THE WASHWOMAN
The Washwoman
By: Isaac Bashevis Singer
- Biography:
Isaac Bashevis
Singer:
Isaac Singer was born on
July 14, 1904, in Radzymin, Poland. He was a writer of novels, short stories, and essays in Yiddish. in 1950, he published
his first major novel, The Family Moskat. Then he wrote a collection of short
stories, including “Gimpel The Fool” and “The Spinoza of Market Street”.
One of the greatest achievement was when he won the
Nobel Prize for Literature.
He received a traditional Jewish education at the
Warsaw Rabbinical Seminary. His older brother was the novelist I.J. Singer and
his sister the writer Esther Kreytman (Kreitman).
1925 was the year when he published the story “In
Old Age”, his first novel, Satan in Goray, was published in Poland.
His most
important novels are The Family Moskat (1950), The Magician of Lublin (1960),
and The Slave (1962).
During the 1960s, he worked in his most important
work from the time; A Love Story, that is about the emotional struggle of a
Holocaust survivor.
He continued writing more
recognized literary works, until his death, on July 24, 1991, in Surfside,
Florida.
- Historical Background:
Poland, where the story “The Washwoman” take place,
is a country where the government system is a democratic and is based as a
parliament, that is directed by the Prime Minister, the parliament have to take
decisions about the laws and conditions to the citizens.
On the recently years, Poland had elections of
president, in fact, that happens every five years, to change leaders of
parliament.
In Poland the división of clases is very strong,
because some people have more economic posibilities than other people. And have
a some states where the people have their own places divided. For that reason
the other people with less oportunity to take own propierties, have to looks
work with that families to get better economic future.
- Expectations:
Certanly, The story probably will be about a
woman who´s name could be Sarah, who dedicate to the laundry, obviously the
story will be related by a house, where maybe live a big family, and need help
to make the things in home. Then the family have a trip to Europe, they decided
that Sarah will go with them. In that trip the washwomen will know a lot of
things about the life and the luxuries of rich people. She could change her
opinion about the big families and enjoy the trip with the family. Finally she
get back at home but somewhat has changed, she have the idea to form a family,
and live in a beautiful and big house. Now she have to decide if she want to
work as a washwoman as a long time, or be the owner of her life.
- Analysis/connection between literary works and historical background:
On the story
the author to mention some places of Poland and when the story maybe it happens,
remember Poland is a country where the government system is from parliament,
and have several conditions and permisions to work. On that country, Poland,
many streets are named depends of the social class, and the level. Because on
that country the people who have economic possibilities can fire people to the
laundry or a janitor, etc. The setting where the story is happens refers to a
place wher the are big houses, and a lot of propierties in another places. It could
be a mantion or a condominium.
- Literary movement:
Acording to a literary movement, we can place
the work in a differents movements, in fact the literary work, as Washwoman,
have some charateristics of Realism, because on that movement, the author looks
reflect the reality but in a context more explicit and understandable,
considering that, we can to mention another literary movement that could be
related with that literary work, that is Naturalism, because the main objective
is to show reality in a more crude way, as the Washwomen, where the author can
write with simplicity and naturalness. On that way, the work is clearly a
natural story, that may well be a real life, and that is the main idea of both
movements.
- Country:
- Did you confirm your predictions?
Suddenly she doesn´t came anymore and the family she
work with feels that everything is a disaster without her. Finally she gets back and she tells them she
was sick, but similarly she promises to come back, but she never came back.
- References
o
Biography.com Editors,(October 12, 2017) Isaac Bashevis Singer, Biography.com.
Recovered from:
o Donna M. Campbell.(03/08/2017) Literary Naturalism and
Early Cinema in American Women's Writing
Recovered from:
o
Editors, Timeline of Polish history( 2016) by: Wikipedia, the free enciclopedia.
Recovered from:
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