Zlateh the Goat

Singer uses third-person narrative in “Zlateh the Goat,” telling the story through the lens of an assumptive-omniscient narrator. For example, the narrator knows the thoughts and the feelings of the characters but uses passive language: “At first Zlateh didn’t seem to mind the change in the weather [...] Her mild eyes seemed to ask [...]” (416). Singer chooses the word “seem” to describe Zlateh, placing the narrator outside the story, looking in. This passive language casts doubt on the narrator’s omniscience.

All of Singer’s works were originally written in his native tongue, Yiddish. Translations are rarely exact, so the word “seem” could have replaced a less passive one. Assuming that the narrator is trustworthy and that Zlateh does have innocent but complex emotions, one can assume that the narrator is in fact omniscient.

A foil is a character designed to contrast with another character. In “Zlateh the Goat,” Reuven is the foil to his son, Aaron. Both characters need a miracle. Reuven needs cold weather, but the blizzard that comes traps Aaron in a sea of white. Singer highlights that one man’s answered prayer is another man’s tribulation. Aaron too receives a miracle when he’s saved from the blizzard. However, the way these men receive their miracles in times of hardship is how Singer reveals that they’re foils to one another: Reuven decides to solve his own problems, while Aaron trusts God to solve his.

Aaron walks in faith, while Reuven walks in doubt. Aaron’s virtues are highlighted only through Reuven’s mistakes. For instance, Reuven, makes the terrible decision to sell an innocent animal so that he can afford Hanukkah provisions, while Aaron makes the wise decision to save the animal: “Aaron had decided in the haystack that he would never part with Zlateh” (420).

Singer uses Reuven and the consequences of his choices to highlight the blessings that come by walking in faith. Aaron trusted in God and saved Zlateh. Reuven trusted in himself but put his child in danger. Therefore, Reuven is a foil to Aaron.

The story imparts many lessons, but one moral stands out. Singer directly states the moral of this folktale through the mouth of a personified goat. Zlateh, after enduring the icy blizzard, speaks to Aaron one morning in the haystack:

[When] Aaron greeted her, she answered, ‘Maaaa.’ Yes, Zlateh’s language consisted of only one word, but it meant many things. Now she was saying, ‘We must accept all that God gives us—heat, cold, hunger, satisfaction, light, and darkness’ (419).

This list of antonyms reveals a wise God. For example, the blizzard that causes Zlateh to lose her faith is her saving grace. Each character experiences hardships and miracles. One character’s miracle ends up being another character’s struggle. Zlateh, who voices the moral, directly conveys the lesson to be learned, which is to be content and trust in God. One must accept the battles with the victories because both come from God. One must have faith, like Aaron. Through Zlateh, Singer shows that God loves all creatures and that God provides but sometimes that provision comes only through hardship. According to Singer, accepting the moment and walking in faith are the lessons to be gained.