Hmmm....

I feel the need to express some ideas that are on my mind. These ideas came up as I read A Contract with God because I feel so much for Frimme Hersh, the main charactor in the first story. Before I go on,  I want you all to know this post is a personal account about my beleifs and reflections. I am merley expressing my thoughts and feelings and do not intend on offending anyone who disagrees or has a different view point. If you do indeed have a different opinion or want to add something by all means, I would love to hear it.

Anyway, here I go....

First off. I am a little perplexed about Eisner's reasoning behind this book. I read in the course text book that A Contract with God is based on some of Eisner's personal experiences as well as other people's experience nonethelss it is difficult to tell what the purpose behind the book is. I have some hypothesis that could be justified but I suppoese there isn't just one answer to the question. Anyway it is kind of fun to think about. That is if there is a point to the book.

Next, I want to focus on Hersh's story because I really felt emotionally attached to that story. The guy makes a contract with God when he's a boy. He dedicated his life to doing good works and did them until his daughter died. Then he became angry with God for taking his daughter away and turned away from his faith, as shown by him spitting on the contract and then throwing out the window. Later he felt a need to fill a void in his life, (becuae he missed God?), where he then went back to the synagauge and asked the Jewish teachers to make another contract with God for him. When he had received the completed copy he became so happy and felt whole again only to have a heart attack and then....die shortly after.

I believe in God but I never thought of making a contract with God because I couldn't keep it. This story gives the impression, based off of Hersh's opinion, that God failed at keeping his end of the contract hence why Hersh is angry with God. I understand Hersh's frusteration. His heart was broken when his daughter died and according to a religious person God is the only one to create and end life so it makes sense that Hersh was angry with God but life is not perfect even for a religious person. This story especially I am having a hard time understanding what Eisner's point is. I think it is if a person is going to commite their life to a religion they should really commite themselves to the teachings. For example, in class we discussed how some of the Jewish men were having affairs with Christian women. Some people in class seemed to take this as a knock against Christians. I don't think eisner had any hate but I think he did have a little problem with religion over all, specifically with people who idetified themselves as 'religious.'

For example, Hersh was angry with God because his life was not going well. To a 'normal' person it is understood that life is imperfect but for some reason Hersh thought making this contract with God would make his life happy. I think Eisner is making fun of that idea because a lot of people question why a 'good' God would allow bad things to happen therefore the religious people become fakes. Also the people in the novel that claim they are christian, their morals seem to be a little messy. It makes me think Eisner is making fun of them too because although a christian realizes the imperfect life, they seem to take advantage of God and his rules as in they seem to follow what they want as opposed to what God wants and says. This is pointed out as wrong.

So a person who identifies themselves as 'religious' need to find that medium where they realize life it life, as in it is imperfect but they also need to try to live a life according to God's expectations.