Themes of Suffering in the Works of Bernard Malamud

Abstract

Why do we suffer? Is suffering inevitable? And what does it mean to suffer? The answers to these questions are very difficult and lie at the heart of the human experience. One author most interested in these questions is Bernard Malamud. In almost all of Bernard Malamud's works suffering is a major theme. In all of his novels and short stories his characters suffer and some are redeemed and some are not. This paper will investigate how the themes of suffering operate within the works of Malamud and in the process seek to obtain a greater understanding of where suffering fits in to Malamud's view of life and human experience. A common feature of suffering in Malamud's stories is that of the suffering Jew. As Malamud himself is Jewish it is not surprising that a vast majority of his characters are as well. It is equally understandable that the Jewish view of suffering is prevalent in his writing. This, however, is not the only view of suffering that Malamud offers the reader. He also points to suffering as a form of imprisonment, a warped feature of the American dream and, encouragingly, a state that for some offers the hope of redemption. This view is not completely Jewish centered as he also explores other Western traditions of how suffering can be viewed, particularly that of Christian and Greek forms. In conclusion Malamud's works take us into a world of suffering characters, usually Jews that must face the dilemma of their state of suffering. For those who can accept this state and make morally appropriate choices redemption is available, however those who can not are doomed to continue their suffering without hope.