Interpreting the Motif of The Son from America from the Historical Perspective

摘要

As an American Jewish writer with great reputation, Issac Bashevis Singer has published a number of novels and short story collections, always adhering to the Jewish characteristics in his writing which reveals Jews' tragic destiny. The Son from America, one of Singer's best-known short stories, vividly depicts the lives of Eastern European Jews before WWI and is typical of Singer's writing style. This paper aims at interpreting the motif of The Son from America from the historical perspective, analyzing the old and young Jews' attitudes towards their tradition respectively. The study finds that although Berl and Bercha differ from their son in lifestyle and sociocultural context, they all stick to Jewish values and doctrines, reflecting their in-depth consensus on cherishing Jewish culture. This paper is somewhat original given scanty previous studies on the short story.