Bontshe Shvayg

E77059

Bontshe Shvayg is a classic Yiddish short story character created by I. L. Peretz, symbolizing quiet, passive suffering and the tragedy of excessive humility.


Statements (49)
Predicate Object
instanceOf fictional character
literary character
short story character
appearsIn Bontshe Shvayg
Bontshe the Silent
associatedWith Eastern European Jewish life
Hasidic milieu (literary setting)
Jewish ethical thought
characterRole protagonist
characterTrait humility
lack of self-assertion
silence
submissiveness
creator I. L. Peretz
Isaac Leib Peretz
culturalImpact frequently cited in discussions of Jewish passivity
iconic figure of Jewish meekness
genreOfWork Yiddish literature
hasNameMeaning Bontshe the Silent
interpretedAs critique of excessive piety
critique of social passivity
parable about human dignity
judgedBy heavenly tribunal
languageOfWork Yiddish
literaryPeriod late 19th century Yiddish literature
literaryTradition modern Yiddish classic
medium short story
moralQuestionRaised limits of humility
value of uncomplaining suffering
narrativeFunction moral example
social critique
notableScene heavenly court judgment
modest request in heaven
originalAudience Yiddish-speaking Jews
religiousContext Jewish religious imagery
requests only a warm roll with butter in heaven
rewardedBy God (in the story)
setting Eastern European Jewish community
symbolizes excessive humility
meekness
passive suffering
powerlessness
quiet suffering
resignation
tragedy of humility
themeInvolvement afterlife reward
religious judgment
social injustice
suffering of the poor

Referenced by (3)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
I. L. Peretz
I. L. Peretz
notableWork
Bontshe Shvayg
appearsIn

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