Personal Connection

So far I have really been able to connect to this book very well. The town that is set up in the novel of Sitka, Alaska is a Jewish community filled with many ideas and traditions that I can easily relate to. Just the way Chabon writes the novel is very informal and humorous and really chatches spot on to some traditional stereotypes of Jews. In the very beginning when talking about the murder scene, Landsman asks Tenenboym if he touched anything and he replies, “Only the cash and jewlry.” This is very humorous because this alludes to the stereotype of Jews being greedy for money and I can connect with it being Jewish. There are many parts in the novel that remind me of a lot of people in my family, but mainly I can connect to it because much of the humor that is used in the novel is based on either a Jewish stereotype, a tradition or a custom that other people might not be aware of. Because Chabon adds a little Yiddish twist to the text and describes many of the situations through the perspective of a Jew, it kind of already portrays how maybe i would act in situations the characters are put in. There are many remarks in the novel that would have gone over my head if it weren’t for my Jewish identity. These remarks are basically about Jewish customs or traditions that only a Jew would understand as well as understand the humor behind it. An example of this might be, "This conversation is the equivalent of Landsman's kissing the mezuzah, the kind of thing that starts out as a joke and ends up as a strap to hang on to." This remark is a metaphor used by Chabon to show humor through the Jewish custom of kissing the mezuzah (a small box that holds prayers which is placed on the doorposts of a Jewish persons home) as he or she walks in the door. Because so much of this novel is revolved around the Jewish culture it has been really easy for me to get into the book, and with the added murder mystery it makes this novel all the more worthwhile.

Rhetoric Study

Thus far Michael Chabon’s writing style has been a pleasure to read. He uses a good amount of humor through sarcasm and he uses Yiddish words to add to the humor of the novel as well. Many instances in the novel that seem to be pretty intense are actually lightened by a sarcastic remark by Landsman, or a description of someone or something using Yiddish slang. The first couple of character’s that are introduced all give off a sarcastic tone that makes this book very humorous. Not only do most of these character’s have sarcastic tones but each of them has very Jewish-sounding or Yiddish name like, Tenenboym, Shemets, Shpringer, Gelbfish, Velvel.

“’ I sleep,’ Landsman says. He picks up the shot glass that he is currently dating, a souvenir of the World’s Fair of 1977. ‘It’s just I do it in my underpants and shirt.”’(2)

This quote displays a good example of the sarcasm used by Landsman when he is simply questioned. I also found it very interesting the way Chabon goes to say that he is “currently dating” this shot glass, which made it seem like this had been his only lover or the only thing he has cared about in a while. His choice of diction to portray his attachment to this shot glass really gave me a since that he is an alcoholic who has possibly been depressed and this shot glass has been his escape.

“…in whose café the great exiles of Jewish chess met every day to demolish one another without pity or heart…He took on all comers and sent them out of the Einstien so soundly thrashed that one or two of them never forgave him”(30)

This situation is a part in the novel when Landsman takes his father to this hotel to play chess against some people and to maybe get some information about the murder of this Emanuel Lasker. The way Chabon describes the way these old men play chess is very humorous. It could almost be compared to a fight between old people. By giving this sarcastic edge to the game of chess Chabon easily portrays a good sense of humor.

There aren’t exactly specific passages that point out the constant use of Yiddish words but Landsmen uses many Yiddish words in his everyday language like referring to his gun as a “sholem”. The main source of Yiddish comes from all of the names he gives to the people and places. All of these names and places adds to the humor of the novel giving it a very Jewish or Yiddish feel.

Snapshot!

As I was reading the first few pages of the novel I came to the actual scene of the crime that is described in great detail. I thought that it would be necessary to pay attention to all the small details that are mentioned because in mysteries sometimes the small clues end up being the big picture. Although this passage seemed to be very important to the book, it also stuck out a lot because the detail of the scene was so intense that it actually forced me to read closely and see if maybe even I noticed anything in the scene that was different. Because the situation and the plot is still developing it’s almost impossible to see any significant clues, but more or less they all could be significant.

In the beginning of the novel the crime scene of the mysterious murder of Emanuel Lasker is almost taken as a snapshot in the mind of Meyer Landsman. As the scene is describes in great detail, Landsman seems to take every bit of the scene in so he might understand what has happened a little better. I found it very interesting how detailed the crime scene was and how Landsman noticed every little detail that is odd about the situation. As the murder is depicted, so far the only thing I know as the reader is that this was definitely a murder set up as a suicide, and there is no sign as to who has done it. I think that this passage about the crime scene will end up being very important because most cases I usually hear of have to do with all of the clues found on the scene. Landsman notices little details that do not seem to be of any significance such as a chess board which seemed to be in the middle of a game, the arrangement of burnt out light bulbs, the window opened only an inch.
These small details might not seem like much but may be important in the end.

As I read further in the book this scene seems to be even more significant because Landsman keeps going back to the scene a progressively finding more clues that are probably more worthwhile that the ones he had originally found. In the following chapters Landsman approaches and investigates the scene again finding a couple of books inside the bedside table of the room and also a small black box called “tefillin” which usually has small parchment of Jewish scriptures and Lasker’s had none. The book that Landsman find are probably going to play an active part in the rest of the novel because he pays close attention to this book about chess because in his mind the set up chess board seemed to be of significance. One of the other detective finds this tefillin which is usually wrapped around the head and arms in a special pattern with a small box dangles from the part wrapped around the head. They figured out since nothing is in the box that wrappings were used to dilate the vein in his arm.

Every time Landsman goes back to the crime scene there is always something new that is found so I think that this scene from the very start of the novel will progressively become more and more important.

Interesting Character

Although it usually takes a couple of chapters to get a real view of the main character, Chabon makes it a point to establish much of Landsman’s character in the first chapter. Landsman is immediately depicted as a sarcastic detective who has been divorced from his wife and a blatant alcoholic.

“According to doctors, therapists, and his ex-wife, Landsman drinks to medicate himself, tuning the tubes of crystals of his moods with a crude hammer of hundred-proof plum brandy. “ (2)

This immediately establishes Landman’s alcoholic behavior and brings up his ex-wife. Although his ex-wife does not sound like a big deal, a little bit later on in the chapter Landsman calls up his partner Berko Shemets and Chabon includes the following description about Landsman, “Unlike Landsman, Berko Shemets has not made a mess of his marriage or his personal life. Every night he sleeps in the arms of his excellent wife, whose love for him is merited, requited, and appreciated by her husband, a steadfast man who never gives her any cause for sorrow or alarm.” (6). I think this description is very significant because Chabon makes it a point to show the clear cut contrast between Landsman and Shemets. Not only does Chabon contrast the two partners, but he goes to an almost extreme when talking about Shemets’ love for his wife which may mean that Shemets and Landsman are not just different but possibly polar opposites. Thus far, Shemets hasn’t really been described in detail so I am still unsure of how true that statement actually is.

Landsman’s character is still not fully developed but I think that his personal life and much of his character will have to do with the rest of the novel since the author makes a point to establish all of this information in the first couple of pages.

Introduction Analysis

Although this wasn’t exactly the book I had originally wanted, after starting to read the first couple pages I was immediately attached to the character and plot of the novel. The beginning of this book, The Yiddish Policemen's Union caught me by a pleasant surprise as seeing a significant event start off the novel. The author Michael Chabon immediately starts off the novel by illustrating a murder in the hotel he's been living in called Hotel Zamenhof. Without introducing any background information Chabon tries to immediately grab the reader's attention by introducing the murder of this resident. "Nine months Landsman's been flopping around at the Hotel Zamenhof without any of his fellow residents managing to get themselves murdered. Now, somebody has put a bullet in the brain of the occupant of 208, a yid who was calling himself Emanuel Lasker" (1). These are the first two sentences of the whole book. The author does not necessarily use many rhetorical devices but this is a very good strategy to instantly catch the reader’s attention and it instantly sets a mysterious and suspenseful tone. Not only is this attention-grabbing, but it immediately sets up the plot and what the rest of the book is going to be about. Usually an author will set up a situation before giving the reader a plot, but the first two sentences really grabbed my attention right away.

The rest of the introduction goes on to depict the type of character Meyer Landsman is and a little bit of background about his life. Although he seems like he is not too fond of his job, when he sees the room of this murder and the way it was set up, it took me by surprise. I got the feeling that Landsman knew something more about the murder or at least he seemed as if he was more intrigued by this scene than any others he had been involved with. Because the author sets up this introduction in such a mysterious and suspenseful way it made me curious as to the significance of this murder. I think that this murder will have a great impact on Landsman’s personal life and maybe through this crime something about himself will be revealed by the end of the novel.