Bricks: The Influence of Space on Identity ‘In Hebrew culture throughout the ages, the Land of Israel has been perceived and depicted as the center, the homeland of the Jewish nation, and the role of the land in the Zionist narrative has been pivotal.13’ (Weiss 2015: 61). From this description of Israel, it is clear to understand why the theme of home is important to the development of identity in both When I Lived in Modern Times and A Pigeon and A Boy. In this chapter, the title ‘Bricks’ represents the physical space we refer to as home. The relationship between finding a home and establishing an identity, as well as the authors’ intention to use the home as a reflection of the self, will be discussed. Exploring to the extent in which someone’s
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Yair’s search for his home is a progressive journey that intertwines with the discovery of his past. Told in two parts, the novel shifts between the protagonist’s determination to find the perfect place to live with his drive to find the truth about who he is. The story of Baby and the girl, who handle homing pigeons, influence the meaning of home as a strong, firm structure. The constant reiteration of ‘A homing pigeon must love her home; otherwise she will not wish to return to it’ (Shalev 2007: 66) and that ‘Homing pigeons do not belong to human beings they belong to a place’ (77), highlights the importance of returning to a space that is designed for you. It is argued that ‘Taken together, these two connected narratives reveal the author's ultimate purpose: to probe the true meaning of home, for a person and for a nation.’ (Rotchin 2008: 2). The homing pigeon is an allegory of Yair’s journey to find his home. He searches to find a space of his own, much like the pigeons are dispatched to find theirs. Ultimately, he is a homing pigeon in the end when he explains that ‘I went to find myself a home. I came to it returning, not arriving.’ (Shalev 2007: 308), revealing how the house was there all along, like the pigeon loft, but he took the reader on his journey to find …show more content…
In, When I Lived in Modern Times the description of the houses and the surroundings can be likened to the protagonist. At times Grant explicitly compares houses with women, describing the corners of the structures as ‘curved voluptuously like women’s hips’ (Grant 2000: 71), giving the houses feminine characteristics. Moreover, it can be maintained that she implicitly represents Evelyn as the modern Jew, through the modern appliances she defines. It is contended that ‘the Land of Israel … is the land where modernity takes shape’ (Stahler 2004: 203). Grant explores this modernity, not only through the modern spaces created but the people they represent. For example, during their introduction Mrs Kulp highlights ‘you have the apartment with the unfortunate kitchen, I see’, to which Evelyn responds ‘I admire it. I like modern things’ (93). Arguing that Grant uses the modern kitchen to represent the modern ideas of Evelyn, as the new Jew of Israel, in comparison to the older and more traditional Jewish settlers like Mrs Kulp. Therefore, ‘the city is a spatial representation of an attempt to (re)create a modern Jewish-Israeli identity’ (Weiss 2015: 64). This is achieved, by Grant, as she represents the identity of the new Jewish generation through highlighting the modernization of Israel’s
Yair’s search for his home is a progressive journey that intertwines with the discovery of his past. Told in two parts, the novel shifts between the protagonist’s determination to find the perfect place to live with his drive to find the truth about who he is. The story of Baby and the girl, who handle homing pigeons, influence the meaning of home as a strong, firm structure. The constant reiteration of ‘A homing pigeon must love her home; otherwise she will not wish to return to it’ (Shalev 2007: 66) and that ‘Homing pigeons do not belong to human beings they belong to a place’ (77), highlights the importance of returning to a space that is designed for you. It is argued that ‘Taken together, these two connected narratives reveal the author's ultimate purpose: to probe the true meaning of home, for a person and for a nation.’ (Rotchin 2008: 2). The homing pigeon is an allegory of Yair’s journey to find his home. He searches to find a space of his own, much like the pigeons are dispatched to find theirs. Ultimately, he is a homing pigeon in the end when he explains that ‘I went to find myself a home. I came to it returning, not arriving.’ (Shalev 2007: 308), revealing how the house was there all along, like the pigeon loft, but he took the reader on his journey to find …show more content…
In, When I Lived in Modern Times the description of the houses and the surroundings can be likened to the protagonist. At times Grant explicitly compares houses with women, describing the corners of the structures as ‘curved voluptuously like women’s hips’ (Grant 2000: 71), giving the houses feminine characteristics. Moreover, it can be maintained that she implicitly represents Evelyn as the modern Jew, through the modern appliances she defines. It is contended that ‘the Land of Israel … is the land where modernity takes shape’ (Stahler 2004: 203). Grant explores this modernity, not only through the modern spaces created but the people they represent. For example, during their introduction Mrs Kulp highlights ‘you have the apartment with the unfortunate kitchen, I see’, to which Evelyn responds ‘I admire it. I like modern things’ (93). Arguing that Grant uses the modern kitchen to represent the modern ideas of Evelyn, as the new Jew of Israel, in comparison to the older and more traditional Jewish settlers like Mrs Kulp. Therefore, ‘the city is a spatial representation of an attempt to (re)create a modern Jewish-Israeli identity’ (Weiss 2015: 64). This is achieved, by Grant, as she represents the identity of the new Jewish generation through highlighting the modernization of Israel’s