In chapter three of My Name is Asher Lev Asher is introduced to the main idea of moving to Vienna. His father had been asked by the Rebbe to make the move and continue his work in Austria now that Stalin was dead, and this was a great honor for him. Asher, however, takes the news hard, acting like a child. Instead of showing maturation and accepting the circumstances, he seems to regress and become more stubborn then ever.
It is obvious that after a life of neglect and confusion already, Asher does not want to leave the home he has known and become accustomed to. "I did not want to leave my room. I did not want to leave my streetÖVienna. The name conjured up distorted horrors: dark foreign streets, evil shadows, incomprehensible words, menacing laughter at my sidecurls and skullcap." It seems as though the hate Asher has already experienced is creating his fear towards Austria. With Austria being in the center of Europe itself, as if the bearer of hate towards Jews, perhaps Asher is afraid that he and his family will suffer punishment by others as well. He would rather stay in the comforts of his current surroundings and will do anything to make it be.
This same lack of acceptance and pre-maturation attitude is present in my independent reading book. Before the main theme of maturation occurs in I Never Promised You A Rose Garden, the main character, Deborah, goes through a period where she refuses to take any steps towards helping her mental state. She is stubborn and lacks the growing perspective needed to make advances with her condition. Further in the book, however, Deborah takes on the skills and outlook she requires, proving her maturing level and state of mind. The theme of maturation then continues to grow.
This growing theme looks to be happening as well with Asher. Chapter three ends with his drawing of Stalin in his deathbed. This shows that he has gotten over the childish stage of refusing to draw and is now ready to increase his skill. His intelligence on the subject has also expanded from working in Yudel Krinsky’s store. "I was beginning to understand the differences between grades of paper. Often now I could tell the weight and quality of a piece of paper by holding it in my hands." This proves and exemplifies the fact that Asher’s art ability is maturing.
Overall, the process of Asher’s maturation is just beginning. He is still in the pre stage where he refuses to take the step that will begin his intellectual growth. From the few ideas left by the author, however, it can be seen that Asher will be going through some changes in the near future. I am interested to see what these will be.