Snow in August free essay sample

Snow In August by Pete Hamlin In the year 1 947, the war veterans have come home, Jackie Robinson is about to become a dodger and in one closed minded neighborhood, an eleven year old Irish catholic boy named Michael Devoid has just made friends with a lonely rabbi from Prague. For Michael, the rabbi opens up a window to ancient learning and a new life style that he is not used to. For Judas, Michael helps educate the mysteries of America, including the language of baseball. But like their hero, Jackie Robinson, neither can escape the prejudices of their mime. Pete Hamlin expresses human nature through his novel by representing racism, pressure and friendship through his characters. Snow in August deals with one of the main characters who is racist towards Jews. Frankie McCarthy was one of the older guys, at least seventeen, and the leader of the gang called the Falcons. While trying to persuade Michael into buying him cigarettes Mister G, the Jewish owner of the candy store tells him to leave the kid alone.As a result Frankie responds to Mister G by telling Michael, l wan show you how to deal with a Jew prick like this. (Snow In August, 36). Therefore, Frankie starts beating Mister G to death to show Michael how to deal with Jews when theyre not cooperating. Readers can relate to this situation in the novel because in todays society it is human nature to be racist towards others. Racism is every. Inhere and effects everybody even if it isnt subjected directly to someone it can still hurt. Pete Hamlin expresses pressure through his story with an eleven year old American Irish boy named Michael Devoid.Throughout the novel, Michael deals with the pressure of having a friendship with a lonely rabbi who is not easily accepted in the Brooklyn community. In addition, the all American-Irish boy has to deal with Frankie, the leader of the Falcons because he was the only witness to the hate crime he committed towards Mister G. Above all Michael mainly has to deal with the pressure of whether or not to tell the cops about what Frankie did because if he decided to rat on him the result would cost his life and his mothers.Unfortunately, Michael doesnt know how to deal with the amount of pressure he is going through so he decides to talk to the rabbi about it. While discussion Judas advises that, Michael, you are a very good boy, you are kind. You are a worker, I can see. But you are young. You have not already learn some of the hard things in life. One very hard thing? You can keep quiet about some crime, its just as bad as the crime. (Snow in August, 156). Through his exchanging of words Michael has still yet to figure what he can do to help him and his family without getting hurt.On the contrary, what Michael is feeling can be related to the readers of this story. In todays society there is a lot of pressure we all have to deal with throughout life, whether it involves work, relationships or even school. Its normal to feel pressure and meeting others standards that are hard to obtain can be a challenge but with he help of people that care about you it can make life more easily lived. Thirdly, Pete Hamlin expresses friendship through his story with a Jewish Rabbi and an Irish Catholic.Michael Devoid is on his way through the treacherous, deserted, streets of his working-class Brooklyn neighborhood to serve as Altar boy at Mass. He is battling his way through fierce snow drifts when he hears a small accented voice asking for help. It is the voice of Rabbi Judas Hirsch. He wants Michael to enter the Synagogue and turn on the light switch. It is Shabby and therefore the Rabbi is not permitted to turn on the eight himself. From that one simple act, Michael enters the Rabbis world. It is a world full of mystery, magic and true friendship.After meeting the Rabbi for the first time Michael was curious to know more about this lonesome man and his story. Making a deal the Rabbi teaches Michael all about Jewish history and Yiddish, while Michael teaches the Rabbi to speak better English. As their friendship grows, Michaels friendship with his two childhood friends, Sonny and jimmy start to fall. Throughout the story Sonny and Jimmy constantly banter to Michael about how he needs to steal the Rabbis jewels denied away in his secret room. As Michael gets to know more about Judas he starts to realize what true friendship is all about.Readers can connect to Michaels relationship with the Rabbi because they were both true to each other throughout their whole journey of the prejudices of Brooklyn. Many people can connect to their relationship because in todays society we have people who we can trust and who wont judge you based on your nationality, religion or your appearance. In conclusion, Snow in August is about a boy named Michael Devoid that is eleven years old and is growing up in an Irish Catholic neighborhood in Brooklyn, 1947. While looking for a place to get out of the weather in the midst Of a freak snowstorm, Michael meets Judas Hirsch, a rabbi from Czechoslovakia, and the two become unlikely friends. Judas fascinates Michael with tales from Jewish folklore, and Michael gives Judas a crash course in the finer points of baseball. But not everyone in Michaels neighborhood is as open-minded as he is, and Judas is attacked by a gang filled with delinquents. Throughout the whole novel Michael and Judas go on a journey that contains a prejudice community, pressure and a beautiful friendship.