My Name is Asher Lev Themes

In My Name Is Asher Lev, Asher, a young Hasidic Jew (part of the fictionalized Ladover sect) grows up with a fervent belief in the Jewish obligation to bring about holiness in the world. In fact, he and his community believe that there are two “sides” in the world—those holy things pertaining to religious, Torah-observant Jews, and those things that belong to the “Other,” hence “demonic,” side that opposes holiness. This strict division…

From the time Asher Lev is a small child, his entire life and identity is understood in terms of his vibrant, loving Hasidic Jewish community—not only his family life, but his ancestral memory and his expectations for the future. As his gift for drawing and painting becomes apparent, however, his art increasingly comes into conflict with his religious identity and the expectations of his community. Although Asher’s religious beliefs remain strong, and he even finds…

Asher Lev is born into a deeply religious and driven family—his father, Aryeh, travels around Europe helping to reestablish strong Jewish communities; his mother, Rivkeh, eventually assists Aryeh by earning her Ph.D. in Russian studies. While Asher shares his parents’ faith, his own ambition manifests as a passion for art, which places him at odds with his parents’ callings and even undermines their bonds. Although Asher eventually recognizes his similarity to his parents…