Short Friday, Long Afterlife

            Because religion is one of the most controversial subjects in politics, international relations, and even everyday life, it definitely lends itself to be a central topic of great literature. Isaac Bashevis Singer is a prime example of an author who incorporated religion into his writing, as his Jewish upbringing is reflected in many of his works. “Short Friday” is no different, as it is based around a Jewish tailor, Shmul-Leibele, and his wife Shoshe.

            Although Shmul-Leibele and Shoshe are explicitly stated as “pious” and “God-fearing,” I could not help but feel that the story was going to end on a somewhat somber note. The lack of plot (the first half of the story was exposition) and especially the lack of conflict suggested (at least to me) that there was some sort of impending tragedy. No story of literary merit contains perfect characters and a completely optimistic plot. Things only really began to get interesting, in fact, when Shmul and Shoshe's human flaws began to show through their saintly dispositions. Shmul's lust for his wife and Shoshe's desire to please her husband instead of keeping the Sabbath as her first priority ultimately led to the couple's death. While the message that this turn of events portrays seems somewhat depressing at first (do our human imperfections always lead to our downfall?), it is apparent that Singer approaches the couple's death from a more positive perspective. 

            At first it seems ironic that the most arguably faithful and dedicated Jewish couple’s lives are abruptly taken from them. From the implicit evidence that Singer gives us, it is clear that Shmul-Leibele is one of the most devoted Jews in his village, especially since he was amongst the “first ten worshipers” at the synagogue. Once Shoshe refers to the “true world” that they are in after their death as “Paradise,” however, I realized that Singer meant for their death to be more of an inspiration than a tragedy. The Sabbath is what both Shmul-Leibele and Shoshe lived for week after week, and every time Shmul-Leibele stepped into his home on the Sabbath, “the room made him think of Paradise.” This connection between the couple’s most celebrated holiday and heaven suggests that ending up in “Paradise,” albeit earlier than they had planned, was their ultimate goal. Perhaps Singer is trying to show us that even in spite of our flaws, if we remain devoted to and unwavering in our faith (or whatever passion we may have) then our final destination will be exactly where we strived to be.