Bird (major spoilers)

I see no one has been on this board in a while, but I just finished the book and have nowhere else to talk about it, so I thought I'd give posting here a shot. First of all I really, really loved the book and I am excited though nervous that it's going to be made into a movie. Much of the charm of this book came from the actual act of reading it--the book within the book, the white space and separation of narrators, etc.--but we'll see what they come up with.

Anyway, I loved all the characters, especially Leo, but the one who left me with the most questions was Bird. I keep thinking about the concept of the lamed vovnik and the actions Bird takes throughout the novel. By the end, he has united Alma and Leo, leaving Leo with the glimpse of what he believes to be is an angel in his dying breath. Although this meeting probably means more for Leo than it does Alma, whose attempts to solve this bizarre mystery have been foiled by death again and again, it seems that it was the perfect culmination of the events of the novel and it definitely wouldn't have happened if it hadn't been for Bird.

Although it seems that, given strict interpretation of the lamed vovnik (which, for anyone who might not remember or not know, is a Jewish mystical concept that there are 36 righteous people on earth at any given time, whose role is to justify the continuation of humankind in God's eyes. These people are unknown, to each other and by some interpretations to themselves, but their primary purpose in life is to help others and lead righteous, worthy lives in the eyes of God.), Bird might not be one because he lacks humility, that is only one way of interpreting the concept for the lamed vovnik, and thus it is possible that humility and secretiveness are lost on Bird due to his age and his tragedy.

After all, Bird does bring about a peaceful, deserved end to Leo's life by uniting him with Alma, and although he does not understand the intricacies of what he has done because he mistakenly believes Leo to be her father, he has helped both tremendously without either knowing. Obviously, we're not really supposed to know whether Bird is a lamed vovnik or not because it would be impossible to prove and because it seems so improbable in reality. But I think it's definitely possible and interesting to think about.

Another option could be that Mr. Goldstein, the janitor from Hebrew school Bird befriends, could be the real lamed vovnik. He is obviously a highly spiritual man, and he helps Bird in different ways throughout the story--Bird says he buys the most lemonade of all his customers "because he is very thirsty," which enables Bird to save a significant amount of money in hopes of going to Israel. The next time Bird visits him after he planned to be in Israel, Mr. Goldstein is very upset and informs Bird that a true lamed vovnik would work in secret and be humble. But I wondered if he wasn't crying because he thought Bird really was a lamed vovnik, and was devastated to see him back in New York. Or because he was beginning to realize Bird's actions were the symptoms of someone crazy, not someone holy. But it is through Mr. Goldstein's advice that Bird learn some humility that Bird is able to set forth the events of the novel and finally bring Alma and Leo together. Does that make Mr. Goldstein the one who is highly spiritual, through whose actions good things occur? Who knows.

Wow this is long and I'm kinda rambling to no one at this point... It was a great book. I look forward to the movie and seeing if anyone else has thoughts on this...


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Let me stop you right there, and leave.