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 …show more content…
When Josef first met Kornblum, he is struck by how different "Eastern" Jews were from "Europeanized" Jews like Josef and his family. Prior to that point, "Josef, then fourteen, had given very little thought to the question of his own Jewishness … The coming of Kornblum, with his Baltic smell, his shopworn good manners, his Yiddish, made a strong impression on Josef" (24-25). By drawing his attention to their differences in behavior and culture, Kornblum's presence begins to establish the framework for Josef's establishment of his own identity and perceptions. From this point on in the novel, the importance of his sense of Jewishness permeates many of his interactions and choices, from the artistic to the violent. Though Josef's identity may consistently return to this facet, that is not to say that it never