| Summary: | The short stories of J. J. Steinfeld and Lev Raphael reveal Second Generation sons strong identification with their mothers and their Holocaust experiences. While the mother-son relationships depicted in J. J. Steinfelds stories are exaggerated and verge on surrealism, Lev Raphaels depiction of this relationship is more complex and realistic. The reason for this difference in storytelling lies in each authors emphasis. J. J. Steinfeld strives to emphasize the emotional and psychological trauma that the Holocaust wracks on the lives of Second Generation sons, whereas Lev Raphaels stories illustrate the complexity of the Holocausts effect on the psychological development of the Second Generation. Additionally, Lev Raphaels stories also often explore the difficulties of being gay and Jewish for Second Generation sons and what role their mother plays in their development. Characters in the stories of both authors fluctuate between Lacans Imaginary and Symbolic Orders. Each of Steinfelds characters backtrack through Lacans stages of psychological development: they each experience a second mirror stage, which thrusts them from the Symbolic Order back into the Imaginary Order. Although Lev Raphaels characters fluctuate between Lacans orders, there is not an extreme regression into the Imaginary Order. Instead of manifesting a complete loss of self as a result of their mothers Holocaust experiences, these characters identify with their mothers while retaining their own identity and often function as strong examples of gay, Jewish men in a post-Holocaust world.
RELIGION
In His Mothers Image: A Lacanian Analysis of Second Generation Sons in the Short Stories of J. J. Steinfeld and Lev Raphael
Raina L. Shults
Thesis under the direction of Professor Phillip Ackerman-Lieberman
The short stories of J. J. Steinfeld and Lev Raphael reveal Second Generation sons strong identification with their mothers and their Holocaust experiences. While the mother-son relationships depicted in J. J. Steinfelds stories are exaggerated and verge on surrealism, Lev Raphaels depiction of this relationship is more complex and realistic. The reason for this difference in storytelling lies in each authors emphasis. J. J. Steinfeld strives to emphasize the emotional and psychological trauma that the Holocaust wracks on the lives of Second Generation sons, whereas Lev Raphaels stories illustrate the complexity of the Holocausts effect on the psychological development of the Second Generation. Additionally, Lev Raphaels stories also often explore the difficulties of being gay and Jewish for Second Generation sons and what role their mother plays in their development. Characters in the stories of both authors fluctuate between Lacans Imaginary and Symbolic Orders. Each of Steinfelds characters backtrack through Lacans stages of psychological development: they each experience a second mirror stage, which thrusts them from the Symbolic Order back into the Imaginary Order. Although Lev Raphaels characters fluctuate between Lacans orders, there is not an extreme regression into the Imaginary Order. Instead of manifesting a complete loss of self as a result of their mothers Holocaust experiences, these characters identify with their mothers while retaining their own identity and often function as strong examples of gay, Jewish men in a post-Holocaust world.
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