Survey of Major s in the 20th century.

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Faith is Not Foolish

In Gimpel the Fool , Isaac Bashevis Singer has created a character who is so full of faith he is perceived as foolish . But is this trait really something which should be looked upon as derogatory or is it a trait which should be celebrated and emulated ? Gimpel , the main character , states , What 's the good of not believing ? Today it 's your wife you don 't believe tomorrow it 's God himself you won 't take stock in (Singer , page

. Such blind faith in both fellow human beings as well as God dictates the path of Gimpel 's life and it causes him to accept , believe , and allow situations which everyone else deems foolishness , however it is Gimpel who wins out in the end by finding happiness in a life with no regrets

Gimpel is accepting of not only the treatment he receives by others , who see cause to ridicule him , but also of the personality traits of those who mock him . He readily admits that throughout his life he has been called names and played jokes upon and confesses , I was easy to take in (Singer , page . Gimpel shrugs off the pranks and name calling and sees no merit in attempting to defend himself . When the townspeople find him a wife who does not enjoy a good reputation , he is still agreeable to the union . He accepts his wife as she is , faults and all . Gimpel also accepts the dictates of his religion . When he is told by the rabbi that he must not live with his wife after she has been accused of adultery he goes along with the plan , against his own wishes . It is Gimpel 's acceptance of his status as a fool , his acceptance of the faults of others , and his acceptance of religious dictates , which allow him to go through life without regret

Gimpel believes wholeheartedly in anything he is told , which makes him the butt of many a joke . In response to the townspeople 's tall tales , he says , And I like a golem believed everyone (Singer , page referring to a creature in Yiddish culture whose name is synonymous with the traits of foolishness , or silliness . His belief in himself allows him to agree with the assessment of the townspeople . When his wife denies sleeping with another man and instead blames Gimpel himself for his poor eyesight , still he believes she is telling the truth . Even after the death of his wife , when Gimpel is visited by the Spirit of Evil , who exhorts him to do bad things back to those who deserve it and to renounce his faith in God , Gimpel suffers from but a small lapse of judgment before he again trusts in his own beliefs . It is this belief which allows him to accept others and accept what happens in his own life . As Gimpel states after 20 years of marriage to his wife , I neither saw nor heard . I believed...