In the final chapter of My Name is Asher Lev many changes took place in all the main characters, especially Asher. He was faced with a choice deciding his future, and in the end chose his love for art over his love for his own family. This was a very dramatic conclusion and the outcome of the entire novel truly left me in awe. The conclusions Asher came to as an artist show to what great extents he had matured, but also what confusions he still fought with in the depths of his heart.
One of the major character changes occurred in Asher’s father’s frame of mind. In the beginning of this chapter, the reader was able to see Reb Aryeh Lev finally show some acceptance towards Asher’s artistic abilities. He struggled to understand Asher’s intentions and was finally proud of his son’s accomplishments. The fact that Asher was famous and would be in a museum baffled him and made him begin to realize that maybe art was not so bad after all. This was a significant step of maturation for Asher’s father, but unfortunately at a bad time in the story. Little did he know that at the time when he was perhaps most proud of Asher, he was set to be torn apart by his son’s actions.
The conclusion Asher made in the end to showcase his paintings of crucifixion and bring his parents to see them showed his final maturation as an artist. He had extended his talents to the limits and was now going to present them no matter what the cost. Though he struggled within himself as to whether or not he should display such hurtful pieces, Asher still chose to go against all the religion he had been taught and go through with the show. This shows that his talent and love as an artist took more importance than the life he was supposed to live, instead becoming his life itself. What rose a question in my mind was why Asher chose not to notify his parents of what they would be experiencing at the art show. He could have saved them the humiliation and disgrace of seeing the paintings for the first time in front of people other than their own, yet he chose to let them go unaware of what was in store. One thought I have is that he might have felt that his parents would be able to understand his reasons for drawing the painting if they only saw it themselves. Other than this, I am unsure as to why Asher would submit his parents to such pain in public. Asher’s choice to disgrace his people and religion through art exemplifies even more the pain and anguish he was feeling and needed to express. I do not think he intentionally wanted to hurt anybody, but his talent took him to reaches beyond where he could be accepted. Throughout the novel he was told constantly by his family of the religion and practices he must enforce, and yet told by others of the absence of religion he must feel. There was always a contradiction with the field he chose to enter, and this tore him apart. The crucifixions in the end were his final cry to be free to express the feelings that were eating him away inside.
Overall, the ending of this moving novel was truly a surprise to me. When Asher had finally just begun to receive acceptance from his father, his paintings upset the whole community, forcing him to leave the country. This conclusion was a shock and truly made me wonder what exactly was most important to Asher and to what extent he was willing to go for his artistic talent. In the end, I enjoyed the story very much.