The Assistant by Bernard Malamud

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Grade Level: 9 - 12
Literary Form: American Novel
Paired with: The Fixer
12 Lesson Plans/ 31 Handouts/ 84 Pages

ISBN:978-1-56077-359-7

In stock

Regular Price: $19.95  On Sale For: $14.95

Description:

Set in a decaying Brooklyn neighborhood during the Great Depression, The Assistant is a story of crime and punishment, of conflicts between guilt and penitence, love and lust, honesty and deceit. Readers see suffering and redemption in the life of a poor Jewish grocer, Morris Bober, and his troubled Italian assistant, Frank Alpine.

Activities:

Students study plot, theme, characters, and symbolism; examine style; and explore narrative technique, including Malamud’s use of metaphors, similes, and personification. Students also contrast fantasy and reality; write critically and creatively; develop questioning and thinking skills; and debate the meaning of Frank Alpine’s transformation at the end of the novel.

Suggested assessment options featured in the supplementary materials include extended reading assignments, essay topics, dramatizations, and research topics.

Ethical Values:

Compassion
Faith
Integrity
Loyalty
Responsibility
Self-actualization