Premium Essay

Kavalier And Clay

Submitted By
Words 545
Pages 3
The novel “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay” by Michael Chabon begins in 1939 when Josef (Joe) Kavalier arrives to New York City as a refugee from Prague escaping Nazi persecution. He comes to live with his aunt and cousin, Sammy (Sam) Klayman. With the help of his mentor, Kornblum an extremely skilled escapist, Joe leaves Prague by hiding in a coffin they smuggled the Golem in. Josef leaves behind his entire family when he escapes to the United States. Sammy and Josef end up connecting through magic. Josef studied magic and escapology under Kornblum in Prague. The Mighty Molecule, a strongman, is Sammy’s father. When Sammy discovers his cousin is an artist he gets Joe a job as an illustrator for Empire Novelty, the company he works at. Sheldon Anapol, owner of Empire Novelty, tries to get into the business of comic books using Sammy and Joe. Using the pen name "Sam Clay", Sammy starts writing adventure stories with Joe drawing for them. They end up recruit several other boys to create Amazing Midget Radio Comics. The character in their story is, the Escapist. The …show more content…
After coming to New York, Joe tries to help his family, who still living under Nazi control. His commitment shows through in his work, which is anti-Nazi despite Anapol’s dislike of the idea. He is spending time with Rosa, and even is a magician at a bar mitzvahs for her father's friend’s son. Spending time with Rosa makes him feel guilty sometimes because he feels it is a distraction from fighting for his family. After multiple attempts Joe can’t get his family to the United States. His final attempt his younger brother , Thomas, was aboard a ship that was destroyed by a German U-boat. Completely devastated by the death of his brother, Joe joins the navy, hoping to fight the Germans. Unknown to Joe, Rosa is pregnant with his child. He is then sent off to a base on

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Kavalier & Clay

...Sammy’s Journey As a “Professional Sidekick” ENG 99B: Senior Honors Essay Aaron Mitchell Finegold Professor Caron Irr Spring 2009 Chapter 1: Introduction, What Is a Sidekick? Something about The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay’s syntax sounds like a comic book itself, not unlike the two characters of Detective Comics who are always billed as Batman & Robin. “Robin & Batman” makes no sense, since Batman (Bruce Wayne) is the protagonist of the story and Robin (Dick Grayson) is his ward. The ordering of names is indicative of both their working style as superheroes as well as their living arrangement, which caused a great deal of controversy both in the context of the novel and some of the historical events it references. For Sammy Clay, the sidekick role apparent in the ordering of his and Josef’s names provides him a creative and continual outlet for his sexual desires, until the final crisis of the novel in which his learning of this very trend allows him to break free of his role and live his life in fulfillment and contentment. The connection between Kavalier & Clay and Batman becomes apparent not only through linguistic observation, but also through several references Chabon makes in the novel comparing one or both characters. Arguably, the interrogation Sammy faces at the trial about Wayne and Grayson’s relationship is the most explicit in that they both live together and they work as a team to achieve a common...

Words: 9593 - Pages: 39

Premium Essay

Survivor's Guilt In The Hunger Games

...experience this guilt due to the fact that they have the other tribute’s blood on their hands. In the Avatar: The Last Airbender, Aang goes through the same guilt because he was the sole survivor of an attack done to his people in which things might have been different if he was there to help them. Although these characters come from different universes and circumstances the theme of survivor’s guilt is shared by them. As Foster says, “Critics speak of this dialogue as intertextuality, the ongoing interaction between poems or stories. This intertextual dialogue deepens and enriches the reading experience, bringing multiple layers of meaning to the text, some of which readers may not even consciously notice” (29). The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay seem to have this intertextual connection with the literature and media stated before. The connections between the three might not be extremely apparent, but it is there. It will be interesting to see what other connecting you guys have...

Words: 432 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Michael Chaubon Essay

...The impact of one's culture, situation, and traits all combine to socialize them and develop their sense of self. In Michael Chabon's novel The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Chabon uses parallelism and juxtaposition to demonstrate how different cultural environments impact a shared identity. Chabon's method of incorporating the Golem and other Jewish symbolism and stories serves to establish a dichotomy between the Old World and American characterizations of Jewish identity. This can be seen with the play between Josef's and Sam's approaches to their Jewish heritage. At the start of the novel, Josef represents the Old World version of Judaism. He comes from a well-off family, has received formal training in the arts, and carries the weight of his heritage with him. As Kornblum and Josef begin to transport the Golem in his coffin, Josef notes that "it felt as if they were struggling … with a substantial pint box and a large pine box and a large suit of clothes, and little besides" (Chabon 64). Kornblum then responds with a quote from the Midrash, a commentary on...

Words: 863 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

The Truth About Male Friendship

...The truth about male friendship ‘’For men to really become friends there has to be an element of adventure.’’ Michael Chabon says this in his Pulitzer prize-winning The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, and it is the basic line in male friendship. The thing that happens with men when they are in each other’s company is the very idea of adventure. It doesn’t have to a big adventure, as long as the two of you makes it big. Safraz Manzoor has taken it upon his shoulders, to describe this phenomenon in the text, ‘‘The truth about male friendship’’. In the text we are introduced to the man Safraz Manzoor, the writer of the text, and his all-time best friend Amolak, who is a banker. He tells us about how he and Amolak shares different passions, among them music, which is known as a great way to bond, not just with your friends, but with anybody. Safraz and Amolak have been friends since they were 16, so 25 years of friendship by the time that Safraz wrote the text. This doesn’t mean 25 years of a happy friendship with cake and flowers, which isn’t the case in many long-running male friendships. My father has this friend called Søren. They shared the most of their teenage years with each other, and were inseparable until the age of 23. What happened here was Søren’s girlfriend, drunk as she was, asking my father for a kiss, and, drunk as he was, he said yes. Søren quickly knocked out my father, still has a scar under his beard, and they didn’t talk to each other for...

Words: 918 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Books

...1. "1984" by George Orwell 2. "A Brief History of Time" by Stephen Hawking 3. "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius" by Dave Eggers 4. "A Long Way Gone" by Ishmael Beah 5. "A Series of Unfortunate Events #1: The Bad Beginning: The Short-Lived Edition" by Lemony Snicket 6. "A Wrinkle in Time" by Madeleine L'Engle 7. "Alice Munro: Selected Stories" by Alice Munro 8. "Alice in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll 9. "All the President's Men" by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein 10. "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt 11. "Are You There, God? It's me, Margaret" by Judy Blume 12. "Bel Canto" by Ann Patchett 13. "Beloved" by Toni Morrison 14. "Born To Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen" by Christopher McDougall 15. "Breath, Eyes, Memory" by Edwidge Danticat 16. "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller 17. "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" by Roald Dahl 18. "Charlotte's Web" by E.B. White 19. "Cutting For Stone" by Abraham Verghese 20. "Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead" by Brene Brown 21. "Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Book 1" by Jeff Kinney 22. "Dune" by Frank Herbert 23. "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury 24. "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream" by Hunter S. Thompson 25. "Gone Girl" by Gillian Flynn 26. "Goodnight...

Words: 890 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Miss

...Duration: 15 – 20 minutes iii Writing: A comprehension will be written by my learners concerning Michael ‘story - Comprehension Questions: Where did Michael Chabon’s parents buy a new home in 1969? Who is James Rouse? Where was “the Plan,” displayed? What does Chabon see in the slide show? Find the name of the neighbourhood Chabon’s family moved into. Where does the author say he put the map of Columbia? Chabon states that some critics believe the “grand experiment” of Columbia had failed. What reasons are given for this failure? What does Chabon say about childhood in the essay? (http://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/04-42-2-c.pdf) Learning Outcome: Learners will demonstrate their comprehension of assigned readings by writing concise summaries that identify the author’s main point (thesis) and supporting ideas, paraphrasing and quoting key words and phrases when necessary to avoid plagiarism they require considerable thought to write – it is easy to get them wrong and create a learning strait jacket. Learners will identify the shape of text (e.g. introduction, body, and conclusion) by reading non-fiction essays and articles. Description of activity and assessment: Since the intent of the unit is to assess writing standards, I know that they needed to provide a well-written product. In this case, I would still provide them with some choice. Additionally, the standards I chose had to do with evidence, and so they needed to do research, cite evidence...

Words: 4547 - Pages: 19

Premium Essay

Book

...The fourteenth edition of Purchasing and Supply Management focuses on decision making throughout the supply chain. Based on the conviction that supply managers, in concert with suppliers and distributors, have to contribute to organizational goals and strategies, this edition continues to focus on how to make that mission a reality. Fourteenth Edition Highlights of the Fourteenth Edition: More than 40 real-life supply chain cases afford the opportunity to apply of the acquisition process. Criteria for supply decisions have been organized into three categories: (1) strategic, (2) operational, and (3) additional. In this third category, new factors such as balance sheet and income statement considerations, dimensions of risk, and environmental and social considerations are considered. Visit the text’s Online Learning Center at www.mhhe.com/Johnson14e Michiel R. Leenders, D.B.A., PMAC Fellow Professor of Purchasing Management Emeritus Richard Ivey School of Business The University of Western Ontario Anna E. Flynn, Ph.D., C.P.M. Formerly Clinical Associate Professor Supply Chain Management Thunderbird School of Global Management Formerly Associate Professor Institute for Supply Management TM Johnson Leenders Flynn Purchasing and Supply Management Johnson Leenders Flynn MD DALIM #1093963 06/05/10 BLUE GREEN P. Fraser Johnson, Ph.D. Leenders Purchasing Management Association of Canada Chair Associate Professor, Operations Management ...

Words: 188430 - Pages: 754

Premium Essay

Purchasing and Supply Management

...The fourteenth edition of Purchasing and Supply Management focuses on decision making throughout the supply chain. Based on the conviction that supply managers, in concert with suppliers and distributors, have to contribute to organizational goals and strategies, this edition continues to focus on how to make that mission a reality. Fourteenth Edition Highlights of the Fourteenth Edition: More than 40 real-life supply chain cases afford the opportunity to apply of the acquisition process. Criteria for supply decisions have been organized into three categories: (1) strategic, (2) operational, and (3) additional. In this third category, new factors such as balance sheet and income statement considerations, dimensions of risk, and environmental and social considerations are considered. Visit the text’s Online Learning Center at www.mhhe.com/Johnson14e Michiel R. Leenders, D.B.A., PMAC Fellow Professor of Purchasing Management Emeritus Richard Ivey School of Business The University of Western Ontario Anna E. Flynn, Ph.D., C.P.M. Formerly Clinical Associate Professor Supply Chain Management Thunderbird School of Global Management Formerly Associate Professor Institute for Supply Management TM Johnson Leenders Flynn Purchasing and Supply Management Johnson Leenders Flynn MD DALIM #1093963 06/05/10 BLUE GREEN P. Fraser Johnson, Ph.D. Leenders Purchasing Management Association of Canada Chair Associate Professor, Operations Management ...

Words: 188430 - Pages: 754