Memory Identity Sense of Belonging

1、Memory， Identity， Sense of Belonging【Abstract】ThepaperoffersastudyofJewishnessinAmericabasedontwoshortstorieswrittenbypreeminentJewishwritersPhilipRothandSaulBellowrespectively.BypointingouttheconfusionsandparadoxesexistingintheJewishidentityinAmerica，itdrivesattheconclusionthatJewishidentityandthem

2、emoryoftheHolocaustpastwillneverbewrittenoffbytheinexorablepassageoftime.【Keywords】Jewishidentity；PhilipRoth；SaulBellowOnethemethatfascinatesmanyJewishwritersistheassimilationandidentityofJewslivinginAmerica.Heretheword“identityisadoptedtoencompassmainlythreeaspects，namely，culturalidentity，socialide

3、ntityaswellaspersonalidentity.TheseDiasporaJewslivinginAmericahavesomehowassimilatedthemselvesintomainstreamAmericancultureinvariouswaysandatdifferentlevels.DanielJ.ElazarhasclassifiedseventypesofJewslivinginAmericanowadaysbydrawingsevenconcentriccirclesthatradiateoutwardfromacoreofcommittedJewstowa

4、rdavaguesenseofJewishnessonthefringes.Atthecorearethe“integralJews，forwhomJewishnessisacentralfactorintheirlivesandafull-timeconcern.SurroundingthecoreisasecondgroupofU.S.Jews，the“participants，whoregularlyengageinJewishlifeandwhoviewexpressionsoftheirJewishnessasimportantbutnotfull-timeactivities.Th

5、ethirdcircleismadeupof“associatedJews，whoareaffiliatedwithJewishinstitutionsororganizationsinsomeconcretewaybutarenotveryactiveinthem.Thefourthcircle，“contributorsandconsumers，consistsofJewswhomakeperiodicdonationstoJewishcausesandoccasionallyusetheservicesofJewishinstitutions，butwhoareatbestminimal

6、lyassociatedwiththeJewishcommunity.ThefifthcircleincludeswhatElazarcallsthe“peripherals，whoarerecognizablyJewishinsomewaybutarecompletelyuninvolvedinJewishlife.TheyhavenointerestinparticipatinginJewishexperiencesandrarelymakedonationstoJewishcauses.Thesixthcircle，the“repudiators，areJewswhoactivelyde

7、nytheirJewishness.SomeareextremelyhostiletoallthingsJewish，whileotherssimplyreactwithhostilitytotheirJewishorigins.Finally，thereisagroupElazarlabels“quasi-Jews.TheyareneitherfullyinsideorentirelyoutsidetheJewishcommunity.TheymayhaveintermarriedbuthavesomeconnectiontoapersonalJewishlabel.“JewishCultu

8、ralIdentityintheUnitedStatesRightatthebottomis“integralJew，whopracticesHasidicobservationsandregardtheirJewishlinkastheiressentialidentity.ThemanwearingablackfrockcoatinEli，theFanaticisanorthodoxyJew；Eli，thelawyer，afterexperiencinganepiphanywhenhedonstheblackgarment，alsobecomesanultra-orthodoxJew.Ha

9、rryFonstein，theHolocaustsurvivorinBellarosaConnection，isalsoacaseinpoint.WhileBillyRose，theHollywoodimpresario，belongstothethirdcategoryofJewswhoseroleisoneof“contributoranddonor.Togetherwiththe“associatedJews，representedbyTedHellerandLindaBergandotherJewishclientsofElisinthecommunity，who，eventhough

10、weregalvanizedbytheHolocaustinEuropeandunitedagainstanti-Semitism，manyofthemfeltanunderlyingimperativetodiscardwhathadoutwardlymarkedthemasJews.TheyintervenedwithTzurefsTalmud-teachingschoolandtheyfeltillateasewiththeblackgarmentHolocaustsurvivor.Thesetwogroupsofpeopleoccupyalmost40-50%ofJewsinAmeri

11、ca，thelargestgroupwhenSaulBellowwrotethisnovella.Meanwhile，the“integralJewsonlyamountto5%ofthetotalnumber.JewishidentityisnowfacingaseverechallengefromtheencroachmentofAmericancultureandtoagreatextent，itisonthevergeofextinctioninAmericaasmoreandmoreJewishparentsareinclinednottodisclosetotheirAmerica

12、n-bornchildrenoftheinhumansufferingsandhideousandmind-numbingmemories.Eli，theFanaticandTheBellarosaConnectionbothdealwiththeHolocaustsurvivorsandtheirconflictwiththedissolution，dislocationanddisplacementwhentheyconfrontadisparaginglyapathyattitudeinAmerica，theostracism，theinjusticeandthestigmaofbein

13、gdifferent.AsFonsteiniseagertomeetandexpressheartfeltgratitudetohissavior，BillyRoseisaseagertoavoidanyfurtherrelationswithhim.TheepiphanyEliexperiencedafterhedontheblackgarmentisinhiswifeandtownspeopleseyesanervousbreakdown.Eli，nowachangedmanfullyawareofhisidentityasaJewissufferingtheostracismandali

14、enationthattheHolocaustsurvivorssuffer.Eli，therealheroandwisemaninthecommunityislabeledasafanaticbyhisownpeople.ThestoryshedslighttoanextremelyharrowingrealitythatthesufferingoftheJewscontinues，thistimenotfromHitler，butfromotherJews，hisorherbrothersandsisters.Thisconflictofidentityandlostofsenseofbe

15、longinghasverymuchtodowiththeirdifferentmemories.ThememoriesthattheotherJewschoosetogetridofinEli，theFanaticismatter-of-factlytheonlythingtheHolocaustsurvivorshave.InTheBellarosaConnection，memorystandsatapivotalpositionacrossthestory.ThenarratoristhefounderofaMnemosyneinstitutewhosesoleconcernistotr

16、ainpeoplefromallwalksoflifetheirmnemoniccompetenceandthenovellarevolvesaroundmemory，rememberingandforgetting.endprintIncognitivepsychology，memoryservesasanindispensabletoolfortheformingofidentity.Thedisparitiesofmentalitybetweendifferentpeoplehavealottodowiththeirvariousmemories.Twokindsofmemoriesco

17、ntributetotheformationofonesself-identityandthosewhosharethesamememorieshaveaproclivitytoidentitywitheachotherasbelongingtothesameniche.Thereareepisodicmemoryandsemanticmemory，whichcombiningtogetherformdeclarativememory.Episodicmemoryisthememoryofautobiographicaleventslike“TheSSofficerstalkedtoahuge

18、GermanshepherdasifitwerehumanandIasifIamthedogandsaidMenschen，bitssdemHundtPeople，bitethatdog.Semanticmemoryreferstothememoryofmeanings，understandings，andotherconcept-basedknowledgeunrelatedtospecificexperienceslike“TheNazismurderedsixmillionJewsduringthe1940sorChristopherColumbusfoundthe“NewWorldin

19、1492.Eventsthatrecordedintoepisodicmemorymaytriggerepisodiclearning，i.e.achangeinbehaviorthatoccursasaresultofanevent.Forexample，afearofdogsthatfollowsbeingbittenbyadogisepisodiclearning.Sincesemanticmemoryincludesgeneralizedknowledgethatdoesnotinvolvememoryofaspecificevent，theconceptisnotaspenetrat

20、ingastheepisodicmemoryandwillnottriggerepisodiclearningonlyifthatmemoryisbroughtintorealityfrequentlyandvividlyenough.WhatgenocidemeanstoShoahsurvivorsisbyallmeansdifferentfromthatforassimilatingJewswhohavenodirectexperienceoftheinhumanities.PeoplelikeElisclientsandBillyRosehavenoideaofhowfarbigoted

21、prejudiceandextremeambitioncancarryhumanbeingstoactsavagelytowardanotherrace.Thememoryisallthatthesesurvivorshavegotaftertheyhavebeendeprivedoftheirparents，relatives，anddignityashumanbeings，freedomandwhatnot.Theyareeagertosharethismemorywithotherpeople，JewsandGentilesalike，notforsympathyorcompassion

22、，butawarningandprecautionthatitneverhappensagain.Theyhaveseenhowdeephumanbeingcansinkandhowanimalistichumanbeingcanbelike.Thereisnogainsayingthattheystillharborhopeinthebrightsideofhumannature；theybelievetherearemoregoodpeoplethanbadonesandbythefreewillinherentinallofus，wecouldshunevilandtakeupourpe

23、rsonalresponsibilitiestofightagainstintoleranceandbigotry.TheJewishcommunityisintolerantofthesameJewswhohappentoliveinEuropewhenthedarkesttimeofhumanityoccurs.Theyequate“differentwith“inferiorand“threatening.Theyrefusetoidentifywiththeirownpeopleandwanttohavenothingtodowiththesufferingoftheirlessfor

24、tunatefellowJews.Afterengagingwithmemoriesofmanifoldsortsforsomanyyears，thenarratorofTheBellarosaConnectionconsidersaboutforgettingaboutremembering.Perhapsitisbecausethememoriesaresohorribletokeepandthedetrimentaleffectsontheirposterityfaroutweighitsbenefits.ItseemsthattheendofTheBellarosaConnection

25、isabruptandthatnothingisconcluded.ThisindeterminacyandconfusionisthepredicamentAmericanJewsareconfrontingwith.Theyarefacingaseverechallengenotonlytheanti-Semitismfromgentiles，butmoreoftenthannot，fromitsownpeople.AmericanJewishnesshascometoajuncture；itisonthevergeofextinctionasthe“meltingpotisencroachingeveryinchoftheirculture.Itcanalsoretainthisuniquenessbecausetherearestillpeopleoutthere，likeEliandFonsteinandSorella，whowilldietryingtoprotectthiscultureandmemory