In the novel, The Fixer, the author, Bernard Malamud,presents to us a poor Jewish handyman living in Russiaduring the early 1900’s, before the Russianrevolution had begun. Destroyed by his wife’sdisavowal, Yakov Shepsovitch Bok leaves his shtetl insearch of opportunities for a better life. After afew months of desperate searching, Yakov sneaks out ofthe ghetto to look for work among the goyim. As hesearches the streets, he stumbles upon a man who laydrunk on the floor. Yakov immediately recognizes a pinon the man’s coat as belonging to the anti-Semiteorganization called the Black Hundreds. Putting hisdoubts behind him, Yakov decides to help the fatRussian. Not aware of Yakov’s origins, the Russianoffers him a job as a reward. The job, however,requires him to live in a district prohibited to Jews. Out of desperation, Yakov agrees. Only a few monthslater, honest, hard-working Yakov, is caught.Authorities had found out he is a Jew. Less than aweek before that, however, an awful murder had beencommitted and they accuse Yakov of being the murderer,when in fact the true killer is the young boy’s ownmother. Yakov is charged with murder for religiouspurposes. They believe the Jewish community neededthe blood to bake into the matzos for Passover as asymbol of the remembrance of the crucifixion ofChrist.
Yakov Bok is Jewish man in his early thirties. Hedescribes himself as “ a fixer by trade, it’s a poorertrade than most, and formerly for a short time I was asoldier in the Imperial Army. In fact, to tell youthe truth, I’m not a religious man, I’m afreethinker.” He believes he has had such bad luck,that it is useless to pray to G’d, and therefore he ismore of an atheist, or a freethinker, than he is aJew. He states he is a Jew only “by birth andnationality,” though nobody understands what is meantby that. To the Russians he is legally a mere Jew. Atone point Yakov says to himself “I’m Yakov Fixer…the kind of man who finds it perilous to be alive. One thing I must learn is to say less-much less, orI’ll ruin myself. As it is I’m already ruined.”During his first few months in prison, Yakov does notseem to get accustomed to the hardships. As timepasses him by, however, he grows used to life in aprison cell, but it only gets worst. As the novelunfolds, Yakov becomes extremely weak and thin and helooses the trifling faith that was still left in him. Throughout the novel, the main idea is very obvious. It is Yakov falsely accused of the murder of a youngboy in order to drain his blood for the baking of thePassover matzos.
The theme of anti-Semitism inRussia during the time of pogroms and of Tsar Nicholasthe second is a universal theme presented to us as thebook unravels. It is evident that if Yakov had notbeen born of the Jewish faith, he would not have beencharged with the murder of Zhenia Golov. He wasbeing used only as an example to the three millionJewish residents of Russia. He was being used as awarning. The meaning of the title The Fixer, chosen byMalamud, has a very literal meaning, however itsymbolizes a much more profound thought. Literally,the title only refers to the main character of thenovel, who makes a living as a fixer, or handyman. Itis a very simple title of a book about a very simpleman who has been falsely accused of a very complicated murder. He was only “Yakov the fixer from a smalltown in Pale, an orphan boy who had married RaislShmuel and had been deserted by her.” Not a liar anda murderer of young children. He made the “stupiddeception” of lying that his name was Yakov IvanovitchDologushev, instead of Yakov Shepsovitch Bok . Thisminute lie led him to land a job which in turn forcedhim to live in the Luskianovsky district which wasprohibited to Jews. He unsuccessfully tries toconvince the Prosecuting Attorney of his innocenceregarding the murder “I swear to you, I am innocent ofany serious crime.
The worst I am guilty of isstupidity-of living in the Luskianovsky withoutpermission… but certainly, not of any seriouscrimes.” And for a small uncomplicated lie he ischarged with a huge, very complicated murder, thusproving to us how the title has a more profoundmeaning than is literally intended. The title is alsovery ironic. The man is a fixer, and yet he is not beable to fix anything regarding his unlucky life. The book The Fixer, by Bernard Malamud, is a powerfulnovel describing the anti-Semitism felt throughoutRussia during the pre-revolution era. It is ahistorical novel which teaches us what it was like tobe a Jew living in Russia. It is important not onlyto better understand Russian history but to try tobetter understand anti-Semitism, which led to thekilling of many innocent lives. It is theanti-Semitism that caused World War two and the deathof six million Jews. Anti-Semitism was also a majorcause of the Zionist movement which resulted in theformation of the state of Israel in 1948.