to go. Morris hands him fifteen dollars for the week andorders him to leave his building.

Helen feels happy and excited that night fully aware of being in love with Frank. As she rideswith Nat, she is distracted thinking about Frank and talks coolly to Nat. When Nat asks her if itis because of the "dago" that she is seeing, she becomes icy and unsociable.

When Helen gets to the park, she cannot find Frank. As she waits, a drunk man approaches herand introduces himself as Ward Minogue. Helen feels afraid of Ward, due to his old reputation,but lingers for a moment. He tells her that he knows Frank. As she tries to step away, he grabsher, muffles her scream, and tries to push her down. Helen kicks him in the groin and getsaway, even though her dress is ripped and her face has been struck. She then hears a groan fromWard and sees Frank hitting him. Frank picks her up and she feels overjoyed to be saved, butthen Frank proceeds to feverishly kiss her despite her insistence that they wait. After he hassexual intercourse with her, she curses him as an uncircumcised dog.

Analysis

The final section of this chapter brings up the major climax of the book because it demonstratesFrank Alpine's failure to control his actions both professionally and sexually. Frank hasstruggled, but to no avail. His struggle ends in failure. Frank, the ever-conscientious thief, haskept careful track of the amount that he has stolen and wants to repay it. No sooner does he addmoney to the register though, than his actions once again defy his desires and he steals it back.Morris catches him. Frank's failure to control himself seems sad, especially after he just madea new commitment to be honest. But his behavior is not surprising. He has made multiplecommitments to fix himself, but to no avail. Even as he is putting the money back into theregister, his failure to truly understand the nature of his self