Matt Lynch
1-4-99
Per.4
English

Journal:
Chapter One Asher Lev

The book, My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok takes place in the New York City Hasidic Jewish community which is a setting that most readers a quite unfamiliar with. However Potok does not use this to draw complicated descriptions of the environment as most authors would. Instead he starts to tell a story that could occur anywhere and gradually intertwines pieces of the Hasidic culture in the events that occur. This allows the reader to acclimate to the feel of the alien society better than if it were force fed to them as a long narrative in the beginning of the book or by boring the reader by inventing ways to include Jewish culture in every situation.
My Name is Asher Lev begins by giving a situation that any reader can relate to. Potok describes his ancestry, and that is something that everyone has: roots. This is a direct attempt to relate to his audience and grab their attention by doing so because on the previous page he introduces Asher by describing situations that haven’t happened in the book and must do this in an attempt to create interest in the novel. From there though the reader is introduced to Asher’s family and therefore becomes introduced to the Hasidic Jewish community and culture.
Asher’s immediate family includes only his father and mother who are prominent figures in their society and especially his father commands respect in everything he does. This brings up an interesting conflict between the young Asher who innocently enjoys indulging his gift for drawing and his proud father who believes in the tradition of his culture and does not feel that Asher should be wasting his time drawing. It is her that the reader becomes aware of the strict tradition that is Hasidic Judaism. The modern reader feels that Asher’s father is being to harsh on such a young child however this strict devotion to tradition is a characteristic that has ensured the survival of Hasidic Judaism over the ages. Although many feel that this is a negative trait it also ensures a strong bond between all community members as the reader will soon find out.
Asher's mother soon becomes gravely ill when she is confronted with the sudden and unexpected death of her brother. Most of the community comes to visit Asher’s mother and try to help aid in her recovery. However nothing seems to help. Finally in an effort to reverse her mental breakdown Asher’s aunt confronts her sister about her shortcomings in the wake of her breakdown. This once again demonstrates the strong ties to tradition that hold the Hasidic community together, but at the same time in many ways holds it back in modern American society. Asher’s aunt feels that his mother should stop sulking and return to her normal role as mother and caretaker to Asher and his father.
In some ways the first chapter of My Name is Asher Lev could take place in any community across the world. However in many other ways it needs a conservative and traditional society to make it work. This gives young Asher something to come in conflict with which he does when his drawings start to become twisted visions of reality, perhaps foreshadowing things to come.