Existentialism and the Essence of Suffering

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The Fixer is Malamud's most existential piece, offering a profound examination of life's value and the nature of suffering. The novel explores crucial themes like the conflict between human freedom and necessity, the individual versus society, historical context, anti-Semitism, political oppression, and social turmoil. Yakov Bok, the main character, is depicted not just as an impoverished Jew falsely accused by Russian authorities of ritually killing a Christian child, but also as an Everyman and, according to some critics, a Christ-like figure.

Identity and Reinvention

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Similar to characters in other stories by Malamud, Yakov Bok dreams of transforming his life by leaving the confining Jewish shtetl where he lives. This place feels like a prison to him, much like his childless and loveless marriage. After his wife leaves him, he feels no reason to remain. Upon reaching Kiev, he quickly sheds his Jewish identity and becomes a foreman at Nikolai Maximovitch Lebedev’s brickyard, fully aware that Lebedev is linked to the notorious anti-Semitic group, the Black Hundreds. Ironically, the fortune that initially comes his way, soon turning into misfortune, stems from assisting Lebedev when he finds him drunk on a winter street. Similarly, helping an elderly Jew being harassed by thugs near the brickyard leads to "evidence" used against him in the false accusation and over two-year imprisonment he suffers while waiting for the indictment and trial for the alleged crime.

Self-Discovery and Integrity

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While imprisoned, much of it in harsh solitary confinement and enduring humiliation, Yakov Bok comes to understand the essence of humanity and the obligations one has towards others. Bok's departure from the shtetl in search of knowledge about the outside world turns into a profound journey of self-discovery. Through extended and severe suffering, he realizes his responsibilities to himself—preserving his integrity—and to others—rejecting the idea of falsely accusing his fellow Jews of a terrible crime they did not commit, just like him. The Prosecuting Attorney offers Bok freedom from prison and a chance to leave Russia if he signs certain documents, but Bok steadfastly refuses. Even in his darkest moments, he learns that suicide, despite its allure, provides no genuine solution or escape.

Resistance and Inner Freedom

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By standing against unjust authority and overwhelming despair, Bok successfully safeguards his integrity and inner freedom. As noted by Jerry Bryant, Bok remains "free not to be what the Russian government would have him to be." As long as he holds onto this mental freedom, he retains his humanity. Bryant further elaborates that Bok's humanity grows deeper when he recognizes his duty to help others and affirms his bond with all people. Near the end of the story, when Bok's life is gravely threatened by an uncontrollable outburst, the prison guard Kogin intervenes to save him, sacrificing his own life in the process. This act, echoing the servant's sacrifice in King Lear, reveals to Bok that his suffering has been meaningful to others, including his oppressors.

Historical Context and Political Oppression

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Set in pre-Revolutionary Russia during the rule of Czar Nicholas II, the story explores the expanding political ramifications of Bok's predicament. The regime threatens additional pogroms against the Jewish community as a diversion from its own deeper problems. The intense anti-Semitism serves as a destructive force, affecting both the victims and the perpetrators, similar to what occurred a generation later in Nazi Germany. History and the political forces that mold it are inescapable, although proactive resistance can change its trajectory. This understanding dawns on Bok: "One thing I've learned, he thought, there's no such thing as an unpolitical man, especially a Jew. You can't be one without the other, that's clear enough. You can't sit still and see yourself destroyed."

Freedom

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Yakov starts the story with very limited freedom, and as the novel progresses, he faces even greater deprivations. At first, Yakov's options for where to live, work, and travel are restricted due to his Jewish identity. For a short time, by renouncing his Jewish roots, he gains some freedom to move beyond these limitations. However, this new freedom is fleeting, as he is soon falsely accused of murder. His imprisonment, which occupies most of the novel, deepens his confinement. He despises his initial cell because it leaves him vulnerable to the whims of other prisoners, but solitary confinement turns out to be even more brutal. Once he adapts to solitary confinement, his movement is further limited by being shackled to his bed. Throughout this ordeal, the cruel Deputy Warden subjects him to invasive body searches, inspecting Yakov's mouth and anus even though it's clear Yakov couldn't possibly have a weapon; even his body is not his own. As his time in jail nears its end, Yakov loses hope for freedom. However, on his way to the courthouse, he sees his fellow Jews defiantly lining the street against the Tsar's regime, which reignites his belief in freedom. "Where there's no fight in it there's no freedom," he reflects. "Death to the anti-Semites! Long live revolution! Long live liberty!"

Religion

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The book explores a political conflict between Christians and Jews that is largely separated from the true beliefs of these groups. More importantly, it highlights Yakov's personal journey as he moves from feeling disillusioned to embracing his Jewish identity. At the beginning of the story, Yakov leaves the Pale of Jewish Settlement, feeling out of place. He tells his father-in-law, Schmuel, "Torah I had little of and Talmud less," though he learned Hebrew due to his talent for languages. With few job opportunities and after his wife of six years leaves him, Yakov is doubtful of the comfort his religious roots could offer. Instead, he chooses to rely entirely on himself, symbolized by keeping his tool kit while discarding his prayer items into the Dnieper River.

Ironically, it is the authorities who attempt to force a Jewish identity onto Yakov while he is in prison. They demand that he grows his hair long in the traditional Jewish style. They provide him with phylacteries, small leather boxes containing Hebrew scriptures, which Orthodox Jews customarily wear on their heads and arms. Yakov reads these eagerly to pass the time. They also give him a prayer shawl, which he uses for warmth. Their goal is to make him seem part of an Orthodox Jewish conspiracy, but during his imprisonment, Yakov starts to value his Jewish heritage. This change is clear at the end when he protests against having his Orthodox-style ringlets cut.

Class Conflict

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In this book, social classes often correspond to religious affiliations; Russian Christians hold the dominant societal position, while Jews are pushed into the lower class due to governmental restrictions. Yet, there are significant moments when religious differences are overlooked, allowing individuals to interact as equals. For instance, when Yakov first arrives in Kiev, Lebedev is struck by Yakov's character and diligence, offering him a job as an overseer in the brickyard based on his observations. Lebedev's own journey from poverty fosters a connection built on mutual understanding.

Later, while Yakov is imprisoned, he worries that his cellmates will hold him responsible for the child's murder he is accused of. However, the convict Fetyukov shows that, even though Yakov is from a lower social class, he does not subscribe to the superstitions about Jews. "When I was a boy, I was apprenticed to a Jewish blacksmith," he says. "He wouldn't have done what they say you did. If he drank blood, he would have vomited it up." A Russian Christian from a higher social class would probably not have had such interactions with Jews and might have believed the rumors. The most profound instance of class solidarity overcoming religious differences is Kogin's sacrifice at the book's end. With his own son imprisoned, Kogin feels more empathy for Yakov than for the Deputy Warden, despite technically being colleagues. Though Kogin had been indifferent to Yakov throughout most of his imprisonment, he ultimately sacrifices his life to save Yakov, recognizing that if the system can be unjust to one inmate, it could be equally unjust to his son.

Civil Rights

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Modern American readers are often taken aback by stories of individuals jailed for crimes they did not commit, with no external aid. The U.S. Constitution clearly guarantees the right to a swift trial, and organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union actively monitor any breaches of this right. Consequently, Americans usually assume that fundamental civil rights are assured, unlike in oppressive, totalitarian regimes where these rights are not acknowledged. In many countries, there is no guarantee of legal representation; in certain places, political prisoners suffer in cells while their families remain unaware of their status. Political prisoners are often executed under the weak justification of "attempting to escape," as Ostrovsky warns Yakov about in the book. Others endure torture and are then left with the means to take their own lives, as demonstrated with Bibikov. A sign of Tsarist society's recognition of prisoner rights is that in this novel, everyone believes Yakov will receive a trial once he is formally charged: a society without laws would not keep such a promise.

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