Idiots First by Bernard Malamud
"Idiots First" is a poignant short story by Bernard Malamud that explores themes of parental love, desperation, and the harsh realities of life. The narrative follows Mendel, an elderly man deeply concerned for his son Isaac, who, despite being thirty-nine, has the mind of a child. Faced with his own impending death, Mendel's sole objective is to ensure Isaac's safety by securing train fare for him to California, where he will live with his Uncle Leo. The story highlights Mendel’s struggles as he visits various individuals, including a pawnbroker and a wealthy philanthropist, in a bid to gather the necessary funds, only to encounter indifference and disdain.
The dynamic between Mendel and Isaac underscores the profound impact of familial bonds, particularly in times of crisis. As Mendel navigates a world that seems increasingly hostile, the narrative also introduces a shadowy figure, Ginzburg, who symbolizes both external threats and internal fears. The climax of the story occurs as Mendel confronts Ginzburg in a desperate attempt to save Isaac. Ultimately, "Idiots First" reflects on the challenges of caring for those who are vulnerable and the lengths to which a parent will go to protect their child, all set against a background of societal apathy.
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Idiots First by Bernard Malamud
First published: 1961
Type of plot: Fable
Time of work: The mid-twentieth century
Locale: New York
Principal Characters:
Mendel , the protagonist, a poor manIsaac , his retarded sonA pawnbroker Mr. Fishbein , a wealthy manYascha , an old rabbiGinzburg , a mysterious figure
The Story
"Idiots First" begins with the stopping of Mendel's clock as the old man awakens in fright. The importance of time in the story is foreshadowed in the opening paragraph when the reader is told that Mendel "wasted minutes sitting at the edge of the bed." Once moving, he dresses, summons his son Isaac, and, pocketing a paper bag containing his modest savings, leads his son into the night. The old man seems very fearful, and he warns Isaac to avoid Ginzburg, who came to see Mendel the day before. "Don't talk to him or go with him if he asks you," Mendel cautions. Then as an afterthought he adds, "Young people he don't bother so much."
Though Mendel always refers to him as a boy, Isaac, who has "thick hair greying the sides of his head," is not the child his father perceives him to be. Rather, he is the "idiot" of the title, a thirty-nine-year-old man with the mind of a child. Facing his own death, Mendel attempts in the course of the story to provide for Isaac in the only way he can, sending him by train to California, where he will live with his Uncle Leo. The story traces Mendel's efforts to raise train fare to secure Isaac's safety before his own time runs out.
Their first stop is the pawnbroker's shop, where Mendel tries to get the thirty-five dollars he needs to make up the difference between his savings and Isaac's ticket to California by pawning his watch. Despite Mendel's protestations that it cost him sixty dollars, the pawnbroker will allow him only eight dollars for the old watch. Though Mendel's desperation is obvious as he despairs of finding the money he needs, the moneylender ignores his pleas.
Next Mendel and Isaac visit Mr. Fishbein, a wealthy philanthropist. He proves no less hard-hearted than the pawnbroker as he, too, turns down Mendel's entreaties. Insisting that his "fixed policy" is to give money only to organized charities, Fishbein shows scorn for Mendel's plight and contempt for Isaac's condition. Though he does offer to feed them in his kitchen, the philanthropist throws the pair out of his house with the advice that Mendel should put Isaac in an institution.
As they approach a park bench to rest, a shadowy, bearded figure arises before them. Mendel pales and waves his arms, Isaac yowls, and the stranger disappears into the bushes. The clock strikes ten. From earlier hints, the reader suspects this figure to be the mysterious Ginzburg. He is encountered again when Mendel takes Isaac to a cafeteria for food and they flee from a "heavyset" man eating soup.
His other options exhausted, Mendel now goes to see an old rabbi, to whom he appeals for charity. Although his wife insists that they cannot help, the old rabbi, though he has no money, gives Mendel his new fur-lined coat. The wife tries to snatch it back, but Mendel tears it from her. As Mendel and Isaac run into the street, the wife chasing them, the old rabbi diverts her attention by falling to the floor in an apparent heart attack. As they "ran through the streets with the rabbi's new fur-lined caftan," after them "noiselessly ran Ginzburg."
It is very late when Mendel buys a ticket for Isaac and they hurry to the train. The train is still standing in the station, but the gate to the platform is shut; a heavy, bearded man in uniform guards the entrance and refuses to allow them to pass. "Too late," he tells Mendel, "Already past twelve." Mendel begs for a favor, but the guard callously refuses. "Favors you had enough already. For you the train is gone. You shoulda been dead already at midnight. I told you that yesterday. This is the best I can do."
Recognizing his antagonist for the first time as the mysterious Ginzburg, Mendel begs again: "For myself . . . I don't ask a thing. But what will happen to my boy?" Isaac is not his responsibility, Ginzburg tells Mendel, and when the old man asks him what his responsibility is, he says, "To create conditions. To make happen what happens." Later he claims that he serves the "law," and when Mendel asks which law, he says, "the cosmic universal law."
His pleas unsuccessful, Mendel attacks Ginzburg, who responds by threatening to freeze him to death. As Mendel's life fades, he thinks only of dying without helping Isaac. Mendel sees his own terror reflected in Ginzburg's eyes, while Ginzburg sees his terrible wrath mirrored in Mendel's eyes. Suddenly, Ginzburg "beheld a shimmering, starry, blinding light that produced darkness." In the grip of some greater power, Ginzburg allows Mendel to put Isaac on the train. After he is settled and the train is moving, Mendel returns to the platform to see what has become of Ginzburg.
Bibliography
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Field, Leslie A., and Joyce W. Field, eds. Bernard Malamud and the Critics. New York: New York University Press, 1970.
Nisly, L. Lamar. Impossible to Say: Representing Religious Mystery in Fiction by Malamud, Percy, Ozick, and O'Connor. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2002.
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