The discussion of crucifixtion as metaphor vs. historical/religious truth was also interesting. If I remember correctly, Asher tried to find some other symbol that would be less objectionable to his community and realized there was none.

He didn't really try too hard. There are a number of symbols in Jewish lore that represent the ideas of self-sacrifice, martyrdom and faith that I think Asher was trying to convey. I think some more accurate reasons that he chose to go with the crucifix (despite his stated excuses) were: a) it's the most widely known symbol for those ideas he was trying to convey; b) as a result of his own extensive study of art in depictions of Christian scenes, it accurately reflects his own artistic vision, notwithstanding that he's an observant Jew; and c) his audience would not relate to an equivalent Judeo symbol, which ties in a little bit to b) because at that stage neither would he.

I was a little disturbed at times at how much Asher discounted the pain he was causing his parents. I know Faulkner said, "If a writer has to rob his mother, he will not hesitate; the 'Ode on a Grecian Urn' is worth any number of old ladies." I suppose that holds for artists too, but I would have liked Asher to feel worse about it.

I was pretty disgusted with our hero that he couldn't even warn his own parents of what they were about to face. I suspect if they hadn't already suspected and asked about his nudes, he never would have told them about those paintings either and they would have had a similar embarassment at an earlier show. I was rooting for Asher to fulfill his artistic potential, but I liked his parents more than I did him.

I think the Rebbe understood before that. I think that that's why the Rebbe insisted Asher take French in high school. If it were only for being able to read art books and function more in the art world, then Jacob Kahn would have told him to do it. I think the French was a contingency plan -- the Rebbe knew that a Ladover community was growing in Paris, and making sure Asher could speak French was a way of making sure that he'd have a place to go if it did become too much of a conflict between his art and his community.

I agree, Hil. But I don't think the Rebbe expected Asher to break the taboos he did and end up where he does at the end of the book. I think he anticipated using Asher like you said, but in a similar way to his parents, not as an outcast.

I was pretty disgusted with our hero that he couldn't even warn his own parents of what they were about to face.

The impression that I got was that he didn't know *how* to tell them. He knew it was the last straw, and he just didn't have the maturity to go to them and say "I've done something that will offend and upset you, but I had no other way."

The impression that I got was that he didn't know *how* to tell them. He knew it was the last straw, and he just didn't have the maturity to go to them and say "I've done something that will offend and upset you, but I had no other way."

That's the way Asher conveys it. But my impression was of a grown man (at that point) deciding to let the inevitable happen rather than be brave enough to step-up and say, "Mom, dad, there's something you need to know before you walk in those doors." I mean, they didn't surprise him there. They told him over and over - no nudes, we'll be there. They practically begged him to tell them of the existence of objectionable (to them) material, every time they asked "are you sure there are no nudes?" How much more of an opening does he need?

Do you think on some level he wanted them to see it?

Do you think on some level he wanted them to see it?

Abso-friggin-lutely. But I think he wanted it to relieve him of the burden of telling them himself what is going on in his head. I suppose he felt that as an artist, this is the way he communicates so it's fair for him to ambush them with the paintings rather than try and orally convey their contents.

a grown man

Really? I got the impression that he was in his late teens.

I suppose he felt that as an artist, this is the way he communicates so it's fair for him to ambush them with the paintings rather than try and orally convey their contents.

If he could orally convey it, he wouldn't have the urgency to paint. (not an argument I was trying to bring you to, just working it out for myself). They were his two great works- I don't know how he could have communicated it. He could've said "Hey guys, there's a crucifixion." But that only tells them he's done something they don't approve of- from that description they can't even begin to think why.

Really? I got the impression that he was in his late teens.

By the end of the book, he was already past high school and had done at least some college, plus at least a year in Europe. I don't remember whether they were clear on whether he'd graduated college or not, but he's at least 22 or so by that point.

That old, huh. In any case, I don't think his inter-personal skills are very highly developed. I don't think he knows how to communicate in any way other than painting.

The Rabbi impressed me. I half-expected him to be rigidly orthodox (in the generic meaning of the word), but he made a real effort to accommodate Asher. Plus he keeps in contact with the secular world as evidence by Jacob. The Rabbi was truly upset at having to expel Asher, and not just because of the paintings but because I think he felt he had failed Asher.