Essay --

Matt Simmons Ms. Clemons CP Eng. III 1-7-14 The Great Escape Micheal Chabon's 2001, Pulitzer Prize winning novel, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay is truly an all american book. The novel is about a jewish immigrant by the name of Josef Kavalier, who comes to America from Prague to escape the Nazis in 1939. He teams up with his cousin Sammy Clay to start making comic books. The book goes into great detail of the lives and adventures of the two boys from 1935 to 1954. One of many themes about this book is the idea of escape. Escaping from things is something that is seen very often throughout the story. This theme is portrayed through the jewish symbol of the golem, the comic books that the boys write, and the actions that Joe makes. A reoccurring symbol throughout the novel is the jewish golem. A golem is an artificial creature created by magic to serve its creator. It is often made out of soil or clay and needs special words spoken to it to bring it to life. The most famous stories of the golem are when the golem is created to protect jews from harm. The golem in Kavalier and Clay symbolizes the idea of escape and creation. In the novel, Josef Kavalier is having a hard time getting to America because his visa papers are not being handled correctly. Joe's magic teacher, Bernard Kornblum, devises a plan to get Joe to America that includes the Golem. The two men get the coffin of the golem and ship it to Lithuania. Josef would be in the casket with only, â€Å"an empty Mosel bottle, into which he was [supposed to], at rare intervals. . . sparingly, relieve his bladder† (Chabon 64). For 44 hours, Joe was cramped into this coffin before he, â€Å"staggered, dazed, blinking, limping, bent, asphyxiated, and smelling of stale urine,... ...en] he clambered over the back of his seat [to confront the men]† (Chabon 196). Although Joe often got beat up when he would pick these fights, it was just a way to let his feelings escape and help him think he was really fighting the Nazis. Joe Kavalier was The Escapist. Escaping from things is either good or bad. It either means you were brave enough to try or to cowardly to stay. The art of escape is one of many themes in The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. Using things such as the golem, comic books, and his character, Joe Kavalier, Micheal Chabon delivers this idea on a silver platter for the reader. Everyone wants to try and get away from the world and have an escape to make things right. Whether it be writing, drawing, exercising, or whatever lets you clear your head. It is important to just get away sometimes and make reality disappear for a while.