My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potek is a novel about a Jewish boy troubled by his own artistic gift. The main problem with Asher's art is that he combats his Jewish upbringing, and his father points out that Asher's "gift" is "madness". Asher ultimately succumbs to his artistic destiny, because he chooses it over that of his own family. Aryeh Lev, in particular, is disappointed in Asher, who comes from Aryeh's character traits: being strict, disciplined, and powerful. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Aryeh, Asher's father, is very strict and makes Asher work hard in school. An example of this is on page 124, as Aryeh confronts Asher after he shoots the Chumash. “'The mashpia called me'... said my father, without preliminaries. “Did you know what you were doing? » » Aryeh's tense tone helps present him as a strict individual. Asher's performance at school disappoints Aryeh, as Asher is unable to follow his father's strict guidelines. Aryeh doesn't want Asher to be painted, but prefers him to learn at school. “'Your father came home and saw your drawings and your school notes and he was very upset.' » (167). Meanwhile, Asher had begun frequenting the museum, which went against Hasidic tradition. Due to Aryeh's absence, there was no one to keep Asher in line, so to speak, and Aryeh feels like Rivkeh isn't raising Asher properly. The fact that Aryeh is strict towards Asher may be due to Aryeh's own strict discipline. Discipline is one of Aryeh's strong points throughout the novel. Often, Aryeh had to travel for the Rebbe and made it a point to comply with any task he was asked to perform. For example, Aryeh was traveling to Washington DC, most likely to discuss Jewish politics, for the Rebbe. “The next morning, my father went to Washington for the Rebbe. » (77) Aryeh never complains about having to leave his family, even though the reader can see that deep down Aryeh wants to stay. Even when Aryeh comes home, his work is never done. “He arrived from Washington late Thursday evening and went to his office Friday morning.” (73). Most people would probably take this Friday and weekend off. Aryeh decides not to sleep and go to work rather than relax at home with her family. It's because of Aryeh's hard work ethic that he looks down on Asher when he doesn't do as well as he can in school. Aryeh's hard work for the Rebbe also made him a powerful person in the Hasidic community. Asher is treated with respect near the beginning of the novel because of his father's power. “I was treated with special care, because I was the son of Aryeh Lev. » (51). The Rebbe is an extremely important figure in the community of Asher, and Aryeh is the Rebbe's right-hand man. Everyone knew Asher, only because of his father. This results in disappointing Aryeh when Asher begins painting anti-Jewish artwork, as it slanders Aryeh's name. Asher is almost seen as a bastard child in Aryeh's eyes, Aryeh doesn't want to be affiliated with anything that conflicts with what he's working on. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Aryeh considers her son a failure just as Asher launches his own art exhibition. Aryeh's character traits make him disappointed in Asher. Aryeh is strict towards Asher, who doesn't seem to listen to what his father tells him to do. Additionally, Aryeh is disciplined, while Asher does poorly in school...