Wanderers of the New World: From the Jew as Other, to the Jew as (Uncanny) Double in “A Virtuoso's Collection” (1842) and “Ethan Brand” (1850)

Abstract

Abstract The legend of the Wandering Jew began as a European folk motif and migrated to America, where it gained a popularity unmatched in the countries of the Old World. This article focuses on the adaptation of this legend in the American gothic, and specifically on the literary rendition of the Wandering Jew in Hawthorne's “A Virtuoso's Collection” (1842) and “Ethan Brand” (1850). Hawthorne first staged this archetype in his short story titled “A Virtuoso's Collection,” in which the Jew serves as a chronicler and an eerie museum guide. In “Ethan Brand,” the Wandering Jew is recast as a “German Jew,” a showman carrying a diorama and showing sketches. There, he serves as both the figure of the Other and an image of the evil double. He proves to be a source of gothic horror, hinting at the pointlessness of the quest of the main protagonist, who claims to have identified and mastered the “Unpardonable Sin.” After the departure of the Jew, Brand kills himself, which could be interpreted as a victory of the doppelgänger typical of gothic tales. However, Brand's attempt to annihilate himself is incomplete, for it is mentioned in the explicit that his heart could not be burnt down. This ambiguous ending and lack of closure are true to the spirit of the legend, whereby the Jew must wander until messianic times. However, the real Jew behind the mask remains unaccounted for, as he is reduced to a mere literary representation of pure otherness.