Critical Essay | Critical Essay by Sheldon Grebstein

Critical Essay by Sheldon Grebstein

SOURCE: Grebstein, Sheldon. “Singer's Shrewd ‘Gimpel’: Bread and Childbirth.” In Recovering the Canon: Essays on Isaac Bashevis Singer, edited by David Neal Miller, pp. 58-65. Leiden, Netherlands: E. J. Brill, 1986.

In the following essay, Grebstein identifies the controlling metaphors of “Gimpel the Fool” as bread and childbirth.

Rabbi Isaac said: In the Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings, we find that bread strengthens the heart.

—Midrash Rabbah

At surface, Isaac Bashevis Singer's classic story “Gimpel the Fool” (“Gimpl tam”)¹ might be perceived by the unwary reader as a transparent morality tale rendered appealing by its credulous protagonist, its earthy humor, and—for readers in English—the vibrant style of Saul Bellow's superb translation. Approached in this way, “Gimpel the Fool” has close kinship with both the folktale and the Yiddish shlemiel story. As in the folktale, “Gimpel” utilizes a clearly delineated introduction and conclusion, threefold repetition, contrasting characters (i.e., “good” and...
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