The First Seven Years

by Bernard Malamud

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The First Seven Years

Sobel's love for Miriam in "The First Seven Years" is profound and enduring, despite the obstacles they face. He is willing to wait years for her, working diligently in her father's shop, hoping to...

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The First Seven Years

Miriam is portrayed as an independent and emotionally strong young woman who values intellectual and spiritual depth over materialism. Despite her father's wishes for her to pursue higher education...

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The First Seven Years

Miriam's reaction to her second date with Max was one of disinterest and disappointment. She tells her father that Max is a materialist with "no soul," indicating that she finds him uninteresting and...

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The First Seven Years

The mood of "The First Seven Years" is muted and somewhat sad, reflecting the struggles of poor Jewish immigrants in mid-20th century America. Despite external bleakness, the characters' inner hope...

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The First Seven Years

In Bernard Malamud's "The First Seven Years," Feld finds Max appealing as a potential husband for his daughter, Miriam, due to Max's dedication to education and his potential for a better future....

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The First Seven Years

In "The First Seven Years," Malamud perhaps included such different kinds of characters to give interest to the narrative and to the choices made by Fred and Miriam.

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The First Seven Years

After Sobel resigns, Feld initially offers to raise his assistant's wages in an attempt to retain him. However, Sobel is more interested in being allowed to court Feld's daughter, Miriam, which leads...

1 educator answer

The First Seven Years

Feld hopes that his daughter, Miriam, will date and eventually marry Max, a college student, to improve her future prospects. Disappointed by Miriam's lack of interest in further education and her...

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The First Seven Years

Max and Miriam, characters from "The First Seven Years," share similarities as Polish American immigrants in post-WWII New York, both valuing education and having career aspirations. However,...

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The First Seven Years

The impression of Sobel is largely positive. He is depicted as a hardworking, determined, and loyal individual, despite lacking formal education. While Sobel is impulsive, as seen when he storms out...

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The First Seven Years

In "The First Seven Years," Max is heading to class past Feld's shop. Feld, admiring Max's dedication to education, privately discusses the possibility of Max dating his daughter, Miriam, hoping for...

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The First Seven Years

Feld's belief that he "wasted his youth" by not pursuing education drives his desire for his daughter Miriam to have a better life. He hopes she will either attend college or marry an educated man,...

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The First Seven Years

In Bernard Malamud's "The First Seven Years," Feld admires Max for his dedication to education and sees him as a suitable match for his daughter, Miriam. Feld values education highly and respects...

1 educator answer