The Elusive Form: The Use Of Female Characters In naked Nude :: essays research papers

The Elusive Form The Use of Female Characters in " raw(a) Nude"Thesis and OutlineThesis In his picturesque short story, "The defenceless Nude", Bernard Malamud usesthe female characters to develop, enact, and resolve Fidelmans epiphany and tobring about the protagonists final, artistic self- belowstanding.I. canonic paragraph--statement of thesis.II. The prostitutesA. in contrast to Fidelmans initial idea of the artistic nudeB. "maybe too many naked women around made it impossible todraw a nude"--establish basis of conflict within Fidelman III.TeresaA. flat, static character--functions totally as a touchstone forFidelmanB. provides Fidelmans first turn towards artistic epiphanyIV. Bessie, his sisterA. childhood computer storage brings about full epiphanyV. genus Venus of UrbinoA. aesthetic constant--she, as a painting, remains staticB. Fidelmans method of viewing her evolves, providing hisepiphanyVI. Relationship of female characters VII. Conclusion and r estatement ofthesis.     Bernard Malamud, a conduct contemporary Jewish author, skirts betweenfantasy and reality in his almost allegorical short fiction, t to each oneing the readera lesson through coinciding elements of sweetie and comedy. Venturing away fromhis usual, inner-city Jewish element, Malamud tackles new challenges of subjectand setting in his novelistic collection of short stories, Pictures of Fidelman .Malamud develops his protagonist through a series of six, interrelated shortworks, each of which may function entirely independent from the others. In "TheNaked Nude," for instance, Fidelman comes to a new, artistic maturity throughhis attempt to copy the famous painting "Venus of Urbino" by Titian Tiziano.Malamuds recurring theme of self-knowledge through suffering permeates thisshort work. Scarpio and Angelo, as primary antagonists, provide the bulk ofthis suffering for Fidelman. It is his own mental captivity concerning thefemale nude, however, that gives cause for Fidelmans eventual epiphany asanartist and as an individual. His relationship to the women in the work shapeshis ability to capture the form of the "Venus" and to come to grips with hisown self-worth. In "The Naked Nude," Bernard Malamud uses the female charactersto develop, enact, and resolve Fidelmans epiphany and to bring about theprotagonists final, artistic self understanding.     At the storys outset, Fidelman is forced to act as janitor andmanservant to a group of ill mannered prostitutes under the employment of thepadrone, Angelo. These offensive characters establish the first of a series ofmental obstacles in the imprisoned protagonists attempt to copy Titians nude.They torment Fidelman with cynical laughter and endeavor his demeaning position.His sexual urgeual insecurity is established at the beginning of the story when heponders his violent guillotine sketch, asking "A mans head or his sex?... eithercase a terrible wound" (Malamud 318).