gimpel review

Gimpel the Fool is a classic Yiddish short story that demonstrates Singer's belief that repentance and good deeds will be rewarded with time. The protagonist Gimpel, a Jewish baker, lives in a town called Frampol in Eastern Europe. Everyone in his village regards him as simple because he takes everything at face value. Even the village rabbi colludes in getting Gimpel to go along with the status quo of being the butt of everyone's jokes. From the beginning of the narration, it is clear that th society has a different view of Gimpel than he does himself: “I am Gimpel the fool I don’t think myself a fool. On the contrary. But that’s what they call me\" (Singer, Pg 96). These few lines clearly show that Gimpel does not accept himself as a “fool”, but it is how people prefer him as. Thus the story gives readers insight about reality, that is, the role you are categorized as by the majority in society can affect the way you are treated. This is described in this story through the lies and jokes the people tell Gimpel. Gimpel is an extremely faithful person, his words are trustworthy. His depiction of the villagers is neutral and we can not see any partiality towards himself. We may as well conclude the fact as such “If no one lies to him, then he is not a fool”. Gimpel's introspection denotes simplicity and naivety, which greatly conflicts with his peers' snide remarks and deceitful actions, allowing his purity to be magnified. The friction between Gimpel's genuine purity and his society's immoral harassment exaggerates the traits of both parties.

Despite the bullies from his villagers, he just chooses to keep an open mind, to see the good in the world and not waste his time with the evil.

Gimpel's relationship with Elka provides a good example of the conflict between Gimpel's vulnerability and virtue and Elka's manipulation and wickedness. Gimpel is aware of Elka's immoral behavior, and he thought of running away at the wedding ceremony. But he has conscience which leads him to play fairly by the rules of the society, even though society has deceives him. Even during the marriage, Gimpel forgives his wife for many injures she made to him. When he is faced with a blatant evidence of her immorality and dishonesty, his excess of faith leads him to forgive her again and provide for the kids just like his own.

His wife reveals her infidelities to him beside her deathbed, and thus creates a crisis of faith in the naive Gimpel. After his wife’s death, Gimpel for the first time began to question his faith in God and afterlife. And with such confusion, he had a dream with the Spirit of Devil in which the devil tries to tempt him to take his revenge by putting filth into the dough he bakes at the bakery. In a fit of rage, the desire for revenge prevails. When the tainted bread is baking, Gimpel has a second dream in which Elka appears. She reasons Gimpel out of such a horrible action. Thus Gimpel preserves his faith in afterlife and at the same time Elka makes her redemption in her afterlife. Gimpel becomes a wandering holy man and successfully removes himself from the frivolity of society and looks toward a simpler and truthful afterlife. He no longer clings to the conformities of the townsfolk, nor believes their lies with innocent faith, but looks for a deeper truth in the world he lives in.

Had Gimpel lived in our age, we still can not say for sure that we wouldn’t have been among the assaulters who always bullied him. Gimpel is an object lesson of those who abide by their own faith instead of that of the masses’. There is one narration of Gimpel’s which left a deep impression on me: “you can’t pass through life unscathed, nor expect to”(Singer, Pg 98).

People around him left him in deception and humiliation, but he accepts it as the twists and turns of human life. Maybe the real lucky one is Gimpel himself, since his optimism saves the pain from him. I believe those around him suffer no less than one another, but those sufferings make them oblivious of the real meaning of happiness. Beside the deathbed of his vicious wife, the naïve Gimpel still believes her to be “a good and faithful wife”. Further we can see the difference in the duration of sufferings of those characters. Though Gimpel is surrounded by cheating and lies in his previous life, he suffers only one day. While those who think themselves know everything suffer from their pains for their whole life. The reason is that Gimpel is a forgiver and always keeps an open mind, and he never bears evil towards others. Take our own life for example, few of us may say that I have never laughed at others even once, but we may have never thought about what on earth those pranks brings us. On second thought, we know that it does us no good at all and at the same time loses the balance of our own mind. People like Gimpel are few, but people like us are the majority. How to jump out of the box of being a member of the majority and act as a unique individual is what confuses me most.

Gimpel is transformed by the two dreams which mark his detachment from the society he lives in and also his rebirth and enlightenment. His decision of leaving the town and goes into the world reveals that he leaves the lies and corrupt society behind. Thus, Gimpel has regained his faith in life, casting away his naiveté and innocence. Gimpel takes everything for face value, and accepts lies and truth with the same merit. It is a kind of indifference toward society, while still maintaining interest in life and people. This seems paradoxical, but it is in fact an enlightened state of being and keeps everything in balance.