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bAppearances play a major role throughout Yekl, by Abraham Cahan. The characters in the novel are constantly judged by what they are wearing or how they present themselves. Jake’s attitudes towards the other characters differ based on their clothing, customs, and deportment. So often throughout the novel, the reader is led to a certain opinion of a character, as is often the case in literature, based on what they are wearing or how their appearance is presented. The most obvious example of the importance of appearance is when Jake’s wife, Gitl, arrives at Ellis Island, and Jake beholds her for the first time after their extended separation. Though struggling with conflicting feelings, he still possesses a decent amount of desire and excitement to see her. However, when he first sees her coming towards him at Ellis Island, he is immediately overtaken by a sense of disgust, almost entirely generated by her appearance, as he “no sooner caught sight of her than he had averted his face, as if loth to rest his eyes on her…” (34) She is clothed in the custom of their native Russia, and, in following the traditional Jewish custom, is wearing a large wig to cover her hair.
Approximate Word count = 516
Approximate Pages = 2.1
(250 words per page double spaced)
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