Chapter 13 Summary and Analysis

Anatole's friend, Saul Silverman, was a great talker. There were a lot of great talkers in the Village, but Saul was one of the best. Anatole compared him to the Jewish boys with whom he went to school as a youngster. They were brooding and thoughtful and had an edge on everyone in intelligence and ability. In New York in the twenties, ethnic differences weren't ignored but were devoid of negativity. Anatole, who grew up Catholic, never felt he was anti-Semitic even though he noticed differences between him and his Jewish classmates. Saul was a romantic intellect—he didn't want to change people's politics, he wanted to change their sensibilities.

Although Saul was a good friend, there was a lot he didn't know about him. Saul was in the war but Anatole didn't know what he did. He had an...