Faith

Faith is the overarching theme in the novel "Gravity" by Leanne Lieberman. It touches every aspect of the novel and impacts each of the characters in various ways. It sets the stage as well for a showdown between Ellie, Neshama, and their parents.

Ellie and her family are Orthodox Jews. They observe and practice the faith religiously. Ellie recognizes that this is part of her identity. Even when she is away from her parents, and visiting her grandmother, Ellie carries on with prayers and Orthodox observances. Ellie's sister, Neshama, is an atheist and only pretends to be Orthodox to make her parents happy. Neshama believes that God is a constructed idea, and that religion is sexist, racist, and oppressive. Bubbie, grandmother of Ellie and Neshama, is a believer in God but not a religious Jew. This makes the Gold parents conservative, Neshama liberal and secular, and Bubbie lenient...