Who the Fools Are in Gimpel the Fool

1719 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: THEORY OF LITERATURE

Who the Fools Are in Gimpel the Fool

When reading through "Gimpel the Fool", the reader asks who the fools really are? Throughout this paper I will use the psychological approach. I will use this to show that Gimpel's character grows more into a successful person rather than a fool as everyone knows him to be.

"Gimpel The Fool" is a story written by Isaac Bashevis Singer. This story is about a simple man named Gimpel. He is measured by many to be a fool because he is naive and easily taking advantage of; constantly falling for tricks layed out by the townspeople. Gimpel is also easily persuaded by the townspeople; they end up persuading him into marrying Elka, who is known as a whore.

The author's point of view is what he is trying to get across to the readers. In this story, Singer is showing that good triumphs over evil. The author shows Gimpel's good side, by showing how caring and kind he is to people no matter what way he is treated by them. Gimpel just believes if he goes with the flow of things it would be a lot easier than dealing with the townspeople. "However, I resolved that I would always believe what I was told. What's the good of not believing? Today it's your wife you don't believe; tomorrow it's God Himself you won't take stock in" (305). Gimpel says this after his wife gave birth to their second child, during that time he had not seen her for nine months.

The author shows us what is inside of Gimpel by having him be the narrator. He gives us an in-depth look inside the character's personality. Gimpel states, "I was no weakling. If I slapped someone he'd see all the way to Cracow" (301). The author is showing here that Gimpel does not have to give into the townspeople, he just chooses to.

Throughout thi...

... middle of paper ...

...ter about themselves the way they treated him. The townspeople never really showed any morals (superego) to Gimpel or any respect. All they showed was lack of respect and ridicule.

As I read "Gimpel the fool" I thought to myself is Gimpel really the fool or is everyone else? To me I personally think he was not, he is smart by not arguing with people because arguing only causes turmoil, he was just making things easier on himself.

Reading through this story I noticed a lot of things. I think in actuality the townspeople are the fools for the way they treated Gimpel. He is a good caring man that could be an excellent husband, as well an excellent friend. I think even though the people see him as being rich the truly rich thing in him is his forgiveness for others.

Works Cited

Singer, Isaac Bashevis. "Gimpel the Fool." Introduction to Literature. 2nd ed. Ed.

Show More
Related

  • Isolation Theme in Grendel

    656 Words  | 2 Pages

    The story begins with a flash-back into Grendel’s early years. He is all alone even then, but he is too young to realize it and fills this void with imaginary friends. He talks about how he entertained himself during his early years saying “Crafty-eyed, wicked as an elderly wolf, I would scheme with or stalk my imaginary friends, projecting the self I meant to become into every dark corner of the cave and the woods above” (17). People in our world may invent imaginary friends also, sometimes for companionship, as part of play, or for other reasons. Imaginary friends can serve as an important source of companionship to some children and even adults, especially if companionship is absent for them in the social world. As an example “young children in boarding schools often develop imaginary friends to cope with extreme stress and separation from their intimate relations” (www.phycologytoday.com/z10/fl/mllr.7se.php)

    Read More

  • grendel vs. frankenstein

    1619 Words  | 4 Pages

    Grendel, surprisingly, adapts quite well to his society despite its detestation of his existence. Grendel live is a rattlesnake-guarded cave, which allows himself to detach from his society, giving him the necessary space to cope with the troublesome thoughts among his people about Grendel. Unlike Frankenstein, Grendel tries to associate with the members of his civilization but is rejected every time he tries to do so. Every night Grendel goes to Herot to listen to the Sharper’s stories because the history interests him. He is quite intrigued and appreciative of the tales he hears, but when he comes in contact with those from Herot, they do not reciprocate the appreciation of his presence in Herot. The ones he admires so much taunt and torture him to the point they try to kill him for “intruding.” As retaliation, Grendel fights back and raids Herot every night.

    Read More

  • Gimpel the Fool

    1237 Words  | 3 Pages

    Gimpel is a man who is subjected to human cruelty everyday of his life dealt by the people who surround him. The cruelty is not in the form of physical abuse, yet just as harsh. The people of the only town Gimpel has ever known treat him as if he was a child. And in many ways, Gimpel is a child, for a child is a person who is learning the ways of the world. Gimpel mirrors a child with his naivete and goodness. The people of the town played jokes on him throughout his childhood and his life as an adult. According to Gimpel, “they stuffed my hand full of goat turds” instead “of the raisins they give when a woman’s lying in” (Singer 411). Whereas most people would see aggression as a normal reaction to this sort of trickery, Gimpel chooses to let every trick and every comment go without a word being said. His philosophy is to “Let it pass. So they take advantage of me” (411). This type of action demonstrates that Gimpel chooses to remain s...

    Read More

  • Candide

    654 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout Candide the author, Voltaire, demonstrates the character’s experiences in a cruel world and his fight to gain happiness. In the beginning Candide expects to achieve happiness without working for his goal and only taking the easy way out of all situations. However, by the end of the book the character

    Read More

  • Grendel's Absurdism

    334 Words  | 1 Pages

    Grendel’s point of view as a narrator adds an added sense of violence to the scene, which suggests that absurdism is useless, as absurdism ultimately decay into nihilism due to the chaotic nature of life.

    Read More

  • Symbolism In Grendel

    1504 Words  | 4 Pages

    Grendel feels like an outcast in the society he lives in causing him to have a hard time finding himself in the chaotic world. He struggles because the lack of communication between he and his mother. The lack of communication puts Grendel in a state of depression. However, Grendel comes in contact with several characters with different philosophical beliefs, which allows his to see his significance in life. Their views on life influence Grendel to see the world in a meaningful way.

    Read More

  • The Stars Are My Destination

    1518 Words  | 4 Pages

    description given by the author Alfred Bester of his main character as the stereotypical Common Man of humanity. A man who later motivated himself to become something more than just a 'mere' man. Within the few pages of just the first chapter, Bester had pulled me into the diluted, freakish mind of Gully Foyle.

    Read More

  • Grendel And Beowulf: Humanizing The Monster

    833 Words  | 2 Pages

    Grendel, as a character, has a much more complex identity than just a monster and a human. Some, such as Ruud, classify him as a mixture of three different characteristics, but alone, they tend to conflict with each other. By making the connection that Grendel represents immorality, the previous idea makes more sense, while simultaneously incorporating more aspects of the character into the analysis. In either case, Grendel represents much more than meets the eye, and provides a fascinating insight into

    Read More

  • Essay On Reputation In Beowulf

    748 Words  | 2 Pages

    Grendel created a bad reputation for himself many times. The people of Herot fear him. This is an important reputation because Grendel is looked at as the villain of the story. He kills many people. For example, “He slipped through the door and there in the silence snatched up thirty men, smashed them unknowing in their beds and ran out with their bodies the blood dripping behind him, back to his lair delighted with his night’s slaughter.” (page 21) The people of Herot feared Grendel so much they would sleep in places other than their beds to stay away from. We relate this kind of reputation in today’s time period to people like mass murderers. For example, Adolf Hitler. He killed many people just because they were Jewish. Grendel killed a bunch of people because he was a man eating monster. If we look at the reputation of Hitler, many people dislike him for the actions he committed to innocent people just like Grendel. People feared Hitler as well as disliked him because they were scared he might kill them which is exactly the case with Grendel. He killed people, from what I inferred, just because he could. He is looked at as a villain and in most cases so is Hitler. There are many other examples of people in earlier time periods who have left a bad reputation for themselves. And many people, wanted either nothing to do with them or stayed far away from them like we saw in the story of

    Read More

  • Beowulf: Grendel is Pure Evil

    485 Words  | 1 Pages

    Grendel is alone; he can not know God’s love and be comforted. He is an outcast, and the sins of his forefather have fallen upon him. Evil can not stand God being glorified just as the praising of God by the Danes angered Grendel.

    Read More

  • The Epic Of Grendel's Metaphamental Monsters In Beowulf

    1017 Words  | 3 Pages

    While Grendel may possess a brute strength, his lack of wit and logic is what ultimately leads to his downfall and demise. In Beowulf, the actions and character that of Beowulf, or an Epic Hero, define the perfect Anglo-Saxon warrior. Epic heroes are indicated by a variety of traits, including that they, “must look like a hero, they must be noble, famous, strong, courageous, humble, prideful, thick-skinned, self-sacrificing, faithful, focused, be a leader, and have a tragic flaw” (Jones 3). Unfortunately, aside from the ‘tragic flaw’ and ‘strong’ categories, Grendel’s character is antithetical to all characteristics of an Epic Hero. This makes him quite the villain, and a generally despicable character. “Suddenly then, / the God-cursed brute creating havoc: / greedy and grim, he grabbed thirty men”

    Read More

  • Fairy Tales Criticism

    1571 Words  | 4 Pages

    It is very common in many of the fairy tales for there to be usually one controlling, ‘evil’ parent, most commonly the stepmother, and one submissive parent, usually the father. This archetype is also seen in the fairy tales of Cinderella, Snow White, and Brother and Sister. The wicked character of the witch follows the stereotype that all witches are old, ugly, bitter, and evil. It is surprising to see that the fairy tale of Hansel and Gretel is one of the few where the main protagonists are clever and intelligent. The save themselves instead of relying on other people to save them. Hansel is very intelligent when he gathers glowing rocks and pieces of bread to lead their way back home when they are left to die in the forest. He shows his cleverness when he tricks the witch into believing that he has gained no weight by letting her touch a little bone instead of his finger. Gretel is also particularly clever when she pretends ignorance and tricks the witch into getting inside the oven allowing Gretel to push her in. The main themes of the fairy tale address survival and resilience in a world of poverty and deprivation. The main protagonist overcome the obstacles when they outsmart the witch, who represents gluttony, and are rewarded with pearls and jewels. Another main theme of the story is the sin of gluttony represented by the witch and the house made from bread and cakes. The witch’s gluttony is her downfall when she is tricked by both children. An important part of the fairy tale is the imagery present. As the children are lost in the forest they describe it “dark [as] night”. The forest is a recurrent image in the Grimm fairy tales, especially in the fairy tales of Little Red-Cap, and Snow White. The forest in the fairy tale is often described as frightening and where the supernatural happens. The forest also

    Read More

  • Singer Gimpel The Fool

    559 Words  | 2 Pages

    Gimpel is actually much more intelligent then the townspeople believe him to be. He has a strong moral compass and although he can easily defend himself against the people who torment him on a day to day basis he simply turns the other cheek and walks away. Gimpel even went as far to have said, "I was no weakling. If I slapped someone he'd see all the way to Cracow. But I'm not a slugger by nature. I think to myself: let it pass" (Singer 405). He doesn't allow the constant bullying to affect him and by not letting the bullies get to him, he has won. If people lets someone get into their head then they let that person dictate their mood, happiness, and can even let that person control their actions.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Poor Gimpel

    1508 Words  | 4 Pages

    Poor Gimpel; everyday life is not easy for the everyday bread maker. Every day he is the target of jokes and pranks from the townspeople, some of which are really cruel. I sympathize with poor Gimpel; I remember how it felt getting bullied and mistreated like Gimpel. I know how it feels to be mistreated in such a way. Later on, he is betrayed by his own wife, Elka for numerous infidelities. Just because Gimpel lets all the townspeople screw around with him and Elka lie to him constantly, does that really make him a fool? Is Gimpel really any bit dopey, incompetent, or lack moral thought? Singer portrays Gimpel as a fool in his story, “Gimpel the Fool,” but he is truly not because he shows self-awareness, true feelings, and even wisdom.

    Read More

  • The Wise Fools Of Chelm Analysis

    2015 Words  | 5 Pages

    This Chelm story is a good example of how anyone might be foolish, overlook an apparent change, and persist in a delusion or error. The story also alludes to the presence and influence of unknown forces or occurrences, as when the mischievous character turns the fool’s boots. Like the fool, we can sense there may be more to the story than we know. In depth psychology, this is akin to acknowledging the existence of the unconscious and its impact upon

    Read More

More about Who the Fools Are in Gimpel the Fool

Open Document