Choose an image from the novel that conveys meaning that goes beyond the literal,

and explain how that image develops and changes in the course of the novel. An

image is the literary representation of something that can be perceived by the

senses—something you can see, hear, taste, touch, smell, or perceive as movement.

Please do not choose a character (e.g., the Rebbe or Asher’s mythic ancestor), do

not choose earlocks, and do not choose travel. However, you may choose from any

number of possible topics. There are references to walking, to screaming, to melody,

to birds and flowers, to hands, to red hair, to ice, and to eyes. In those instances the

language Potok uses is literal but also conveys meaning beyond the literal.

When Asher gazes out the window he sees the street—and much more than the

street. As his eyes grow and develop, he sees more and more. When you gaze at

Potok’s novel, what do you see beyond the literal? As you look back, how do you see

language conveying meaning that goes beyond what you took in on first glance?