The Slave was a refreshing piece of literature to read after trying to pick apart the Bible and I was most enamoured with the idea of love in Isaac Bashevis Singers novel. Jacob in the novel can be directly related to Job because of the hardships he is forced to face. He suffers the murder of his wife and two children, enslavement, and even the death of Sarah after she gives birth to their child. Jacob experiences more pain in a lifetime than many people have to experience, and still he was bound by his faith and strong ideals. This passage from the novel illustrates Jacob's love for his wife as she is on her deathbed:
'She is good, he thought, really a saint, a thousand times better than any of the others. Have they been to heaven and learned what God likes? Worry and fear, the isolation in which he found himself, had made him rebellious. he was even ready to struggle with God himself. Of course, God was the only God, awesome and all powerful, but it was only fair that his justice be universal. He should not be a tyrant like Gershon, fawning on the strong and spitting at the weak. Was it Sarah's fault who her parents were? Had she had the freedom to choose her mother's womb? If such she must burn in Gehenna, then there was even inequity in heaven' (140).
I was very touched by this passage, by Jacob's loyalty to Sarah even on her deathbed. He could have chosen a wealthy, Jewish wife after the death of his first, but he was willing to set aside everything he knew and push against the law of society to marry for love and only love. This passage explains Jacob was even willing to fight with God. He was the type of person who could not wrap his head around the notion of 'gentiles and jews', but rather put his energy and faith into the greater good of mankind. Even after all he had endured, he wasn't willing to just move with the masses; he was determined to make his own path even if it meant more heartbreak along the way. I admire Jacob in this novel, and I enjoyed reading the slave because of his outlook on life.
'She is good, he thought, really a saint, a thousand times better than any of the others. Have they been to heaven and learned what God likes? Worry and fear, the isolation in which he found himself, had made him rebellious. he was even ready to struggle with God himself. Of course, God was the only God, awesome and all powerful, but it was only fair that his justice be universal. He should not be a tyrant like Gershon, fawning on the strong and spitting at the weak. Was it Sarah's fault who her parents were? Had she had the freedom to choose her mother's womb? If such she must burn in Gehenna, then there was even inequity in heaven' (140).
I was very touched by this passage, by Jacob's loyalty to Sarah even on her deathbed. He could have chosen a wealthy, Jewish wife after the death of his first, but he was willing to set aside everything he knew and push against the law of society to marry for love and only love. This passage explains Jacob was even willing to fight with God. He was the type of person who could not wrap his head around the notion of 'gentiles and jews', but rather put his energy and faith into the greater good of mankind. Even after all he had endured, he wasn't willing to just move with the masses; he was determined to make his own path even if it meant more heartbreak along the way. I admire Jacob in this novel, and I enjoyed reading the slave because of his outlook on life.
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