Jewish/Christian symbolism in Bernard Malamud's novel God's grace

Abstract

Besides being one of the major American authors of the postwar period, Bernard Malamud is also one of the leading representatives of contemporary Jewish fiction. When God's Grace was published, it received very mixed reviews and the novel is likely to remain one of Malamud’s most controversial books. Part of the audience’s puzzlement derives from the fact that with its grotesque characters and strange events God’s Grace seems to defy definition. The novel is filled with literary references and biblical symbolism that mainly draws on Genesis and on the apocalyptic tradition fused with elements of Messianism. The author discusses the genre problem of God’s Grace by outlining some of its background in contemporary America fiction and then analyzing the meaning and effect of Malamud’s use of Jewish/Christian symbolism to enhance the valuable aspects of the Jewish inheritance.