A Beggar in Jerusalem: Analysis of Major Characters
"A Beggar in Jerusalem" explores the intertwined lives of several characters against the backdrop of the Six-Day War, highlighting their struggles, memories, and the quest for meaning in a world marked by loss and suffering. The novel's first-person narrator, David ben Sarah, is a Holocaust survivor haunted by his past, who connects with a group of beggars in Jerusalem while grappling with the futility of existence. Among these characters is Katriel, a gentle, life-affirming teacher whose commitment to humanity contrasts sharply with the brutality of war. His wife, Malka, embodies both strength and vulnerability, seeking to understand her husband's fate through David's stories. Lieutenant Colonel Gad, a friend from David's past, represents the aggressive pursuit of military objectives, while Gdalia, a jovial soldier, mediates between the tensions within the group. Other beggars, like Dan the Prince and Velvel, offer philosophical insights and humor, serving as reflections of societal complexities. Through these diverse perspectives, the narrative delves into themes of love, loss, guilt, and the importance of bearing witness, inviting readers to contemplate the profound human experiences that exist even in the harshest circumstances.
A Beggar in Jerusalem: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Elie Wiesel
First published: Le Mendiant de Jérusalem, 1968 (English translation, 1970)
Genre: Novel
Locale: Jerusalem
Plot: Impressionistic realism
Time: 1967
David ben Sarah, a wanderer and first-person narrator of the novel. A survivor of the Holocaust, the forty-year-old David is rebellious and skeptical of any value in a world that has lost its innocence. He is filled with memories of his childhood and spends much of his time exchanging tales and testimonies with a group of beggars in Jerusalem. At the outbreak of the Six-Day War, he joins a tank unit commanded by an old friend. Soon after meeting Katriel, another member of the unit, David makes a pact with him that if one of them should survive the war, he will bear witness for the other. David's tale, then, is a process of bearing witness for Katriel, a man whom he envies for his compulsion to magnify humanity in an inhuman world.
Katriel, a teacher who goes back into the army to fight in the Six-Day War at the insistence of his father, a blind rabbi from Safed. Tall, slim, and quiet, Katriel knows how to tell tales and how to listen to them. He loves life and the mystery of life, despite the death of his child Sasha. He is distinguished by his power to affirm the dearness of life, and in this lies his importance to David. At the time of the war, he has been married for twenty years. the one thing that most disturbs him during the war is that he has had to kill others. When the war is over, he is missing in action, leaving David to tell his story.
Malka, Katriel's wife, a strong and beautiful woman. She met Katriel when both of them were serving in the army in their youth. An orphan and a widow, she seeks out David so that he may tell her about her husband's last days. When the beggars see her, they take her for a divine apparition. To David, she represents every woman he has ever loved, and she stirs in him a hunger for love and forgiveness. She is very much attracted to him.
Lieutenant Colonel Gad, the head of David's tank unit and a friend from David's years in postwar Europe. As young men, he and David had long conversations about life and its meaning. He is a career soldier who refuses to believe in defeat. Aggressive and courageous, he leads his men to the Western Wall only to be killed shortly thereafter.
Gdalia, a Yeminite Jew in David's tank unit who serves as a mediator between Katriel and the other soldiers. Talkative and jovial, he is schooled in philosophy and likes to interpret Katriel's tales.
Dan the Prince, a beggar who constantly writes reports to politicians and journalists. Once a historian in Europe, he claims to be the emissary of a mysterious king. His friends know him to be dignified, melancholy, intelligent, and compassionate, yet they regard him at various times as a psychotic, a rogue, and an embezzler.
Velvel, a beggar, a dwarf with only one eye. He is a gambler who knows how to rejoice and how to mock authority, even—or especially—the authority of reason.
Anshel, a street hustler who sells postcards in the Old City of Jerusalem. Having served in three wars, he is ridden with guilt.
Yakov the Timid, a beggar and former schoolteacher who plays war games with children, teaching them not to be afraid. He is known as a peacemaker.