Joseph

Joseph, also known as Joseph of Yuchovitch, is the paternal grandfather of Mary Antin, a figure whose life story is recounted not for its triumphs but for its unrelenting poverty and pessimism. He is introduced as the son of Hayyim the Glazier, a man of fine countenance and honest dealings, and Rachel Leah, a woman of practical wisdom. Joseph inherits his father's trade, good name, and meagre portion, maintaining the family tradition of honesty and poverty unbroken to the day of his death. In the village of Yuchovitch, where the whole village was poor almost to beggary, Joseph's poverty was no distinction, but his character set him apart in a different way.

Identity and Background

Joseph's identity is defined by his trade and his temperament. He was an indifferent workman, an indifferent scholar, and an indifferent hasid, excelling at only one thing: grumbling. Although not unkind, he possessed a temper that boiled over at small provocation, and even in his most placid mood he took very little satisfaction in the world. He reversed the proverb, looking for the sable lining of every silver cloud. In the conditions of his life he found plenty of food for his pessimism, and merry hearts were very rare among his neighbors. A certain amount of gloom appears to have been inherent in the man. As he distrusted the whole world, so Joseph distrusted himself, which made him shy and awkward in company. His mother, Rachel Leah, was remembered as a tall, trim, handsome old woman, active and independent, who wore the stately knupf or turban on her shaven head and went to the synagogue on Sabbaths and holidays with a long, straight mantle hanging from neck to ankle, wearing it with an air, on one sleeve only, the other dangling empty from her shoulder.

Life and Work as a Peddler

Joseph's life was one of hard labor and constant travel. He remained single till the advanced age of twenty-five, then took unto himself an orphan girl as poor as he, namely, Rachel, the daughter of Israel Kimanyer of pious memory. His work as a glazier could not support him in Yuchovitch, so he became a country peddler, trading between Polotzk and Yuchovitch, and taking in all the desolate little hamlets scattered along that route. Fifteen rubles' worth of goods was a big bill to carry out of Polotzk. His stock consisted of cheap pottery, tobacco, matches, boot grease, and axle grease, which he bartered for country produce, including grains in small quantity, bristles, rags, and bones. Money was seldom handled in these transactions. He led a rough enough life, on the road at all seasons, in all weathers, knocking about at smoky little inns, glad sometimes of the hospitality of some peasant's hut, where the pigs slept with the family. He was doing well if he got home for the holidays with a little white flour for a cake, and money enough to take his best coat out of pawn. The best coat, and the candlesticks, too, would be repawned promptly on the first workday; for it was not for the like of Joseph of Yuchovitch to live with idle riches around him.

Relationships and Family

Joseph's relationship with his wife, Rachel, was marked by his absence and his dissatisfaction. He was absent the greater part of the time due to his peddling, and from all reports it appears that he was never satisfied. If he did not make his wife unhappy it was because he was away from home so much. His granddaughter imagines that Rachel, a gentle, cheerful soul, must have been a merry bride, and that her attempts to show him the world through rose-hued spectacles would have given him frequent opportunity to parade his grievances and recite his wrongs. Joseph's relationship with his son, Pinchus, is illustrated by a telling anecdote: at the wedding of his only son, Joseph sat the whole night through in a corner, never as much as cracking a smile, while the wedding guests danced, laughed, and rejoiced. This moment captures the depth of his gloom and his inability to participate in the joy of his own family's milestones.

Change and Ending

Joseph's life shows no arc of transformation or redemption. He maintained the family tradition of honesty and poverty unbroken to the day of his death. His story is one of stasis, a man trapped in a cycle of labor, poverty, and dissatisfaction. He is a figure of the old world, whose life is defined by the constraints of the Pale of Settlement and the economic desperation of Jewish life in Russia. His death is not narrated as a moment of significance, but rather as the end of a life that was always the same. He represents the generation that came before the emigration to America, a generation that could not escape the conditions of their birth.

Narrative Role and Significance

Joseph's role in the memoir is to provide a contrast to the narrative of Americanization and hope that defines Mary Antin's own story. He embodies the pessimism and despair of the old world, a world where poverty was inescapable and joy was rare. His life is a testament to the harshness of the Pale of Settlement, where even a hardworking man could not escape his fate. In contrast, Mary's own journey to America, her education, and her transformation into a citizen represent a break from this cycle. Joseph's story is also a reminder of the sacrifices and struggles of the previous generation, whose suffering made the emigration possible. His character, with its inherent gloom and distrust, serves as a foil to the optimism and possibility that America represents, highlighting the profound change that the family undergoes in their new home. His life, as recounted by his granddaughter, is not one of achievement but of endurance, a quiet testament to the resilience of a people who, despite everything, maintained their honesty and their faith.