During the past week we have been viewing Fiddler on the Roof, a musical set in Tsarist Russia in 1905. We've been introduced to the interesting patriarch of five daughters, named Tevye. His attempts to keep his family and its Jewish religious traditions are thwarted by changes in the new generation. Tevye is faced with strong constitutions in his eldest daughters, who have inherited much of his strong will; however, he is challenged by their desires and choice of husbands which in part, separates them from the customs of his faith. With an edict from the Tsar, Tevye is then faced with expulsion from his village and his home. Choose a central theme that is moving throughout the musical and discuss how that theme advances your understanding of a universal idea and what makes the musical the classic as it is.
Fiddle on the Roof is definitely a classic musical that fills the souls of audiences with soulful melodies and a heartwarming story. One of the main themes that is threaded throughout the entire film is a respect for one's elders. Comparing to the generation today, the things I say to my parents are things that Tzeitel and Hodel would have never said to their parents. In the generation that is set in Fiddle on the Roof see their elder's as wise, and would never do anything to lose their respect.
ReplyDeleteHowever, changes in the new generation of the film is starting to change. People are starting to break the central traditions of the Jewish religion and customs. When Tevye proposes the agreement he made with Lazar Wolf, Tzeitel isn't too keen on the idea since she has already made her pledge to Motel. She reacts though, quietly and respectfully, because she doesn't want to go against what her father has ordered. She is respectful of him, but Motel stands up to him like a man and says that he will be good to Tzeitel always. Tevye can see in his daughter's eyes that she loves him, and agrees that they can marry.
Tevye even uses the families ancestors to persuade Golde into the new marriage arrangement. He tells her that he had some dream that Golde's grandmother Tzeitel told him that Motel is the man meant for his daughter Tzeitel. In a creeping chorus number, the ghosts tell Tevye and Golde that Motel is the one for Tzeitel. Even Lazar Wolf's dead wife comes up from the grave and threatens that she will haunt Tzeitel if she marries him. Golde would never, even in Tevye's wildest dreams, want to do anything that would dishonor her elder's. Thus, she agrees to let Motel and Tzeitel marry.
The next two daughter's propose their own marriages to Tevye that they want to marry these men who have radical ideas. One's not even Jewish! They love their father, but they know that the times are changing. The generation is changing.
The theme of respecting elder's is used throughout the entire movie. Even though Tevye believes that his entire idea of tradition is being overthrown, what he doesn't realize is that things are just changing. His daughters are not breaking customs because they don't love their father. They do love their father and respect their family and religion more than anything, but they are going to do what makes them happy. They understand that the changes happening in the world are not all entirely bad. They are starting to realize things like men dancing with women really does no harm, and that a woman should be able to marry for love instead of money. They respect their elders, but at the same time they respect themselves.
Sophie,
DeleteI love the theme you chose! Respect for elders was definitely seen as a priority in the society. One of the things that really stuck out to me was that when Tevye even mentioned Grandma Tzeitel that he and Golda spoke reverently and blessed her name. Nobody ever spoke poorly of elders directly but do think that there are moments when people do not respect elders however. The second daughter and her love interest tell Tevye they will get married regardless of his thoughts and they deny the elders and dance together. Its quite odd but overall there is a great respect for elders.
Sophie,
DeleteI think you are on to something with "respect of elders" theme. To me, this is considered yet another tradition. Elders were held in a higher light than they are today. Today, they are still respected, but not to the level of the early 1900s. Like I mentioned in response to Alex's blog, Fiddler on the Roof takes place during a time of transition. Tevye's daughters respect their father, but not to the level that Tevye and Golde respect Grandma Tzeitel. It's a different form of respect. Hodel and Chava do not care whether or not Tevye approves of their marriages, but yet they are devastated when he disapproves. They love and respect their father, but his opinion is not their dictator.
First off, I must say that watching Fiddler on the Roof was an entirely different experience than watching it in middle school. I realized how much of a classic Fiddler on the Roof is, not just a stupid movie that we were forced to sit through back in middle school. This time I was focused on the detail and cinematic elements of the film. I believe the most prominent theme of the film is the fact that culture and tradition stay with someone no matter where they go or how much time has passed. In the case of Fiddler on the Roof, even though Tevye is living some dying traditions, such as choosing his daughter’s husbands, he wouldn’t be the same person if he didn’t have those traditions to live by. Even though Tevye and his family are immigrating to America from Anatevka at the end of the film, he will still have the same values and carry out the same traditions as before. After all, “home is where the heart is.”
ReplyDeleteFiddler on the Roof is able to translate to the viewer to fight for what you believe in. Jewish people have historically one of the most persecuted groups in the world. Even though Tevye and his family are fighting a losing battle by being Jewish, they still are Jewish out of tradition. Tevye is very set in his ways. His commitment to keeping the same traditions is affirmed in his beckoning of the fiddler at the end of the film. The fiddler signifies the traditions and culture are not JUST associated with Anatevka, but will continue to exist at Tevye’s new home.
The idea of tradition and culture being in the heart and soul has expanded my views on the importance of culture and tradition to a human. We as humans depend on certain routines that our ancestors did to keep on the “right” path of life. Without culture, life has no “zest” or uniqueness to it. If Tevye didn’t have his traditions, Fiddler on the Roof couldn’t have been made into a film because the sole focus is on Tevye’s strict Jewish traditions that have become historically famous. Watching how someone of a different culture carries out his or her daily life intrigued me. It made me realize that people of different race, religion, gender, culture, etc makes the “world go ‘round.”
Ryan,
DeleteOne thing in your blog that really stuck out to me was your comparison to our views in middle school. In middle school, we saw Fiddler on the Roof as an old movie with no special effects and people with silly accents. It was ridiculous and none of us understood the social issues involved. Now, we have a much greater appreciation for it. I definitely liked it a lot more this time. However, I still adore looking back and laughing at the "If I were a rich man!" It was purely enjoyable. I know I will run around for the next few days singing those songs.
Ryan,
DeleteI agree that that in middle school this film was just something to get me out of real music class. Now that we've been learning about real film concepts and understanding cinematic elements, I understand and appreciate the film much more than I did in middle school. Even though some of the songs get stuck in my head until I want to cut off my ears, it's still a classic.
I also think that our culture projects really helped with an understanding of the culture and tradition in this movie. You picked a great theme. I think we learned in some of the countries cultures that there are things that are passed from time to time, just like in this movie.
I also agree that "we as humans depend on certain routines that our ancestors did to keep on the 'right' path of life." I look up to my mother in particular, just to see how she did things so maybe it can help me make my decisions.
nice blog ryan!
It may seem horribly stereotypical to pick it, but I believe that the greatest theme in the movie is the importance of tradition. Not only does the word "tradition" show up frequently, it also gets its own song. It is something that applies to every aspect of the movie. It can apply to the marriages, to the faith, and to the land itself. It is was Tevye center's his entire life around and is finally shattered in the end. It is interesting to watch the progressions as Tevye slowly discards tradition to fit into a more modern setting. Perhaps, it is because of his slow transition prior to his family's displacement that he can resolve himself to the ending and continue to live as a fiddler on the roof.
ReplyDeleteTradition plays a huge role in the marriages and how they were chosen. Even in the song "Tradition" the young boys talk about how a wife has already been chosen for them but they don't have a clue who it actually is. When Tevye's first daughter is promised to the Butcher, she neither loves him or even truly knows him. She has been promised without her consent and against her will simply because it is tradition. He will ensure her a good future even without love. But she does not want to marry him and when she informs her father of this, his resolve in tradition weakens. For the first time ever, he lies to break the societal norms but keep his intentions hidden. This keeps him within the realm of tradition but easing away from it. When his next daughter wants to marry, he blatantly denies tradition and allows her to do so out of the love for his family. However, when his third daughter wishes for a marriage that defies the tradition of faith, he refuses to relent.
Religion is another important component of tradition. For the small town of Anatevke, religion is everything. The rabbi is seen as the head authority figure in the entire town and all matters are consulted with him. The people are led by their religion and are also prejudiced against for it. I believe that religion may be the singlemost important aspect of life. This would be why Tevye refused to discard religion for his precious daughter even though he would for the other two. Religion was the one thing he could not abandon in his traditional life no matter how much he loved her. Only when his traditional life was brutally shattered did he finally accept it. He had no reason for tradition anymore.
The land itself is also traditional. People stay in Anatevke because it is their traditional home. It is where they have always lived and it is where they always want to live. It is the thing that ties all the people together. When thrown away from their land, all people (including those who always fought) united through their pain over their loss. They could hardly bear losing their land but they were forced too. They could not stay. The land was theirs and they had nowhere else to go. When shunned from their homes, people finally shed the old traditions. The land was what had brought it together but the traditions died with the exodus.
In Fiddler on the Roof, it is very important to remember roots and tradition for they are the center of life. They give everyone some sort of guideline. As I said before, I think its Tevye’s gradual easement from tradition that makes his departure easier. He just will continue his struggle to survive, like a fiddler on the roof.
I think tradition is a good theme to pick. I mean, like you said, it does have it's own song in the film!
DeleteI think religion, like you mentioned, is weaved throughout that constant and strong theme of tradition. I like that you brought up the rabbi. He always seemed to be the man of wisdom. Everyone turned to him for the answers because he was like a manifestation of God on earth. He is the authority figure. He stems from the very important theme of tradition.
I land is also very important. Like we learned with the Palestinian presentation, people just want their homeland. Tevye just wanted to stay in the land of his ancestors. That was his home. He didn't want to leave, because it was part of his tradition. I agree with what you said about that.
It is a struggle for sure.
Nice blog!
Alex,
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with you on the importance of tradition in Fiddler on the Roof. Arranged marriages and religion were very important to Tevye, but less important to his children. After so many years, traditions die out in the way of creating new ones. Fiddler on the Roof represents a "changing time" in which the tradition of living in the middle of nowhere and arranged marriage no longer are the norm. The change can be seen through Tevye's daughters who don't seem to be fazed by the move and hate the idea of having a husband chose for them. You brought up some good points Alex! Now on to one of your favorites, Sweeney Todd!
Well I had no clue that this blog was ever posted, but whatever. Fiddler on the Roof was a great film, I enjoyed it very much. One of the themes that I found very prominent was the importance of family. The whole film centered around the events in Tevye's family. In the context of Alex's post, the tradition was both created and broken within family. Tevye's family spent their meals together and, originally, were to accept the matches made by the match maker and approved by their father. However, Tevye's daughters broke these traditions by marrying the men of their chosing. The tradition is part of a family, which, as Ryan said, they take with them. As the Jews are forced to leave their homes they take with them each other, those that matter most to them, and promise to keep in contact. Respect for one's elders is also a keep piece to family. The younger members of a family are expected to respect the older ones, to obey their commands, and to do as they are told. In a way, all the themes throughout the movie tie in with how incredibly important family is.
ReplyDeleteThe theme of family makes this film more than just a simple movie. Family will always be a part of life, no one can escape that. I thought that making family such an important element makes the film something that anyone can compare to at any point in life. I also felt the Tevye was very believable as a father figure, and, in way, reminded me of my own father, which also helped my understanding (except the dancing, my dad doesn't do that dance).
Sophie- I like how you mentioned the change. Change is such a big part of any walk of life, especially for out generation. Technology is advancing, lots of things are changing, and I like that you recognize that as a piece that makes this film so universal.
Alex- tradition is obvious, but it is so important!! It is at the heart of the film, right a long with family. What was their culture without the tradition? There would be no story without it. I like that you spoke of tradition, because that is not something to be overlooked simply because there is a song about it.