Davita's Harp by Chaim Potok
**Davita's Harp Overview**
"Davita's Harp," written by Chaim Potok, is a coming-of-age novel that follows the life of Davita Chandal, a young girl navigating the complexities of her upbringing amidst a politically charged environment. Set against the backdrop of 1930s Brooklyn, Davita's parents are deeply invested in Marxism, which leads to frequent upheavals in their lives, including evictions and the impact of her father’s work as a leftist reporter. Unlike many children her age, Davita is shaped by her parents' fervent political beliefs and the loss of her father, Michael, who is killed while reporting on the Spanish Civil War.
The narrative explores themes of identity, faith, and resilience as Davita grapples with her feelings of loneliness and alienation. Following a traumatic event, she finds solace in a yeshiva, where she feels accepted and valued. The novel also portrays her mother's journey towards reconciling her political disillusionment with her Jewish heritage, culminating in a return to religious practices. The story concludes with Davita transitioning into adulthood, symbolizing her maturation and connection to her roots. Potok's straightforward storytelling offers a poignant exploration of personal and cultural identity, resonating with readers from diverse backgrounds.
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Subject Terms
Davita's Harp by Chaim Potok
First published: 1985
Type of work: Social realism
Themes: Coming-of-age, education, family, gender roles, religion, social issues, and war
Time of work: The 1930’s
Recommended Ages: 15-18
Locale: New York City
Principal Characters:
Davita Chandal , a schoolgirl from a constantly moving Marxist family, who is buffeted by the events of the Spanish Civil WarAnnie Chandal , Davita’s mother, a nonpracticing Polish Jew, who is an avid Marxist teacher and organizerMichael Chandal , Davita’s father, a Marxist of Christian background, who is a reporter killed in Bilbao, SpainEzra Dinn , a lawyer and cousin to Annie, who supports the embattled Chandal family and marries Annie after Michael’s deathDavid Dinn , Ezra’s son, who befriends Davita in the neighborhood and yeshivaJakob Daw , an Austrian friend of the Chandals, who writes symbolic stories for the cause of socialism and wants to immigrate to the United StatesAunt Sarah , Michael’s sister, a Christian missionary, who shows Davita the world through Christian eyes
The Story
In some ways, Davita’s Harp has all the hallmarks of a coming-of-age story; yet the heroine, Davita Chandal, has far more forces buffeting her than does the ordinary young person. Her mother is a fervent Marxist, and her father is a leftist reporter in the fight against Fascism. Loud, smoky Marxist meetings cause capitalist landlords in Brooklyn to evict the Chandals again and again. The singing of the door harp is one of the few constants in Davita’s life.
Davita quickly sees that her parents care more about world politics than most parents. Despite her loneliness, Annie sends Michael off to Spain to report Fascist atrocities. Davita soon realizes that her concern for the war in Spain sets her apart from other children her age.
Michael is killed in Bilbao, and Davita responds by praying with Aunt Sarah, the Christian missionary who always turns up in times of need. Davita also says Kaddish for her father at temple, a practice forbidden to women. Annie is displeased that her daughter has resorted to what she sees as Christian and Jewish superstition.
Adding to Davita’s grief, Jakob Daw, a writer and family friend who entertains Davita with strange stories, wants to immigrate to the United States. Yet Ezra Dinn indicates that a visa will be difficult to obtain because of Daw’s political background. When Daw is finally removed in handcuffs from the Chandal house, Davita is so upset that she tries to commit suicide by jumping from a rowboat at summer camp. She undergoes a long recuperation at her Aunt Sarah’s in Maine.
Davita returns to New York to begin school in the fall, but enrolls in a Hebrew school, where she is not taunted as “a Commie Jew.” Davita had often felt herself the outsider in public school, and she had often been left alone in the family’s apartment while her mother worked in Manhattan. The yeshiva provides a kind of psychological home in which she can excel. Annie has become increasingly lonely after Michael’s death; she has also become disillusioned with Marxism. Ezra Dinn attempts to bring Annie back to reality by asking her why she insists on judging socialism by its dreams and capitalism by its deeds.
After an unfruitful relationship and collapse, Annie lights Shabbos candles in the front window and goes to synagogue, much to everyone’s surprise. As Davita had found home and support in the yeshiva, Annie now seems to find strength in her Judaism. She soon marries Ezra Dinn, who had secretly loved her for years. Davita dreams of a man drowning in the ocean, and, just as she fears, the family receives news of Jakob Daw’s death. Just as Davita had said Kaddish for her father, Annie says Kaddish for Daw.
Although Davita is a distinguished student, she suffers not being able to receive her school’s top honor because she is a girl. At graduation, she has to settle for the English prize and the Bible prize, but this was the first time they had both been earned by the same student.
Davita is graduated, and Annie and Ezra Dinn’s new baby is born. As the book ends, Davita holds the baby and tells it to enjoy childhood before it is taken away. Then she tells the baby a strange story, like one of those of Jakob Daw. Davita has passed from childhood to adulthood.
Context
Davita’s Harp is unlike novels such as The Chosen (1967), The Promise (1969), and My Name Is Asher Lev (1972). In these earlier novels, the main characters move reluctantly from the religious community in which they were born toward secular, urban society, often causing pain in those who love them. For example, in The Chosen, Danny Saunders, expected to become a Hasidic rabbi, decides to study psychiatry. The Book of Lights (1981) prefigures Davita’s Harp: Arthur Leiden, who is expected to become a great physicist, becomes a rabbi.
Similarly, the young Davita, who is often left without proper parental supervision, finds comfort in the faith of her ancestors and begins moving toward Judaism, as does her mother soon after. At the end of the book, the family finds itself firmly within the faith, rejuvenating itself with a new child.
Some critics might suggest that Davita’s emotional upset, after Daw is deported, forces her to retreat into the insular world of the yeshiva. Yet it can also be said that the yeshiva takes Davita back to her roots and provides a safe haven for coming-of-age. Potok does not simplistically draw the yeshiva; even there, Davita has to fight to maintain her right as a woman under Orthodox law.
Davita’s Harp is plainly and directly written, without heightened rhetoric or style. Potok’s narrative technique is that of the storyteller. The themes of this novel— ones with which many can identify—have helped make it a best-seller.
Bibliography
Abramson, Edward A. Chaim Potok. Boston: Twayne, 1986. This full-length study traces Potok’s ideas through the recurring themes in his work. Includes full chapters on Potok’s first five novels, but Davita’s Harp is dealt with in less detail. Also includes a chronology, a bibliographical chapter, and a bibliography of primary and secondary sources.
Booklist. LXXXI, December 15, 1984, p. 539.
Hock, Zarina Manawwar. “Authority and Multiculturalism: Reflections by Chaim Potok.” Language Arts 72 (April, 1995): 4. Hock discusses Potok’s use of multicultural themes to expose attitudes toward current social issues. She demonstrates how his fiction reflects the battle between the traditional and new sources of conduct.
Kauvar, Elaine. “An Interview with Chaim Potok.” Contemporary Literature 27 (Fall, 1986): 291-317. This rich, thought-provoking article focuses on themes that run through Potok’s novels. Because the interview was conducted as Davita’s Harp was being published, Kauvar refers to the book repeatedly. Potok is articulate, and his remarks will help readers to penetrate more deeply into the philosophical underpinnings of his work.
Kirkus Reviews. LIII, January 1, 1985, p. 14.
Library Journal. CX, February 15, 1985, p. 180.
Los Angeles Times Book Review. May 26, 1985, p. 9.
The New York Times Book Review. XC, March 31, 1985, p. 12.
The New Yorker. LXI, April 15, 1985, p. 129.
Potok, Chaim. “The Culture Highways We Travel.” Religion and Literature 19 (Summer, 1987): 1-10. This material was originally presented as a lecture at The University of Notre Dame. Potok speaks candidly. He discusses how his characters become caught between two conflicting universes that they love.
Publishers Weekly. CCXXVII, January 4, 1985, p. 59.
True, Warren. “Potok and Joyce: The Artist and His Culture.” Studies in American Jewish Literature 2 (1982): 181-190. In several interviews, Potok has mentioned the strong influence of James Joyce on his work. In this article, True compares Joyce’s Stephen (from the 1916 novel A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man) with Potok’s Asher Lev. True looks at both characters as they feel the pain of being different.
Time. CXXV, March 25, 1985, p. 80.
Walden, Daniel, ed. Studies in American Jewish Literature 4 (1985): 1-120. This issue devoted to Potok includes articles investigating both his life experiences and his written work. Includes an overview of critical response to Potok’s works, an interview, and a bibliographical essay. Of particular interest may be Joan Del Fattore’s article “Women as Scholars in Chaim Potok’s Novels.”
The Wall Street Journal. CCV, April 29, 1985, p. 22.
Wilson Library Bulletin. LIX, June, 1985, p. 689.