MY NAME IS ASHER LEV

First Journal

Andrew Beck

Per.7 12/22/98

Mr.Luizzi

Asher Lev is an interesting protagonist and being that the novel is a first person narrative, it adds more maturity and a "coming-of-age" theme. Though what we have read of My Name Is Asher Lev is only a small portion of the book it is noticed that there are similarities between this novel and The Catcher In The Rye. Yet the details of this will be divulged when there is more evidence.

For this journal, I chose to show the purpose of the drawing for Asher. Being that Asher is an only child and part of an extremely faithful Jewish family he has many things going on around him. He even has a full-time nanny, Mrs.Rackover, who takes care of him for the most part. Yet this is during normal times. However there was an accident that caused the death of Asher's mother. This caused Asher's mother to go into a state of shock and period where she refused to eat or speak. All this can be a lot for a person to take in and Asher is only age six.

For Asher, drawing is a way out of the sometimes hectic life he experiences. Anything that Asher experiences is put on his drawing pad. An example is when Asher is imagining what it would be like to live in Siberia. He is trying to show cold and ice yet can't seem to find the right medium. Inside he feels unfulfilled and incomplete. He never finishes his drawing of the Russian Jew. Also, Asher is often dragged with his father to work and forced to listen to the countless conversations his father has daily. On a particular day when it is extremely rainy and gray at the office Asher tries to mimic that into his art.

As Asher decides to stop drawing so does a part of Asher. This was Asher's special way of expressing and venting himself. Now that he is older he won't be expressing himself through this medium any longer. Thus prompting Asher to find a new way of "de-stressing". This could force Asher to resort to worse things than his peaceful talent.