The Assistant door Bernard Malamud

(1914-1986) First edition: 1957 The theme of the story is about consciousness of guilt and seeking to inner self. An other theme is the American dream. You have to work hard and live a sober life is Morris statement. They say America is the land of opportunities. I think most of the time those dreams don\'t come true. And that’s something the writer wants to tell us.

The principal characters are: Frank is an Italian and Catholic. He is twenty-five years old but looks much older. Frank has never stayed in one place, he always runs away from his problems and he has got a lot of problems. Morris is the owner of the grocer\'s shop. He is sixty years old and liberal Jew. He is always nice and friendly to customers and thinks that people are not so bad. Morris is dejected but also optimistic. Ida is Morris\' wife. She is a Jew and pessimistic. She always wanted Helen to marry a Jew. That Jew has to be very educated, so he is going to get a good job. She doesn\'t want Helen to make the same mistake she made. Ida didn’t like Frank. Helen In one way Helen listens very careful to her mother, but in the other she was not. Her father is much easier with her. Helen always wanted to go to the university, but there is no money. She always gives her salary to her father, because the business isn\'t going well.

The story: Frank is helping Morris, the owner, with the store. Frank wants to give him that help because he is feeling guilty about the robbery. Ward and Frank robbed Morris\' store. Frank didn\'t like it and helped Morris by giving him some water. After the robbery Frank went back after a couple of days to help Morris. After a while he stood in the store as the assistant. He wiped windows; he washed the floor and sold a lot of things. Because of Frank the store was running better and it pleased Morris. When Frank runs the store the business is doing better. Because of that, Morris has said to Helen to keep her salary. From that moment Helen saved some money for a study. Frank doesn’t understand why Jewish people have to suffer that much. But he always says to himself that he suffered his whole life. The time that Frank works in the store he adores Helen, Morris daughter. After a long time Helen and Frank are seeing each other very much. Helen’s parents doesn\'t know about \"their affair\", it\'s not possible to have an affair with somebody who isn\'t Jewish. Frank always wanted more, but Helen didn\'t. Then one night, Helen is waiting in the park for Frank. Suddenly Ward shows up and starts to bother Helen. He tries to rape her but at that moment Frank shows up and send Ward away. He comforts Helen and raps her. At the end of the book Frank becomes a Jew just to become a good man. The man Ida wants for Helen, but also the man Helen wants to have. The title \"the assistant\" has different meanings. First there is the normal shop assistant, Frank. But Frank also assisted Ward in the robbery, and he also assists the whole family.

My opinion: I liked to read this book, because the moment when I began I didn\'t want to stop. I liked it I didn\'t find it difficult to read. When I don\'t like a book it\'s difficult to get through. I would recommend it to a friend because it\'s a story with different points.

Conclusie Schuldgevoel wordt zeer uitvoerig behandeld. Een gevecht tegen het kwade gaat de hoofdpersoon aan. Hij wil vanaf een bepaald moment alles goed doen, maar in sommige situaties komt hij in de problemen met als gevolg dat hij nooit helemaal is zoals hij wil. Het zoeken naar jezelf is ook een element, voor zowel de hoofdpersoon als de dochter van de winkelier. Zij staat weer voor een ander probleem, moet ik naar mijn moeder luisteren, die haar mogelijkheden inperkt, of ga ik mijn eigen weg, bijvoorbeeld mij het uitzoeken van een vriendje.