Shmuel’s Departure and the Question of Home

This thread follows Shmuel’s final movement from the enclosed Jerusalem household toward an unknown life in the Negev.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

The Plan for the Desert

An Imagined Escape Work Elsewhere Shmuel considers taking a simple job in the desert, perhaps guarding a remote building or helping at a new settlement. Avoidance The plan promises distance from heartbreak, university, and political arguments. Even before he arrives at the house, he imagines solitude as a substitute for choosing a direction.

A Winter of Shelter

Work Instead of Flight Employment Shmuel accepts lodging and a modest wage in exchange for keeping Wald company. New Attachments He becomes interested in Atalia, resumes his research, and grows close to Wald. The refuge gives him more than isolation, complicating his plan to disappear.

The Injury Delays Him

A Stay Extended Accident Shmuel’s fall fractures his ankle and prevents him from returning to the attic. Care Atalia places him in Abravanel’s room, where intimacy and family history converge. The delay deepens his attachment but cannot change the fact that his stay is temporary.

A House That Lets Him Go

The End of the Winter Packing Atalia packs Shmuel’s belongings and insists that he spend time among people his own age. Wald’s Farewell Wald kisses him and admits that he has become attached to him. Their affection makes departure painful, but it does not turn the house into a permanent home.

The Unfinished Destination

Arrival Nowhere Bus to Beersheba Shmuel leaves Jerusalem, expecting to continue toward Mitzpe Ramon, but misses the day’s last connection. A Halt He wanders through Beersheba and sets down his things in an unfamiliar street, still unsure what to do. The ending stops at a question rather than converting departure into a solved future.

Before Shmuel accepts the companion job

From early December 1959

Late winter 1959–1960

Early March 1960

The last scenes, March 1960