Eng. Reading 19
Mr. Shimada
April 14, 1997

The Assistant, Chapter 1 (pp. 7-28)

  1. Why does Morris reduce the sum under "Drunk Woman" to $1.61? What aspect of his character does this episode reveal?
  2. Comment on the following two lines related to Morris's store. What do they imply?

Now the store looked like a long dark tunnel. (p. 8)

In a store you were entombed. (p. 9)

  1. Who is Nick Fuso? What does he do on pages 8-9?
  2. Why does Morris pay cash for the liverwurst? Why does he not want favors from a German?
  3. Who is Breitbart? What does he do? Comment on Morris's observation: "The world suffers. He felt every schmerz." (p. 10)
  4. Who is Epraim? (pp. 10, 16, and 22) Why do you think Morris thinks of him?
  5. Describe Ida. What sort of couple do you think she and Morris have been?
  6. Who is Helen? Who is Nat Pearl? Who is Louis Karp? (p. 13)
  7. Who is Heinrich Schmitz? How does Morris react to the opening of his new store? (pp. 14-16)
  8. What book is Helen reading when she finds Nat standing in front of her on the subway? Analyze their relationship. Why does Helen not accept Nat? What kind of girl do you think she is? (pp. 16-18)
  9. Compare the character and fortune of the three Jewish fathers: Sam Pearl, Julius Karp, and Morris Bober. How does Helen comment on her father? (pp. 18-19)
  10. Who is Ida expecting? (p. 20) (Consider the irony about the visitors at the end of this chapter.)
  11. How does Morris feel about Helen? Comment on the following lines:

She looks like a little bird. (p. 22)

She made him put the five away. He did, with renewed shame. (p. 23)

  1. Who is Podolsky?
  2. How lucky is Julius Karp? What sort of good luck does he have?
  3. What does Karp warn Morris of?
  4. Describe the last two visitors of the day. Isn't there something funny about one of them? (Note the references to the mirror on pages 27 and 28. In what way are they significant?)
  5. How does this chapter end? Comment on the last two lines: "He fell without a cry....It was his luck, others had better." (p. 28)

　

Glossary of Yiddish words:

Polisheh (p. 7): Polish woman

schmertz (p. 10): suffering

landsleit (p. 11): plural of landsman = a fellow country man

parnusseh (p. 11): livelihood; earning a living; occupation, trade

schnapps (p. 14): liquor

"Der oilem iz a goilem." (p. 20): "The crowd is a dummy." (oilem: crowd of people goilem: a clay dummy; numbskull) cf. "An Oylem iz nit keyn Goilem." = "The crowd is no dummy." (i.e. The masses are no asses.)

gesheft (p. 24): store

gelt (p. 25): money