Bontshe the Humble

The character in Peretez’s short story Bontshe Shvayg is like no character I have ever read about. Nor is he like any person I ever met. Bontshe just sits back and lets the world walk all over him. He constantly stayed silent and lived a ridiculously unjust life. Bontshe was an invisible man that lived his life in a shadow.

Bontshe lived and died in silence. The same was not true in the other world. He was honored and praised for living a meager life and never uttering a single complaint. It is ironic that he was never considered extraordinary throughout his life, when his actions after death clearly portrayed him as one. When he was rewarded for his silence during his unjust life, all he asked for was a “warm roll with fresh butter every day.”

With the terrible life he experienced during his years on earth, he never complained. Bontshe seemed to be the type of man who acted this way not to be repaid in the afterlife, but because he is just a humble man. He is simple and sincere, and none of this was done with an ulterior motive. He was a character that made the Angels and the Judges feel ashamed of how truly humble of a man Bontshe was.

Peretez may have written this story to send a message to his readers. This message may be that Bontshe is the type of character that people should strive to be like. Humble and sincere in ones desires and never questioning the life you were given, no matter how horrible. In the end you might also be rewarded, as Bonshe was rewarded.