Writing Techniques in My Name Is Asher Lev

My Name Is Asher Lev Techniques

My Name Is Asher Lev is less conventional in technique than Potok's two preceding novels. The first-person narrator, Asher Lev, rather than giving a straightforward account of events, uses as a starting point the furor over his painting, "The Brooklyn Crucifixion." As he defends the painting, the details of his background and experience are progressively revealed. The painting itself serves as a symbol, not only of Asher's art, but also of the conflict within his family (it depicts his mother's agony) and between his Jewish heritage and the Western tradition of art. That the painting is a crucifixion raises disturbing questions about antiSemitism, conflict between Christians and Jews, and the tension between artistic conventions and religious imperatives.