The Rise of David Levinsky
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Rise of David Levinsky is one of the more famous works by Abraham Cahan. It was published in 1917 (see 1917 in literature). It was also made into a musical by Isaiah Sheffer and Robert Paul and performed at the 92nd Street Y in New York City in the 1980s.
The musical was performed again for the first time since the 1980's by The New Vista Theatre Company in Boynton Beach, Florida, in March 2007. New Vista was founded by Avi Hoffman, who played the role of the younger David Levinsky in the original production. He played the role of the older David Levinsky in the new production.
Contents |
[edit] Plot Overview
The book is told in the form of a fictional autobiography.
[edit] Book I: Home and School
The main character, David Levinsky, is born in 1865 in Antomir, a city of 80,000 in northwestern Russia. His father dies when he is three, leaving him and his mother to fend for themselves. He grows up in abject poverty, he and his mother sharing a single basement room with three other families. His mother scrounges together money to send him to a private cheder for elementary instruction in Judaism and the Torah, because the public cheder are known for the inferiority of their education. When payments are late, the headmaster threatens to throw David out of school; his mother convinces the headmaster to let him stay, promising to pay every penny. Owing to his poverty, he suffers occasional abuse at the hands of the teachers, who cannot take aggression out on the richer students. From all of this abuse, he becomes one of the tougher kids. But also he excels academically. Furthermore, he receives the respect of the other students after beating up richer kids.
[edit] Book II: Enter Satan
At the age of 13, David finishes his cheder education and begins Talmudic studies in a yeshivah. He meets and befriends Reb (Rabbi) Sender who has been supported by his wife while he spent sixteen hours daily studying the Talmud. Reb Sender is one of the most "nimble-minded" scholars in the town, and well liked by nearly all of the congregation. He also befriends Naphtali, another student two years ahead of him. David and Naphtali often study together at nightly vigils until morning worshippers come. During this book, David begins to feel an inner conflict between the religious instruction he receives and his growing interest in girls. He is often tempted by the sight of girls entering the synagogue. He also thinks of his childhood dislike for Red Esther, the daughter of one of the other families in his basement home. Meanwhile, a Pole moves to Antomir and becomes a regular reader at the synagogue. The Pole has memorized 500 pages of the Talmud and recites by memory, provoking David's jealousy. He begins memorizing sections of the Talmud, but Reb Sender finds out and questions his motivation. This leads to a physical confrontation between David and the Pole.
