Enemies: A Love Story Summary
Isaac Bashevis Singer

Enemies: A Love Story Summary

Enemies deals with Holocaust survivors' readjustment to the mainstream of society. The Hitler era had left its imprint upon them and even when Herman, the main character, is given the opportunity to emigrate to America to start anew, he finds life too complicated to handle. As a husband to three women, he develops into a cheat, a swindler, and a liar. Family life and monogamy are lost virtues.

Like much of the Holocaust literature, Enemies wrestles with the idea that the Holocaust survivors are the perpetuators of Judaism, memorializing those obliterated by Hitler's savagery. Previously traditionalist, the main character begins to ponder the existence of God, especially in light of the Holocaust. Herman, now in America, struggling to find a new life, claims he does not know God and begins to turn away. He tries desperately to assimilate into American life; he marries a...

(read more from the Short Guide)