Mrs. Rackover Character Analysis in My Name is Asher Lev

Mrs. Rackover is a widow who starts coming to the Levs’ apartment to cook and clean after Rivkeh is hospitalized following Yaakov’s death. She only speaks Yiddish. Mrs. Rackover is “short, plump, stern, energetic, and fiercely pious.” She is kind to Asher but frequently scolds him for coming home late and causing his parents distress.

Mrs. Rackover Character Timeline in My Name is Asher Lev

The timeline below shows where the character Mrs. Rackover appears in My Name is Asher Lev. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

After Rivkeh comes home from the hospital, Aryeh stops traveling. A Yiddish-speaking widow named Mrs. Rackover starts coming to the apartment to clean and cook. Rivkeh was “almost destroyed” by Yaakov’s... (full context)

Creativity, Self-Expression, and Truth Theme Icon

...nest, but she doesn’t respond when he tells her, “I made the world pretty, Mama.” Mrs. Rackover finds Asher and scolds him for disturbing his mother. Later, Asher sits at his desk... (full context)

...who remained a Jew.” He tells Asher that Stalin is “from the sitra achra.” Later, Mrs. Rackover explains to Asher that Yudel had survived 11 years in Siberia, “a land of ice... (full context)

As Asher eats the milk and cookies Mrs. Rackover has prepared for him, he wonders how Picasso might paint Siberia. It bothers him that... (full context)

...Stalin should only have to experience Siberia for a short time. When Asher hurries home, Mrs. Rackover is disappointed in him for coming home late. (full context)

...with a boy of about seven. The siblings are laughing together. When Asher gets home, Mrs. Rackover scolds him for dawdling and being late. She tells Asher that he’s driving everyone crazy... (full context)

When Asher gets home, Mrs. Rackover tells him she had just called the police. Rivkeh has gone to bed, sick with... (full context)

...day, after this happens, Asher goes to the museum for the rest of the afternoon. Mrs. Rackover and his mother say nothing to him about it. When Asher knows that his father... (full context)

...Europe bringing Jews back to Torah, and here his own son refuses to study Torah.” Mrs. Rackover refuses to speak to him. Asher hears about his father—and his failure to be a... (full context)