The Pawnbroker is a novel by Edward Lewis Wallant which tells the story of Sol Nazerman, a concentration camp survivor who suffers flashbacks of his past Nazi imprisonment as he tries to cope with his daily life operating a pawn shop in dangerous Harlem. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Edward Lewis Wallant (1926-1962 was an American writer During his life he published the novels The Human Season (1960 and The Pawnbroker See also List of Nazi-German concentration camps, Extermination camp Prior to and during World War II, Nazi Germany under Hitler maintained A flashback is a psychological Phenomenon in which an individual has a sudden usually vivid recollection of a past Experience. Nazism, which was a short name for National Socialism (Nationalsozialismus refers primarily to the Ideology and practices of the National Socialist German Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, long known as a major African American cultural and business center Sol has dealt with his trauma by deliberately shutting down his emotions, with the result that he sees everyone around him, especially the desperate people who come into his shop, as "scum," even as they leave their cares with him, as though he is their redeemer.

Having lost his wife, parents and children in the camps, Sol's only remaining family is his sister Bertha, who has married a mid-westerner and who prizes her American-looking daughter over her Jewish looking son. He is also taking care of his best friend's widow, Tessie, and her dying father, Mendel. Sol supports both families through the pawnshop, which is in reality a front for mafia money.

The novel deals not only with the after-effects of the camp experience, but also with making a parallel between the desperation of the residents of Harlem and that of the people in the camps. Alongside these issues is a critique of the major American religions, through the characters of Sol's Black-Latino assistant, Jesus Ortiz (Catholic) and the recently arrived social worker, Euro-American Marilyn Birchfield (presumably Protestant). Redemption is another theme, as the climax of the story occurs on the anniversary of Sol's family's death and forces him to confront his own emotions, including his guilt over having survived and his desire to die.

The novel was made into a 1965 film which stars Rod Steiger, Geraldine Fitzgerald, and Brock Peters. Year 1965 ( MCMLXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. Rod Steiger ( April 14, 1925 – July 9, 2002) was an American Academy Award -winning Actor known for his Geraldine Fitzgerald ( November 24, 1913 &ndash July 17, 2005) was an Academy Award -nominated Irish -American Brock Peters ( July 2, 1927 – August 23, 2005) was an American Actor, best known for the role in the 1962 film To Kill It was adapted by Morton S. Fine and David Friedkin, and directed by Sidney Lumet. Morton S Fine ( 24 December 1916 - 7 March 1991, Santa Monica California) was an American screenwriter whose credits include Sidney Lumet (born June 25 1924) is an Academy Award -receiving American Film director, with over 50 Films to his name ^[1]

Steiger was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS to recognize

See also

• List of Holocaust films

References and external links

• The Pawnbroker at the Internet Movie Database

This 1960s drama film-related article is a stub. The 1960s decade refers to the years from the beginning of 1960 to the end of 1969 Drama is the specific mode of Fiction represented in Performance. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.