My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potek is a novel about a Jewish boy troubled by his own artistic gift. The main problem with Asher's art is that it combats his Jewish upbringing, and his father points out that Asher's "gift" is "madness". Asher ultimately gives in to his artistic destiny, because he prefers it to his own family. Aryeh Lev, in particular, is disappointed in Asher, who draws from Aryeh's characteristics: being strict, disciplined, and powerful. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayAryeh, Asher's father, is very strict and makes Asher work hard in school. An example of this is on page 124, as Aryeh confronts Asher after luring the Chumash. “'The mashpia called me'... my father said, without preliminaries. 'Did you know what you were doing?'” Aryeh's tense tone helps portray him as a stern individual. Asher's performance in school disappoints Aryeh, as Asher is unable to follow his father's strict guidelines. Aryeh doesn't want Asher to be painted, but she would prefer him to learn in school. “'Your father came home and saw your drawings and your school grades and was very upset.'” (167). During this time, Asher had started going to the museum, which was against Hasidic tradition. Due to Aryeh's absence, there was no one to keep Asher in line, so to speak, and Aryeh feels like Rivkeh isn't raising Asher properly. The fact that Aryeh is strict towards Asher may have originated from Aryeh's strict discipline. Discipline is one of Aryeh's strengths throughout the novel. Aryeh often had to travel for the Rebbe and took it upon himself to comply with whatever task he was told to complete. For example, Aryeh would go to Washington DC, most likely to discuss Jewish politics, for the Rebbe. “The next morning, my father went to Washington for the Rebbe.”(77) Aryeh never complains about having to leave his family, even though the reader can see that deep down Aryeh wants to stay. Even when Aryeh returns home, his work is never done. “He arrived from Washington late Thursday night and went to his office Friday morning.” (73). Most people would probably take that Friday and weekend off. Aryeh decides to lose sleep and go to work rather than relax at home with her family. It is because of his hard work ethic that Aryeh despises Asher when he doesn't do everything he can in school. Aryeh's hard work for the Rebbe also makes him a powerful person in the Hasidic community. Asher is treated with respect near the beginning of the novel because of his powerful father. "I was treated with special care, because I was the son of Aryeh Lev." (51). The Rebbe is an extremely important figure in the Asher community and Aryeh is his right-hand man. Everyone knew Asher, only because of his father. This serves to disappoint Aryeh when Asher begins painting anti-Jewish art, because he defames Aryeh's name. Asher is almost seen as a bastard child through Aryeh's eyes, Aryeh doesn't want to be affiliated with anything that conflicts with what he's working on. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom EssayAryeh thinks of her son as a failure when Asher starts his art exhibit. Aryeh's character traits make him disappointed in Asher. Aryeh is stern with Asher, who doesn't seem to listen to what his father told him to do. Furthermore, Aryeh is disciplined, while Asher does poorly in school. Lastly, Aryeh is powerful and receives repercussions from the community due to.