Religion Against Art with Asher Lev
Religion against Art with Asher Lev As the author Chaim Potok writes in the book “My Name is Asher Lev,” demonstrating the conflict of the theme religion and art tied into it with Asher Lev. The theme between religion and art has many different sections that all combined into this book with Asher, his parents and the Rebbe have a lot that conjoined into this. Chaim Potok the author wrote these sequels of the books because these books relate to his past. Asher has conflict of love between art and religion is very frustrating to him because of his parents and the community. Asher is gifted and talented artist that wants to have his whole world revolved around art, not religion. The religion that Asher and his family worship by is the Jewish tradition essentially for anti-iconographic tradition. The Jewish are mosaic monotheism, offers a powerful statement to paganism and pagan worship. Jews do not interact or participate in any western art, no Jewish motifs in western art. Asher Lev enters into western art, which is a different direction that his religion takes him. “Asher grows up in a deeply religious Jewish family.” (My Name is Asher Lev). In the Jewish religion, they believe in the “sitra achra” meaning the “other side.” “This also threatens the tradition, might believe that they must shut their eyes to such a threat.” (Potok and Tradition).
As Asher Lev grows older and comes to the conclusion that art is his passion, his parents become very agitated. “Asher’s passion lies in drawing, yet his parents find this a useless talent.” (Novels). Asher faces problems growing up, he didn’t have a hard childhood but it was different than most kids. He didn’t really have a father while he was younger and not really whenever he got older, his father traveled for the Rebbe. When he did get older, his father moved and eventually his mother traveled with him. He stayed in his home town for a while, without his family and a few friends that had helped him get more
As Asher Lev grows older and comes to the conclusion that art is his passion, his parents become very agitated. “Asher’s passion lies in drawing, yet his parents find this a useless talent.” (Novels). Asher faces problems growing up, he didn’t have a hard childhood but it was different than most kids. He didn’t really have a father while he was younger and not really whenever he got older, his father traveled for the Rebbe. When he did get older, his father moved and eventually his mother traveled with him. He stayed in his home town for a while, without his family and a few friends that had helped him get more