My Name Is Asher Lev Setting & Symbolism

My Name Is Asher Lev Objects/Places

Sculptures of Self

In this novel, self-portraits serve as a way for characters to define themselves. On the beach at Cape Cod, Jacob creates a sand sculpture of his face and becomes depressed when it washes away. The destruction of the sculpture reminds Jacob of the Nazi's destruction of all of his work in Paris years earlier. Later that summer, Jacob watches Asher make a similar self-portrait in sand. A sculpture containing both images appears in Jacob's next exhibition, and Asher is thrilled to see the connection between him and his mentor made public in a piece of art. At the end of the novel, during a time when Asher's Hasidic friends and family seem to have rejected him, Asher traces the profile of his face in snow, creating a reminder of his identity as an artist.

Hairlocks

Until he is a teenager, Asher wears the curly hairlocks (also called earlocks and payos in...
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