Malamud’s The Assistant: Frank Alpine's Metamorphosis From Bad To Good

Part I of Essay
Are people born bad? If they are, can they gradually become good? These questions are often broached in Bernard Malamud’s novel, The Assistant. Malamud questions human nature and reveals that humans are capable of change if they only want it bad enough. In this novel, Fran ....

Part II of Essay
.... and have a revealing conversation. In this conversation, Frank discloses some personal information about his past. “I’ve had a rough life……I mean I’ve been trough a lot. I’ve been close to some wonderful things……but close is as far as I go….sooner or later everything I think is worth having gets away from me in some way or other.” (P39-40) Frank does not have any clear justification for his actions. However, his defense is that after such a rough childhood, what else can be expected of him, other than evil. Frank does not comprehend why he doe ....