Analysis

=Epiphany=

There is many epiphanies throughout different types of stories made my Bernard Malamud. Specifically, in "The First Seven Years," the protagonist, who is none other than Fled, comes to an epiphany during the ending of the story. An epiphany is a moment when a character has a flash of insight that though it doesn't solve the conflict, it changes the nature of it, sometimes for the better. During the conflict of Fled trying to get Miriame an educated husband, which he seems to fail at miserably, his most loyal worker Sobel left him. His new worker betrayed him, Max the college boy and Miriame did not work out together, and he had to work at the shoe-shop by himself. It was too much stress for him, and he suffered a mild heart-attack. This is when too much has taken toll on him, and he comes to an epiphany when meeting with Sobel at the end of the story. Through trying to take him back into the business, he discovers that Sobel had a long liking for Fled's daughter. Though this disturbed him as so much to leave, he realized that it doesn't matter about the person's history, heritage, age differance, and looks as well. Fled promised Sobel two more years until proposal. Right then and there, Sobel went back to work and Fled came to happiness once more.