CHAPTER 4 JOURNAL

The conflict betwwn Asher and his father is reignited once Asher begins to draw again. His father seemed so sure it was a childish thing that Asher had outgrown, but this relapse causes unrest because it shows Reb Lev that he hs not outgrown it. Their bickering stems from a greta many sources. The increased work of the Rebbe for Rev Lev makes Asher's father very tense, as does the fact that his son is not preforming well at school. Asher is also tense because all the pressure of supposedly going to Vienna. His drawing is a vent for him, but it creates conflict wioth his father. This paradox makes the Lev household a very uneasy one. Asher can only find real pece from the world when he is at Rev Krinsky's store, but then he knows he will only get yelled at when he gets home. Even though Asher talks about not leaving his home, he is not comfortable there. Asher is not only uncomfortable about his surroundings, but he is also uncomfortable with what he is becoming. He knows this gift of his is becoming uncontrollable, but he cannot understand why this great gift also bring s him and his family so much pain. He does not understand why he, a ten year boy, does not play baseball and grow up like the rest of the kids he knows. What makes him so special that he cannot do these things, but instead has to suffer because his father does no understand him. This great power of his can be so beautiful, yet bring so much pain. Where did it come from the master of the universe, the other side, or maybe both?