"Gimpel the Fool" by Isaac Bashevis Singer
Gimpel the Fool is one of the most acclaimed works of Singer. It is about the life of a “wise fool” Gimpel, an orphan, who learns truths about spiritual faith, love and evil through various experiences of his life. He’s teased and tricked into believing anything he is told, no matter how outlandish it may be.
Gimpel is easily duped and regarded as a fool by everyone, so much so that he married a town whore thinking she’s a good woman. She mistreats and cheats on him for all the twenty years of their marriage, bears him twelve illegitimate children and in the end dies confessing her infidelity towards him. In the beginning Gimpel thinks he’s just imagining things, but later when he learns how everyone including Elka betrayed him, he’s shattered and loses faith. But when Elka in a dream tells him not to become like her, he puts aside revengeful thoughts and looks forward to eternal life, a life ‘without deception’.
The character of Gimpel is shown to be innocent and tolerant. He forgives everyone for taking advantage of him, and in this way truly lives a Christian life. He may be foolish according to the world around him, but he is actually a wise individual who avoids fights and quarrels. His faith gives him victory in the end.
Reference
Select Writers of the Twentieth Century: A Brief Anthology. New York: Pearson Custom Publishing, 2005. Print.
