Data Bases • Custom Term Papers • Free Term Papers • Free Research Papers • Free Essays • Free Book Reports • Plagiarism? Links • Top 100 Term Paper Sites • Top 25 Essay Sites • Top 50 Essay Sites • Search 97,000 Papers @ DirectEssays.com • Search 101,000 Papers @ ExampleEssays.com • Search 90,000 Papers @ MegaEssays.com Free Essays • Term Paper Sites • Chuck III's Free Essays • Free College Essays • TermPaperSites.com • My Term Papers • Get Free Essays • Essay World • Planet Papers	Search Lots of Essays Back to Subjects - Miscellaneous Broken GlassJewish Broken GlassJewish In 1938, the onset of violent anti-Semitic riots in Germany created one of the most horrific struggles of our time. Not only did this outrageous holocaust bring sadness and death to the Jews in Germany but also to the ones living here in America. In, The Broken Glass, by Arthur Miller, we see the lives of three completely different characters portrayed. First, we see Sylvia Gullberg, who has been a housewife ever since her husband Philip made her quit. She is the first one to be affected by the news in Germany. Her husband, Phillip, has been hiding from his race ever since he was a teen, and because of this ruins his marriage and ultimately his life. Lastly, Dr. Harry Hyman, who views everything with his eyes wide open, is the only possible hope of bringing the two back together. I will show how each character reacts to the identity of their blood, and deals with issues such as ethnicity, class, and gender. Philip Gullberg is the main problem throughout this whole movie. He seems to always be burning the flame of his wife’s fear and of his own which ultimately puts him to rest. Ironically, as his wife sat paralyzed in the house, he burns the newspaper that put her in shock, to keep her warm. He is a Jewish American who has been trying to hide his ethnicity ever since he was young. He even makes it a point to pronounce his last name Gullberg instead of Goldberg, which would obviously sound too Jewish. He works at a WASP bank and is in fact the only existing Jewish employee. Philip has spent most of his life in denial, and it is apparent he is always on the defense about being Jewish. For example, he thinks Mr. Case is after him just because he is Jewish. He is also afraid of his class and even began wearing all black as a young teen, as to gain power in the work place. He feels inferior to his white co-workers. He even has gender issues. For example, Philip say’s, “If my wife were a man, she could be director of the Federal Reserve,” and “you can talk to my wife like she’s a man.” These are certainly statements that he would not be saying about his wife if he thought gender wasn’t a problem. As far as their marriage goes, Philip and Sylvia have a very business like relationship. He feels he is the man of the house, which is why he won’t let her work. Unfortunately, this way of living for so many years has torn Sylvia apart from him. I believe Sylvia Gullberg is the strongest character throughout this movie. Unfortunately, she too has been living a lie for the past twenty years as a housewife and now even as she lay paralyzed in bed, fights to make a difference. Once a businesswoman, she gave up all of that for everyone’s sake but her own. And now after all those years of hiding, she will not do so anymore. One of the most difficult things she must face is the realization of her husband, Philip, being afraid of his own race. Sylvia is a very well informed and respected lady. Even Dr. Hyman cannot escape the beauty and inner drive that she possesses. For example, Dr Hyman tells her he has not been so moved by a woman in a long time and is unsure if he can continue treating her. Time and time again she is constantly giving while not ever receiving. Even as she lay paralyzed on the steps of her house, she keeps saying sorry to her husband as if it’s her fault. This notion of her feeling sorry is recurrent throughout the whole movie. She thinks she is annoying Philip every time she talks about the Jews, which is half the reason why she is paralyzed in the first place. We also see that she is a very caring lady, as opposed to Philip, as she cannot get the picture of two old Jewish men scrubbing the ground with toothbrushes out of her head. She cannot bare the fact that these two men are being humiliated. She even pictures her father’s face on one of them. Sylvia’s true healing does not come until Dr. Henry Hyman comes into her life. Through him she is able to free herself from all social fears and begin a new life. Dr. Harry Hyman becomes the catalyst for both Philip and Sylvia to change the way they live their life. He is a very open-minded Jew who sees things the way they are and has a sense of humor about ethnicity and class. Even though Philip thought that he married a non-Jewish lady to hide his race. Hyman is the one person who is not leading the life of a lie. He is never running away from or trying to be something he isn’t. He takes his life for what it is. I think his wife gave one of the most influential quotes of the movie, “Sometimes you got to take your hand, lay them on the table, and play the best cards possible.” Harry, even in the end gets Philip to change his mind by saying, “We are all born afraid, and how we deal with fear is what counts.” Unfortunately, these words come too late. As both Philip and Sylvia lay in separate beds, in separate rooms, both are ready to free themselves from all prior fears and denials. Philip’s last moments in his life are his best. He gains a sense of humor as he laughs about Chinese Jews and Jews in love with horses. Harry’s wife says, “We finally found a sense of humor in you,” as Philip answers, “I finally figured out the joke.” Philip was truly ready to look himself in the mirror and love his face. Tragically, Sylvia’s standing up symbolizes the start of her new life, while Philip’s change of heart is already too late. Ironically, this time, Phillip is the one asking for forgiveness. Bibliography: Word Count: 1073
Copyright © 1998-2008 College Term Papers, INC All Rights Reserved. DMCA Notifications and Requests