A That Was Lost by Agnon - Book Report/Review Example

Task Revision Part One “A woman does not put on a silken kerchief everyday or every Sabbath. When a woman stands at the oven, what room is there for ornaments? Every day is not a Sabbath but, on the other hand, there are festivals. The Holy one, blessed be He, He took pity on His creatures and gave them times of gladness, holidays and appointed seasons. On festivals, mother used to put on a feathery hat and go to the house of prayer, and at home she would don her kerchief. During the New Year and the Day of Atonement, she kept the Kerchief on all day long; similarly on the morning of Hoshana Rabbah, and on the Tabernacles seventh day. I used to look at mother on the Day of Atonement, when she wore her kerchief and her eyes were bright with prayer and fasting. She seemed like a prayer book bound in silk and presented to a bride” (Agnon 64). “The kerchief” a short story from sAgnon’s Collection of stories “A Book That Was Lost and Other Stories” is consequential story full of Christian teachings. It is a revelation of Jewish traditions told in such a mystical surrealism that leaves readers in awe. Agnon uses both humor and irony seamlessly and precisely that readers are entertained throughout the story. The story of “the kerchief” is funny and satirical. It is full of satirical examples that not only amuses the readers but also provides an insight into the Jewish culture. It brings into picture how the Jewish people take the Sabbath serious and hoe they observe it to the letter. He says, ‘Every day is not a Sabbath, but, on the other hand, there are festivals.’ Here, we can witness both his humor and satire at the same time. Agnon uses metaphors in such an effective way that readers can picture what he means without much hustle. He compares the protagonist’s mother to a prayer helping in describing her. He says, “She seemed like a prayer book bound in silk.” Here, he creates a picture of how the kerchief impacted his mother’s appearance to a degree that she looked like a wrapped gift. Agnon’s use of description is second to none. Almost in each and every paragraph there is a description. He describes from situations, to events, to places and even people. He describes the occasions when his mother uses the kerchief and when she does not. Agnon’s Ulysses is put in a simpler language that does not need a guidance book to understand. The events are described chronologically leaving a clear impression of what the reader would expect. He describes even the smallest details like looking outside the window and bigger ones such as the sky and the clouds. He describes how his mother dresses during the Sabbath, during the Atonement day and other noteworthy holidays and occasions. He says, “On festivals mother used to wear a feathery hat.” He is also passionate of hyperbole. In most of his descriptions, he uses hyperbole to blow things out of the normal situation to higher. “When a woman stands in an oven” this is a situation exaggerated because we know that no one can withstand the temperatures in an oven. Another example of exaggeration is when he speaks of angels blowing the wind in their house. He also often uses repetition almost in every paragraph. Words such as blessed be He, peace be with him/her and blessed be God are used repeatedly throughout the story. He uses repetition to bring a rhythmic flow of the story also help in the story sticking in the readers’ memory. Agnon is also a potent presenter of imagery. He refers to God as The holy one and blessed be He instead of just calling Him God. He also uses imagery in explaining situations in his time by bible stories. He uses this to limit monopoly of one word also reduce boredom of the readers. He even gives life to unloving things. He says that God appoints seasons. We all know well that seasons can not be appointed since they are not living. It is striking on how he has a command of written language that he is proficient to maneuver it to the reader’s amusement. The story of the kerchief is captivating not only because of the language used or understanding of the Jewish culture but also the use of bible Myths in real life. The kerchief is significant as it is symbolically signifying the importance of something that one treasures. In this story, the protagonists’ mother treasured the gift of the kerchief given by her husband that she always had it. Though it was tight when she wore it pulling her skin making her eyes protrude, she was proud because it was a gift from Lashkowitz. When the leading character loses this treasured gift it brings the story to an end as the kerchief has found a much more worthy function. This paragraph gives an insight about Agnon’s story. Although, in the paragraph, the importance emphasized on, is how the mother treasures the kerchief it as well summarizes the whole story. The story of giving others the thing we treasure the most in life. The protagonist and his family treasured the kerchief because it was a precious gift. Part two 1) The Lady and the Peddler This is a story of a wondering peddler who comes into contact with a lady in the woods far from any settlement. He tries to sell his stock to her, but she is unreceptive of him. At the end, the two get acquainted and become a couple. Their relationship is a strange one slowly developing from hate to attraction. The man is called Joseph, and he is a Jew. The woman is known as Helen, and she leads a hunter’s life. The attraction between the two grows from time to time until they end up sharing the same room and bed. The woman was married before, and her husband was not around. It is immoral of the two to engage in a relationship while the woman was married. This was against the Jewish laws. There is no intimate mutuality between them but the attraction is certainly there. They are brought together because of their selfish interests. The man wants accommodation from the woman and food while the woman needs him for sexual purposes and in helping to repair the leaking house. They know nothing about each other, live together until the attraction they had for each other disappears, and then hate each other all again. It is mind blowing that the man had no will to run away when he had a chance to escape. Why did he keep on coming back to her? Did he fall for her and her riches? All these questions linger in the head as they to the man’s demise. 2) Lodging to Lodging and Outset of the Day Though both stories focus on father and child, I will use the story of the outset. The narrator in this story is forced to leave his home bringing along his daughter. Their home has been destroyed by an unknown enemy. The narrator expresses his inner-self by employing the first person style of narration. They flee their home to the city for safety and security purposes. The narrators’ daughter is significant in this story as she signifies purity of the soul. She implies the desire of wanting to return to childhood purity. The characters wish to return home, to their past that was peaceful and filled with tranquility. The unexpected happens when the narrator sees the open ark scroll where he had written in memory of the departed souls. The narrator manages to return home with his daughter expecting to see a change, but he is surrounded by all evils and death. 3) Lodging to Lodging: important quotations. “……..in their labors people were happy and rejoiced in building their lands, their sons, and daughters healthy. Their hands were not rugged, and their eyes were not ill…..” (156). The narrator finds out a contrasting view when he goes out to the roads with the image he has of disease. He has a picture of a disease stricken area but finds things to be different. 4) At the Outset of the Day “….having finished their afternoon prayer and gone home, the people were sitting down for a last meal before the fast to prepare for the following day, that they might have strength and health enough to return repentance.” (218). It shows that a certain chapter in life has closed, and now attention should be directed elsewhere. This quote indicates the expectation the author has of the people. They should return to God and repent while there is still time. Work Cited Agnon, Shmuel Y, Alan L. Mintz, and Anne G. Hoffman. A Book That Was Lost and Other Stories. New York: Schocken, 1995. Read More