Gimpel the Fool

Ultimately, the theme Singer emphasizes most is that faith and the values that accompany it should be the light that guides people’s lives. Not necessarily faith in religion, which can sometimes be more harmful than helpful, but faith in the world’s mysteries and goodness. Despite the potentially crippling effect of the townspeople’s ridicule and deception, Gimpel is a happy man. And his contentment comes from his abiding faith. He has chosen to study the lies that encircle him, and once he understands them, he believes them by choice. Far from being a simpleton and a victim of self-delusion, Gimpel has faith that his life will not be altered by human lies. He has faith in God, faith in his fellow man, faith in Elka, faith in himself. His faith is so great that he is able to believe what is utterly incredible; his faith enables him to love with his whole being. His detractors and abusers see him as gullible, but he is no such thing. He is a man who accepts that there are significant truths even in man’s lies, and therein lies his faith, the faith that maintains his goodness and assures him that he will be happy even in death.

Gimpel takes his ridicule with seemingly passive non-resistance, but he clarifies for us that he is honorable. His honor lies in his insistence on seeing the good in his wife. In his willingness to care for all the children Elka brings to his household, his openness to them, and his unfettered love for them. He chooses to maintain his honor and his integrity rather than lashing out at the people of the town, who seek to shame him by calling him names and goading him with lies. Singer clearly wants the reader to know that, to Gimpel, the importance of living by honor and integrity far outweighs the intellectual reasoning that might draw him to different conclusions.

Though Gimpel lives by faith, he does not believe himself to be infallible. Throughout the story, Gimpel shows his self-doubt. He hears the townspeople’s lies and processes all deception, questioning not only what he is hearing, but also what he is thinking and discerning. He only trusts himself after he engages in a kind of dialectic with himself—engaging in debate between the opposing forces of his will and his intuition, asking himself questions that lead to acceptance. He subjects himself to the rigors of his own logic—that anything is possible—and chooses to let the conclusions he draws lead him.

For most of the story, Gimpel’s faith, honor, and integrity are endangered by the world around him. He consistently eschews a need for reconciliation with that society and instead focuses on self-forgiveness and confidence. Eventually, Gimpel’s nonviolent, gentle response to the verbal assaults and pranks by his neighbors makes Gimpel victorious. However, he realizes the only way to preserve his values is to leave Frampol. Over time, with patience and perseverance, Gimpel finds a place where he receives the townspeople’s admiration and even their love.