The Golem and the Jinni

“Without the benefit of the bond between master and golem, their wishes and fears did not have the driving force of commands—but nonetheless she heard them, and felt their varying urgencies, and her limbs twitched with the compulsion to respond. Each one was like a small hand plucking at her sleeve: please, do something.”

This quotation provides a visceral understanding of Chava’s abilities to sense the needs and wants of the people around her, and the almost frenetic descriptions are designed to reflect the breathless sense of emergency that Chava feels when she intuits the needs of those around her. This moment is designed to demonstrate how easily she can be overwhelmed, potentially losing control of her impulses. Thus, while the threat of her innate Golem-born violence is a real one, this passage labors to humanize even Chava’s more monstrous qualities, for it is only her extreme empathy for those around her that causes her to lose control.

“The Jinni watched, and listened, and decided they were a fascinating paradox. What drove these short-lived creatures to be so oddly self-destructive, with their punishing journeys and brutal battles? And how, at barely eighteen or twenty years of age, could they grow to be so intelligent and cunning?”

This quotation illustrates the level of interest that the Jinni has in humanity as a whole. By establishing his fascination and curiosity with mankind, Wecker can begin to weave the Jinni’s prior history of being imprisoned in a flask. The passage also illustrates the fact that despite the initial impression that Arbeely has of him, the Jinni does not dislike humans, for he has a history of studying them and trying to understand them.

“Arbeely supposed that others would sense it as well, but he doubted they’d ever guess at its meaning. The young mothers of Little Syria still tied iron beads around their babies’ wrists and made gestures to ward off the Evil Eye, but out of tradition and fond superstition more than true fear.”

This quotation illustrates the strong cultural ties that the people of Little Syria have to their background and traditions, even if those traditions are considered outdated or even silly. These customs also invoke a world that is fully aware of the existence of Jinn and the supernatural: a world that contrasts sharply with skeptical nature of the American world.

“A man might desire something for a moment, while a larger part of him rejects it. You’ll need to learn to judge people by their actions, not their thoughts.”

This quotation is pulled from the first conversation that Chava has with Avram. The rabbi’s kind advice immediately characterizes him as an understanding and compassionate person who only wants the best for Chava. He has the knowledge and skill to simply destroy her, but he chooses not to, and this moment represents only the first of many lessons on humanity that he teaches to Chava. It also foreshadows the difficulties that Chava will have in separating herself from the emotions and desires of the humans around her.

“You’re part of the community now. You’ll be expected at these things […] Distance is one thing. Rudeness is another.”

In this quotation, Arbeely impresses upon Ahmad the importance of attending community events. Despite Ahmad’s disagreement with the custom of marriage, attending a wedding reception will build his connections to others in Little Syria, something that is necessary for Ahmad to survive. This is a key instance of one of Wecker’s main themes, The Importance of Community and Shared Cultural Background.

“Her future unrolled before her like a dreadful tapestry, its pattern set and immutable. There would be a wedding, and then a house somewhere nearby on the avenue, with a nursery for the children that were, of course, mandatory. […] She knew she would not fight this fate. She didn’t have the stomach for prolonged family strife, not the fortitude to make her own way in the world.”

Because Sophia Winston is a wealthy white woman living in New York City in 1899, many people in the city assume that she lives a happy and fulfilled life. However, in this quotation, Wecker makes it clear that the life Sophia must live is miserable in its own way, and she has no choice but to accept it. At this point in the novel, it isn’t in her nature to resist society’s expectations to safeguard her own happiness.

“Most likely this was the Rabbi’s impoverished mistress. But then, what did it matter? Men had their needs, even holy men. More to the point, if he hired her, the Rabbi would over him a favor.”

This quotation is delivered from the perspective of Moe Radzin, owner of the bakery, and is designed to illustrate how outsiders view the relationship between Chava and Avram. Moe doesn’t believe the story that Avram told him about Chava’s origins, but he lets this go because he believes that he will gain an advantage by hiring her. The passage therefore demonstrates the subtler influence that Avram’s position allows him to wield on other members of the Jewish community, and his relatively lofty status is reflected in their willingness to turn a blind eye toward what they see as his indiscretion.

“‘Don’t you understand? The police would round up everyone in Little Syria, if the Winstons demanded it.’ He covered his face with his hands. ‘My God, Sophia Winston! You’ll bring the whole city down upon us.’”

After Ahmad’s tryst with Sophia, Arbeely panics, trying to explain what is at stake when the Jinni violates the unspoken social boundaries of the city. This quotation illustrates the uneven power dynamics at play, for the Winstons are a powerful white family who are also extremely wealthy, even by New York standards. Their influence is terrifying to Arbeely, who understands that the Winstons’ influence far outstrips that of his relatively poor Arabic-speaking community. This moment reveals that not only is Ahmad risking himself, but he is also risking the community as a whole.

“He placed his hands on the smooth glass of the tank and felt the weight of the water behind it. If he heated the glass enough to shatter it, the water would kill him in an instant; and a thrill coursed him, the same a man might feel if he stood on the edge of a high cliff and half-dared himself to jump. He returned again and again, nearly every night for a week.”

This quotation illustrates the thrill-seeking traits that characterize Ahmad. This part of his personality is the key to understanding his reasons for the rash choices that he makes throughout the story. Just like the fiery element at the core of his being, he needs risk and excitement in order to feel alive.

“He’d worked hard on that creature, much harder than he usually did for someone else’s benefit. It had been a pleasing puzzle, to bring Rotfeld’s disparate requests together in one creation, and he regretted that he wouldn’t see it brought to life. Though likely that was for the best, given the unpredictable nature of golems in general. Far safer to be on the other side of the ocean.”

In this quotation, Schaalman is trying to understand why he keeps ruminating on Rotfeld’s fate. His repetitive thoughts illustrate the time and care he put into creating Chava, and the passage also serves as a reminder of the inherently unethical approach that Schaalman takes toward his work. This quote also begins to set the stage for the author’s eventual revelation that Schaalman is tied to Ahmad as Malik’s reincarnation. It also foreshadows the tie between Chava and his goal of achieving immortality.

“Radzin went into the back for more flour. The door to the water closet was closed. He listened for the sounds of crying—but what he heard instead was her voice, in a whisper: ‘You must be more careful. You must be more careful.’”

This quotation illustrates how critical Chava is of herself, for she verbally chastises herself for making social mistakes. As she chides herself for not being careful enough, this habit marks her as being fundamentally different from the people around her, for Radzin assumed that he would hear her crying after being teased for asking a silly question. The moment also illustrates the care with which Moe Radzin looks after his workers, while also showing how seriously Chava takes any lapse in her attempts to pass as human.

“He’d never asked her whether she would prefer to have a master again, and now the thought of such a conversation made his throat tighten. In a sense it would be like asking someone whether they’d like to escape their present difficulties by killing themselves. […] But did she have a soul? […] Her free will would disappear, to be replaced by her master’s commands. Was that not murder, of a sort? And if it came to it, would he have the strength to do it?”

This quotation illustrates the complicated philosophical battle that Avram has with himself as he works to find a spell to bind Chava to a new master. He recognizes that it is dangerous for her not to have a master, for the risk of her losing control of her Golem nature is too great. However, he also has the ethical awareness to worry about her fate, her autonomy, and her free will. As he wavers indecisively, the essential goodness of his character is revealed, for he is trying to do his best by both Chava and his community. This moment of inner conflict is the key to the difference between the ethical Avram and the unscrupulous Schaalman.

“Most idealists lived in their own impossible worlds, sealed away from reality; Maryam, it seemed, effortlessly reached out from hers and drew others inside […] She’d simply decided that an indigent, half-mad peddler would survive a killing winter simply if she wished it.”

This quotation is illustrative of one of Wecker’s major themes in The Golem and the Jinni: The Importance of Community and Shared Cultural Background. Maryam and the rest of the Syrian community have come together to keep Saleh alive simply because he is part of his community. He has a death wish, but Maryam works hard to keep him alive, illustrating how profoundly the community can support individuals in need.

“Certainly, the man meant well, but the Jinni wanted to talk to someone else, someone who might understand his frustrations, even share them. Someone who, like him, was forced to hide away her strengths.”

In this quotation, Ahmad yearns for a connection with someone who can understand what it is like to be something other than human in a human world. He feels alone and needs a more intimate community to relate to. This quotation illustrates his need for true connection and highlights the extreme difficulties involved in navigating The Pressures of Cultural Assimilation.

“‘That night, when we met, you didn’t move like someone who should be home in bed. […] Everyone else walks differently at night than during the day. Have you noticed?’ ‘Yes!’ she exclaimed. ‘As though they’re fighting off sleep, or running away from it, even if they’re wide away.’”

This quotation illustrates the shared understanding that Chava and Ahmad create between them. Faced with a human world that can never fully understand them, they create their own miniature culture of non-human beings who are doing their best to survive and observe human habits. This is one of the first moments in which both characters feel a deeper connection with someone in New York who can articulate and share their experiences in a way that others cannot.

“So, it’s just stories now. And perhaps the humans did create their God. But does that make him less real? Take this arch. They created it. Now it exists.”

As Chava and Ahmad argue about the nature and existence of God, they mimic the timeless philosophical debate that humans have often engaged in themselves: the question of whether God is objectively real or merely a construct of human imagination. In this quotation, Chava illustrates her perspective on God, and the fact that she perceives God as being created by man does not lessen the impact of God’s existence in her eyes. In her interpretation, the concept of God illustrates the divine power that she sees as being intrinsic to all of humanity. Her statement emphasizes the miraculous nature of humanity’s ability to will things into existence, even if those things are not inherently magical.

“She felt no hesitation, no regret […] She wondered: would she fall over, unmoving? Or dissolve into a heap of dust? Would she sense it happening, or simply cease to be? She felt calm and giddy, as though she’d jumped from a great height and was now watching the ground rise up to meet her.”

In this quotation, Chava plans to end her life and destroy herself. She cannot abide the idea of causing harm to others, and she believes that ending her life is her only option to avoid that fate. In this moment, she believes that her nature has made her too dangerous to exist, and she must stop herself while she still can. This quotation illustrates the internal conflict of Nature Versus Nurture.

“Within days of their marriage she’d realized how much she’d underestimated the difficulty ahead. […] She’d begun to wonder whether she still had a will of her own. […] She couldn’t afford to listen to that voice. It was wrong, ludicrous even, to resent Michael for her decision. She’d bound herself to him; she would see through what she’d begun. And perhaps, one day, she would tell him the truth.”

This quotation illustrates how Chava’s sense of self has begun to chafe against her nature. She was made to be a wife, and yet she is miserable in her marriage to Michael. Because she has been an apt student of the art of identity formation, she has developed a strong sense of free will. Now that she is married, she worries that she has lost her autonomy, and this worry stands in stark contrast to her very nature as a Golem.

“What could he do? Why had Matthew come to him? At a complete loss, he laid down the woman on the couch and bent an ear to her chest. […] His own body tensed in response, as though trying to help—but no, that was useless, what was he supposed to do.”

Ahmad’s unfamiliarity with humanity’s rituals surrounding death becomes clear in this quotation. Faced with the finality of death and the uncomfortable effects of the human grief that surrounds him, he is at a loss and feels useless. This moment illustrates his own character development as he realizes the need for a shared culture and wills himself to demonstrate empathy and care for another person.

“The Jinni wondered, if he were on the verge of death, who would come to help him? Arbeely? Maryam? Would they call a priest? Would his neighbors, with whom he’d never exchanged a word, come to his tiny room and keep watch? And how would anyone know to tell the Golem?”

This quotation illustrates the profound way in which Nadia’s death has affected Ahmad. He begins to wonder about his own mortality and about the nature of life, just as any human would in such a moment. As he wonders about who would mourn him, his thoughts reflect the new weight he places on the human connections he has made. Rather than flatly rejecting the connections he could make within Little Syria and human culture, he now wonders how he might fit into it.

“Saleh thought back to the mothers he’d seen die, and the children who’d blamed him for not saving them.”

While Saleh discusses Nadia’s death with Maryam, the author provides a glimpse into Saleh’s past. As a doctor, he experienced the blame that children would place on him if their mother were to die despite his efforts. This quotation serves two functions, for it is a reminder that Saleh is more than simply a strange ice cream vendor, and it also foreshadows Matthew’s motivation for befriending Ahmad, for the young boy ultimately plans to ask the Jinni to bring Nadia back to life.

“An ibis, on the other hand, looked awkward and off balance—something about the beak, perhaps? He picked it up and examined it. One entire side had been smoothed over, like a mistake erased in frustration.”

This quotation illustrates the complex ways in which the ibis figurine symbolizes the struggles of Ahmad’s character development. As Saleh looks at the figurine, he notices that something is not quite right about it. It is out of proportion and has been worked and reworked in unsuccessful attempts to fix the issue. However, Ahmad’s inability to craft a perfect image emphasizes that he is also in the midst of his own strange transition at this point in the novel. He is not the Jinni he was when he was imprisoned 800 years ago, but he has yet to figure out who he has become, and those around him have noticed his inner struggle.

“He wanted to bury Fadwa and her father, as Saleh had been buried, but their remains were too delicate to move. So instead, he gathered the shards that had fallen from his palace and built a tomb around them. He melted the pieces and smoothed them together, shaping first the walls and then a domed cover. […] At last it was done. He debated whether to care their names into the glass, but in the end he left the tomb quiet and unmarked. He knew who they were, and why they were there. That, he decided, would suffice.”

This quotation demonstrates the ways in which Ahmad has changed over the course of the novel. As he builds a tomb for Fadwa and Abu Yusuf in atonement for the role he played in their deaths, his action portrays his new commitment to remembering and honoring them as he works to move forward in his own life. He therefore honors them in a way that is both human and Jinni in nature, illustrating the blended identity that he has settled on.