Fiddler On The Roof Character Review: Fyedka

This will be my last character review post for Fiddler On The Roof. The next story/group of characters I will be writing about is……I’m not telling you. You will just have to come back to this blog and find out.  

*Warning: This post contains spoilers in regards to the narrative and characters from the musical Fiddler On The Roof. Read at your own risk if you have not seen the movie or any of the stage adaptations.

There is something to be said about a well written, human character. They leap off the page and speak to us as if they were right in front us, as flesh and blood human beings, instead of fictional creations.

In this series of weekly blog posts, I will examine character using the characters from Fiddler On The Roof to explore how writers can create fully dimensional, human characters that audiences and readers can relate to.

Prejudice is unfortunately part and parcel of our daily lives. But even with the hatred and prejudice, there are still some that see the person, not the label based on culture or religion. In Fiddler On The Roof, most of the major characters are Jewish. There are a handful of non-Jewish characters, but for the most part, they are background players.

Except for Fyedka.

Fyedka is a young man of the Christian faith who falls in love with Chava, Tevye and Golde’s middle daughter. She is equally in love with him. But a marriage between a Jew and Christian, especially in pre-revolutionary Russia was a big no-no. Unlike his compatriots, Fyedka does not harass his Jewish neighbors. He is open-minded and treats them with courtesy and respect.

To sum it up: Sometimes a writer has to break the mold when creating a character. Fyedka could have been a stereotype, a Russian Christian peasant who hates his Jewish neighbors because they are Jews. But because he is compassionate, respectful and open-minded, he is proof that tolerance, understanding and dialogue between people of different cultures and religions is possible. The reader and the writer just has to be willing to take the first step.

Thoughts On Yom Haatzmaut

For any country, their Independence Day is a day celebration and joy. In Israel, that feeling on Yom Ha’atzmaut is no different.

Earlier this week, the citizens of Israel celebrated their Independence Day. One of the many things Israel is known for the nickname of “startup nation“.

The list of innovations include:

• ReWalk, an external skeleton to help paraplegics gain or regain the mobility that many of us take for granted.
• The Pillcam: a capsule that contains a tiny camera and allows doctors to see inside of a patients digestive tract.
• The flash drive.

I could go on, but I think the video below provides a greater list that I can compile.

While Israel and her leaders are far from perfect, the world should also be focusing on the good that the Israeli people have created instead just focusing on sensationalism headlines that may or may not be true.

Happy belated Yom Ha’atzmaut.

Throwback Thursday-The Social Network (2010)

Business and technology can do good things in this world. They can also ruin lives and relationships.

The 2010 movie, The Social Network, is the story of the creation of the social media giant that is Facebook. Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) is set in the early 2000’s. Zuckerberg is a college student attending Harvard College. One night, while sitting in front of his computer in his dorm room, he creates what will later evolve into Facebook. As the film continues on, Zuckerberg’s creation begins to take on a life of its own. While he becomes one of the wealthiest and youngest business owners in the country, he is entangled in personal issues and legal problems.

This movie is dark, but I like it that way. Mark Zuckerberg, as portrayed by Jesse Eisenberg, flits between being a genius and being an obnoxious a*hole that I wanted reach into the screen and smack across the back of the head.

Do I recommend it? Yes.