Zlateh the Goat

Zlateh the Goat Summary | Plot Summary

The book contains seven short stories intended for children though the strong writing and humorous narratives are enjoyable for readers of all ages. The stories are generally about Jewish adults and children living in small, rural areas. Three of the stories are about inhabitants of Chelm and East Chelm. All of the people who live in Chelm are very foolish. The remaining stories are about people who, to one degree or another, wise or even heroic. Most of the stories feature a plot development that is concise and easily followed.

In "Fool 's Paradise," a young man learns the value of hard work and the joys of being anxiously engaged with life. "Grandmother's Tale" is a story told by a grandmother to her grandchildren to educate the about the necessity of behaving appropriately. "The Snow in Chelm" is a humorous story about foolish perceptions and ideas. "The Mixed-Up Feet and the Silly Bridegroom" is a humorous story about a series of ridiculous but funny events and their resolution. "The First Shlemiel" is a story about a man who is incredibly bumbling, and how his life is spared by a fortunate event. "The Devil's Trick" is a story about the heroism of a young boy, who saves his entire family from the devil. Finally, "Zlateh the Goat" is a story about a young boy and a goat caught in a particularly harsh winter snowstorm.

Although many of the characters are portrayed as fools, they are not portrayed in a negative light. In fact, the tender and articulate presentation of the misguided wisdom of the Elders of Chelm, truly great imbeciles, is one of the most enjoyable aspects of the collection. In addition, many of the stories contain moral values and allegory, which are suitable for all readers. Although many of the stories happen during Hanukkah and lightly involve Jewish traditions, no special knowledge is needed for understanding of the narratives. Indeed, the book could serve well as a brief and easy introduction into Jewish culture and tradition for non-Jewish readers.

Fool's Paradise Summary

A man named Kadish has a son named Atzel. A distant relative of Atzel's, an orphaned girl named Aksah, who was the same age at Atzel, also lives with Kadish. When they were children, Atzel and Aksah played together and pretended to be husband and wife. Everyone thought that when Atzel and Aksah grew up, they would become husband and wife. Atzel grew up into a tall young man with black hair and black eyes. Aksah grew up into a tall young woman with blue eyes and golden hair.

When Atzel grows up, however, he proves to be a very lazy young man. He doesn't want to study or work, and he doesn't want to take over his father's business. Atzel remembers the stories his old nurse had told him about paradise. Atzel believes that in paradise, one never works and always feasts on rich foods. Atzel wants to go to paradise, but he knows that before he can get to paradise he has to die. So, Atzel comes to wish he was dead, and then he comes to believe he is dead. Kadish brings many doctors to see Atzel, and all of the doctors pronounce him to be alive. Atzel eats very little and rarely speaks and his family becomes concerned that he will soon die. Kadish then visits a doctor named Yoetz. Dr. Yoetz tells Kadish he will cure Atzel within eight days and tells Kadish and his family to do exactly as he instructs.

Dr. Yoetz visits Kadish's house to check on Atzel. When Dr. Yoetz sees Atzel in bed, he asks why Kadish is keeping a dead body in his house. Dr. Yoetz tells Kadish to have a funeral and bury Atzel. Atzel is very happy and asks for some food to celebrate, but Dr. Yoetz tells Atzel to wait, because he will eat in paradise. Dr. Yoetz then has Kadish prepare a room in the house to appear like paradise. White silk sheets are hung on the walls and all the windows are closed and covered. Candles are kept burning night and day. The room is very comfortable, but there is nothing to do inside the room. Then Kadish holds a funeral and Atzel is so content to be dead that he sleeps through the entire funeral and awakens inside of the room that has been disguised as a paradise.

Atzel is happy to be in paradise. He calls for food, and servants bring his a feast, which he eats. Then, he sleeps and awakens, and the servants bring him the same kind of food again. All of Atzel's experiences are arranged according to the advice of Dr. Yoetz. Over the next few days, Atzel learns that, in paradise, one always eats the same food, there is no day or night or time. There's also nothing to do, paradise will last forever, and there are no visitors. Atzel asks what will happen to Aksah and is told that she will mourn him for a little while, and then she will marry someone else. Atzel spends eight miserable days in paradise, eating the same food and doing nothing. Atzel becomes bored and depressed and wishes he were not dead. On the eighth day, however, a servant tells Atzel that a mistake has been made and that Atzel is not dead and will have to return to earth. Atzel is happy to be leaving paradise and, once he is returned to earth, he exults in the beauty of the world. He quickly proposes to Aksah, and they are quickly wed. Dr. Yoetz is a guest of honor at their marriage. During the rest of his life, Atzel remembers living in his fool's paradise. Atzel becomes a very industrious and hard-working man, and his merchant business is one of the most prosperous in the land.

Fool's Paradise Analysis

The story is a cautionary tale regarding getting what one wishes for. Atzel wishes to live in paradise, but when he actually arrives at his imagined paradise he quickly becomes bored and depressed. Fortunately for Atzel, he is not really in paradise but is simply being tricked by the canny Dr. Yoetz. After eight days in paradise, Atzel is told he is there by mistake and is led back to earth. Having seen that his paradise is not as desirable as he once thought, Atzel returns to real life with gusto and becomes a successful merchant and a husband to Aksah.

Aside from the young Atzel, the characters in the story are not foolish, as are so many other characters in the collection of short stories. Dr. Yoetz, in particular, is very wise and quickly develops a treatment plan that leaves Atzel wishing for a normal life of work and marriage. Kadish is also not foolish. Instead of consulting with others of no experience, he consults with doctors who prove capable. Aksah, perhaps, is a bit foolish for desiring to be married to Atzel but, in the end, Atzel's successful career proves her to have a certain amount of foresight.

Grandmother's Tale Summary

Grandmother Leah's grandchildren are playing dreidel on the third night of Hanukkah, when she tells them to go to bed for the evening. The children request a bedtime story and Grandmother Leah tells them a brief story. One Hanukkah, a father's four sons and four daughters were playing dreidel, when a knock was heard. They opened the door to find a young man with sideburns and a moustache. He wore a fox-fur-lined coat, a feathered hat, and high boots with spurs. The man said he had become lost in the snowstorm and asked if he could remain until morning.

The young man ate heartily, smoked, and then joined in the game of dreidel. He repetitively lost silver and gold coins but remained good-natured and began to drink. The children noticed the barn animals were growing agitated, but they kept playing dreidel, because they enjoyed winning the strange young man's money. Then the oldest boy happened to look at the shadows on the wall and realized the stranger was not casting a shadow. Soon after the clock struck 13 o'clock, and the children realized the stranger was, in fact, the devil.

Once the children realized who he was, the stranger cast off the image of a young man and became devilish in appearance. The devil began to spin like a dreidel, and the whole house began to spin around with the devil. As the devil called out, many mice and goblins appeared, and everything spun around and around, and then the entire company of the devil, mice, goblins, and the children vanished. Grandmother Leah's story concludes with a rhyme and she sends the children off to bed, promising them another story the next evening.

Grandmother's Tale Analysis

Grandmother Leah's family probably does not live in Chelm, the setting for most of the other stories in the collection. Chelm is a place of great fools and Grandmother Leah is not foolish. When Grandmother Leah tries to send the children off to bed, they instead want to continue playing dreidel. Instead, she tells them a cautionary tale of children who are so greedy that they stay up late into the night playing dreidel with the devil. The children in Grandmother Leah's story are, perhaps, from Chelm.

The traditional Hanukkah game of dreidel is played by individuals putting money into a common bank and then taking turns spinning the dreidel, which is a four-sided top. If the top stops on the side with Nun, as it did for the devil in Grandmother Leah's story, the next player spins. If the top stops on the side with Gimel, as it did frequently did for the children in Grandmother Leah's story, the player wins the entire common bank, and the players again ante into the bank. Thus, the children were excited to keep playing as they continued to win silver and gold coins from the devil. In other words, they became overly greedy or, as Grandmother Leah said in her rhyme "Such a pity, such a shame, / Hanukkah night and a devil's game" (p. 23).

The result of the children's greed was the devil's ability to whisk them all away once his disguise had been penetrated, presumably a little over an hour after midnight. Grandmother Leah's story is therefore a context-appropriate cautionary tale, which instructs the children, as it entertains them. The narrative structure is also interesting in that Grandmother Leah is not the narrator but assumes the narrative function for nearly the entire story.

The Snow in Chelm Summary

The town of Chelm is a town of fools, and everyone who lives in Chelm is a fool. One night in Chelm, a person saw the reflection of the moon in a barrel of water. The town Elders decided the moon must have fallen into the water, so they had the barrel nailed shut so the moon could not escape. In the morning, when they opened the barrel, the moon was gone. The Elders called the police and reported the crime, but the moon was never found.

The Seven Elders of Chelm are the greatest fools in the town, and in a town of fools, the greatest fools are the rulers. Chelm is in need of money to pay her debts. On one Hanukkah evening, the snow falls and covers the ground of Chelm. Gronam the Great Fool notices that the beautiful snow shines in the starlight and concludes that the snow is in fact silver. Gronam the Great Fool and the other Elders are happy that the silver will pay the debts of Chelm. However, they remember that the people of Chelm like to take walks, and they are afraid that in their walking the people of Chelm would trample the silver snow and ruin it. Silly Tudras decides that the elders must send a messenger to all the houses in Chelm to tell the people not to walk on the silver. Dopey Lekisch realizes that the messenger would trample the silver while delivering the message. Shmerel the Ox determines that the messenger must therefore be carried about.

Gimpel the Errand Boy is summoned and placed upon a table. Four strong working men, Treitle the cook, Berel the potato peeler, Yukel the salad mixer, and Yontel the goatherd, then lift the table and the boy and carry him about. They carry Gimpel the Errand Boy to every house in Chelm where he knocks on the window and tells the inhabitants to stay inside to avoid trampling the silver snow. Meanwhile the Chelm Elders discuss how they will spend their fortunate bounty. Silly Tudras feels the town should buy a goose, which lays golden eggs. Dopey Lekisch feels the town should buy many magnifying glasses, so the town would look, and therefore be, larger. The Elders discuss their fortune.

In the morning, the sunrise allows the Elders to see that the strong men who carried Gimpel the Errand Boy have trampled the silver snow. The Elders realize they have made a terrible mistake and determine that upon the next snowfall, Gimpel the Errand Boy shall be carried about by four other, more careful, strong men. The town of Chelm remains confident in their Elders' ability to collect the silver treasure in the next year.

The Snow in Chelm Analysis

This story begins a series of three stories about the people in and around the town of Chelm. The story relates two incidents in the history of Chelm to illustrate how foolish the inhabitants can be, particularly the venerated town Elders. The first brief story about the moon establishes that the people have absolutely no sense whatsoever. Instead of realizing the moon's appearance in the water barrel was simply a reflection, the Elders believe that the moon has fallen into the barrel. The police of Chelm are apparently as foolish as everyone else, because they actually search for the missing moon the next day, obviously without success.

The next incident involves a Hanukkah snowfall. The town of Chelm apparently needs money, though the exact needs are not specified. The Elders mistakenly believe the snow to be silver and gems and believe they will be able to collect the snow and pay their debts. Rather than simply attempting to gather the snow, they envision a somewhat complicated plan, which involves sending a boy around to notify the townspeople that they should not trample the snow. Realizing that the boy himself would trample the snow, the foolish elders cause four large men to carry the boy about. Needless to say, the four large men trample the snow even though the boy does not. Of course, the trampling of the snow is insignificant as it is not actually of worth, but the Elders do not understand this. Instead they conclude they have made a mistake and determine to rectify their mistake upon the next snowfall by sending out the same messenger in the same manner. However, he will be carried by four other men, and presumably the four other men will somehow be more careful to walk without trampling the snow. The story concludes by noting that the people of Chelm, though disappointed in their economic misfortune, retain high confidence in the Elders and their ability to lead the town to success.

The Mixed-Up Feet and the Silly Bridegroom Summary

East Chelm is a small village near Chelm proper. Like Chelm, East Chelm is inhabited by fools. In East Chelm, Shmelka and Shmelkicha live in a small house with their four daughters, Yenta, Pesha, Trina and Yachna. The four girls share a single bed, and wake up one morning to discover all their eight feet are mixed up in the bottom of the bed. Afraid of getting out of bed with the wrong feet, the girls remain in bed, until their mother tries to rouse them.

Once appraised of her daughters' conundrum Shmelkicha becomes alarmed. Shmelkicha, from Chelm proper, realizes she needs the counsel of the Elder of Chelm. She arranges to have some neighbors complete the morning chores and travels to Chelm where she consults with the Elder. After a prolonged session of pondering, the Elder suggests that Shmelkicha take a stick and, without announcing her intentions, quickly strike the girls' feet with the stick. The Elder reasons that, in their pain, the girls will instinctively grab their own feet and leap from the bed. The Elder then suggests that in order to avoid a similar problem from recurring the daughters should be married off as quickly as practicable. Shmelkicha returns home and does as the Elder advised. Of course, the Elder's stratagem is successful. When struck, the girls leap from the bed with their own feet attached, reaffirming the wisdom of the Elder of Chelm. Shmelka and Shmelkicha then set about marrying off their daughters.

Rather quickly, they locate Lemel, a coachman from Chelm, and contract with his father to wed Yenta to Lemel. Yenta, however, does not want to sign the marriage contract, because she does not want to marry a stranger. Once again, Shmelkicha consults with the Elder of Chelm. The Elder suggests that Yenta sign the marriage contract, because once she has signed, Lemel will be her betrothed, and not a stranger. Thereafter, Yenta will marry her betrothed instead of a stranger. Yenta is mollified by the incredible wisdom of the Elder and decides to sign the marriage contract.

A new problem arises, when it is discovered that neither Lemel nor Yenta can write, and thus neither can sign their name to the marriage contract. Once again, the Elder is consulted. He suggests that Yenta make three small circles and Lemel make three small dashes, and these symbols can represent their signatures. Lemel and Yenta follow this advice, and once again, the Elder's incredible wisdom has saved the day.

Shmelka desires to give a gift to his soon-to-be son-in-law, and gives him a pearl-handled penknife. Lemel then travels back to Chelm and returns a few days later and announces he has lost the penknife, because he put it in the hay of his wagon and later could not find it. Shmelka tells him a penknife should be put in the pocket. Shmelka then replaces the lost gift with a new gift of a jar of newly cooked chicken fat. Lemel then travels back to Chelm and returns a few days later with his coat pocket ripped and stained with grease. He tells Shmelka that the jar of fat broke in his pocket and cut and stained his coat. Shmelka tells him a jar of fat should be wrapped in paper and placed in the hay. Shmelka then replaces the lost gift with a new gift of a silver Gulden. Lemel then travels back to Chelm and returns a few days later and announces he has lost the silver Gulden, because he wrapped it in paper and placed it in the hay. Shmelka tells him a silver Gulden should be put in a purse. Shmelka, fed up with Lemel's foolishness, does not replace the lost gift.

Yenta feels that her betrothed should have a gift, though, and she gives him some newly laid eggs. Lemel then travels back to Chelm and returns a few days later and announces the eggs were broken, when he placed them in his purse. Yenta suggests that eggs should be placed in a basket and covered with a cloth. Yenta then replaces the broken gift with a new gift of a live duck. Lemel then travels back to Chelm and returns a few days later and announces the duck died under the cloth. Yenta suggests that a duck should be placed in a cage and fed corn. Yenta then replaces the dead gift with her prized goldfish. Lemel then travels back to Chelm and returns a few days later and announces the goldfish has died in the cage. Yenta, exasperated with Lemel's foolishness, turns to her wise mother for assistance.

Shmelkicha, as expected, consults with the Elder of Chelm. After a prolonged amount of pondering, the Elder announces that the road between Chelm and East Chelm is fraught with peril, and has caused Lemel's misfortunes. He suggests that Yenta and Lemel marry quickly, so that Lemel will not have to make the arduous and dangerous journey to visit his betrothed. Shmelkicha agrees with the Elder's profound wisdom and Yenta and Lemel are quickly married thus bringing Lemel's misfortunes to an end.

Within a year, Yenta delivers a healthy baby. Lemel visits the Elder to announce the baby's arrival. The Elder asks if the baby was a boy, and Lemel says the baby was not a boy. The Elder then asks if the baby was a girl and Lemel is speechless at the Elder's ability to discern the sex of the newborn child.

The Mixed-Up Feet and the Silly Bridegroom Analysis

The narrative consists, essentially, of a series of humorous and ridiculous problems, which are solved by the application of the wisdom obtained by consulting the Elder of Chelm. The central characters are Yenta and Lemel, a couple who is betrothed and wed in the narrative. Of the two, Yenta appears to have the most sense. Yet, it must be remembered that at one point she believed her feet were mixed up with those of her sisters. In the final analysis, she agrees to marry Lemel. Thus, she is not entirely free of the foolishness, which pervades Chelm and East Chelm.

Once Yenta and Lemel are betrothed, Lemel starts a disastrous series of visits to Yenta's home. Lemel, a coachman, travels the road between Chelm and East Chelm and causes several humorous but unfortunate incidents. Over the course of six visits, he loses a pearl-handled penknife and a silver Gulden, breaks a jar of chicken fat and several freshly laid eggs, and manages to kill a duck and a goldfish. After three visits, Shmelka appears to arrive at the conclusion that Lemel's foolishness knows no bounds and quits giving gifts. Yenta then takes up the task of ensuring Lemel is gifted on his visits, but even the long-suffering Yenta becomes fed up with Lemel's inexhaustible supply of foolishness. It is interesting to note that, despite an accumulation of good advice from Shmelka and Yenta, Lemel proceeds from merely losing items to breaking items to actually killing items.

Of course both Shmelka and Yenta, had they been intelligent, would have instructed Lemel in the correct manner of care for the current item they gave him rather than instructing him in the correct manner of care for the item he has already lost, broken, or killed. The Elder of Chelm accidentally suggests the proper solution, which is a quick marriage. The solution works not, because the road between Chelm and East Chelm is perilous, but because it obviates the need to entrust any task, however trivial, to the foolish Lemel. The narrative is humorous and enjoyable and depicts the incredible foolishness of all of the people in and around Chelm.

The First Shlemiel Summary

Shlemiel lives with his wife and baby near Chelm. Shlemiel is habitually unable to provide for his small family. Therefore, Mrs. Shlemiel sells vegetables in the market to try and make ends meet. Mrs. Shlemiel has made a pot of sweet jam for Hanukkah. Knowing that Shlemiel is lazy and has a sweet tooth, Mrs. Shlemiel worries that he will eat the entire pot of jam, while she is out of the house. She decides to tell Shlemiel a lie. Before leaving for the market, she tells Shlemiel he must do three things. First, he must take care of the baby; second, he must not let the rooster get out of the house; third, she tells him that the pot of jam, high on the shelf, is a pot of poison that he must not eat.

After Mrs. Shlemiel leaves for market, Shlemiel sleeps and dreams that he is fabulously rich. He dreams he becomes a king and eats rich food. He dreams that he and his wife are eating a huge pancake spread with sweet jam and that, as they finish the pancake, their lips meet at the middle. While Shlemiel sleeps, the baby and the rooster also sleep.

The rooster awakens first and crows a very loud cock-a-doodle-do. Shlemiel is startled out of his pleasant dream and mistakes the cock's crowing for a bell that is rung in Chelm, when an emergency situation has arisen. He jumps to his feet and rushes confusedly to the window, which he opens to see if, perhaps, a fire has started somewhere. The rooster quickly flies out of the window and runs away. Shlemiel then tries to comfort the startled baby but accidentally rolls the baby onto the floor, and the baby bumps his head and gets a lump. Shlemiel comforts the child by singing him back to sleep.

Shlemiel then considers his situation and begins to dread his wife's return. He knows she will scold him vociferously and he is afraid of her temper and begins to regret his pitiable situation. Shlemiel thinks he would rather be dead than listen to his wife's scolding. Remembering the pot of supposed poison, Shlemiel determines to kill himself by eating poison. He retrieves the pot of jam, which he believes to be poison, and begins to eat it. Shlemiel is pleasantly surprised that the supposed poison is sweet and delightful, and so he eats the entire pot. He then becomes thirsty but is too lazy to go to the well for water. Instead, he searches the house and discovers an expensive bottle of apple cider that Mrs. Shlemiel has set aside for Hanukkah. Shlemiel thinks that he might as well enjoy the cider, since he will be dead before Mrs. Shlemiel returns, and dead men do not hear their wife's scolding. He drinks the entire bottle. Then Shlemiel lies down to die and falls asleep. He again dreams he is a rich and wise king, and he dreams that his wife honors him.

Shlemiel then wakes up to discover his wife is very angry and loudly scolding him. He wonders how he can hear her, because he believes he must surely be dead. Perhaps, he reasons, he is not quite dead. Therefore, Shlemiel explains his situation and actions to his angry wife, and concludes by telling her that he has eaten the pot of poison and will shortly die. Mrs. Shlemiel bursts into tears and tells her husband that the pot was really full of jam, not poison. Shlemiel, realizing he will continue to live, is very grateful and also begins to cry with joy.

When the neighbors in Chelm hear about Shlemiel's plight, they rally around Mrs. Shlemiel and bring her a gift of jam and cider. Later the rooster returns, and Shlemiel and Mrs. Shlemiel have an enjoyable Hanukkah with their baby boy. The Elders of Chelm ponder the situation at great length and finally determine that wives should not tell lies to their husbands, even if their husbands are lazy schlemiels.

The First Shlemiel Analysis

The story tells of the supposed first Shlemiel who, apparently, was so foolish as to give his name as the very definition of a foolish dolt, or schlemiel. The story's humorous depiction of Shlemiel as utterly incompetent is ended by the foolish Elders of Chelm essentially blaming Mrs. Shlemiel for all of Shlemiel's bumbling. Of course, Mrs. Shlemiel had no alternative course of action, because if she had told Shlemiel the pot was jam and asked him to refrain from eating it she would have been ignored anyway.

The story, however, has a happy ending, as the townspeople from Chelm rally around the hapless Shlemiel and supply his family with all of the necessities for a successful Hanukkah. It's a rare but happy case of a foolish person having his cake and eating it too. The jam and cider are replaced, the rooster returns, and the baby's head will heal. Meanwhile Shlemiel enjoys a day of slumber and dreams with a belly full of jam and cider, the noisy rooster out of the house, and the baby sleeping peacefully. The story concludes the stories of the fools living in Chelm. The remaining stories take on a more serious tone. The story also contains some of the most charming elements of the entire collection; Shlemiel's singing is particularly enjoyable.

The Devil's Trick Summary

A fierce snowstorm has been raging for three days, and the devil and his wife are roaming the countryside. Three days ago, David's father had left for the village to gather supplies. When he did not return, David's mother went looking for him. David's mother has not returned and tonight is the first night of Hanukkah. David decides he must go in search of his parents, so he puts his infant sibling to sleep wrapped in warm blankets, lights the first Hanukkah candle, and goes out into the blizzard.

The storm intensifies and David quickly becomes disoriented and then completely lost. He realizes his parents must have also become lost in the fierce weather. David is unable to see the sky or any landmarks and fears he will perish, when he sees the single Hanukkah candle flame in the distance. David runs toward the candle and quickly finds his house, but he is pursued by the devil and the devil's witch wife. David runs into the cabin and slams the door behind him, keeping the devil and his wife out, but trapping the devil's tail in the door.

The devil tells David to free his tail, but David says unless the devil will return David's parents, David will cut the devil's tail off. The devil sends his wife to fetch David's parents, who have been imprisoned not far distant. The devil's witch wife soon returns with David's parents, who rush into the cabin. David takes the Hanukkah candle and uses it to single the devil's tail then he opens the door and releases the devil's tail. The devil and his wife flee into the snowstorm.

The Devil's Trick Analysis

This brief but interesting story relates an encounter between the heroic protagonist David and the devil and his witch wife. David's father and mother have become lost in a snowstorm, led away and then imprisoned by the crafty devil, who roams the land in the blizzard. The description of the devil and his company, though brief, is notably interesting and with the accompanying illustration by Maurice Sendak is frightful and chilling.

David's faithful observance of Hanukkah ritual allows him to escape the snowstorm and the clutches of the devil by returning home along a path lit by the Hanukkah candle's light. Once home, David catches the devil's tail between the door and the frame and threatens to cut off the tail unless the devil returns David's parents. The devil's wife fetches David's parents and returns them little worse for wear. David then frees the devil but singes his tail with the Hanukkah candle. The devil and his wife, true to their evil nature, then flee into the darkness before the superior moral strength of David.

The story is a delightful tale of Hanukkah and is an allegory of the special protection from evil enjoyed by the faithful. David not only saves himself by his religious diligence, but also saves his infant brother and his parents. Thus, the entire family benefits from the diligence of the eldest child. David's observance of Hanukkah is also allegorical of the special time of year, and the increased spirituality often felt by the devout during the commemorative ritual.

Zlateh the Goat Summary

It is almost Hanukkah, and the winter has been a very dry season. The village farmers realize that the dry winter will lead to poor harvests and difficult financial times. Reuven the furrier has also had a bad season, and he reluctantly decides to sell Zlateh, the family goat, to Feyval, the town butcher, for eight gulden. Reuven plans to use the money to purchase Hanukkah supplies and treats for his family.

When Reuven tells his twelve-year-old son, Aaron, to take Zlateh to the butcher, Aaron's mother, Leah, and his sisters, Anna and Miriam, cry. Aaron takes a small amount of food and puts a rope around Zlateh's neck to lead the goat to the butcher. Aaron will spend the night at the butcher's house in town and then return with the money the following day. When Aaron reaches the road, Zlateh acts confused, as she has never been led this way before.

Although the sun is shining, when Aaron leaves the village the weather takes an unexpected turn for the worse and a vast cold wind blows in, bringing heavy hail with it. Soon, the hail turned to thick snow. Aaron has never seen such a storm and he becomes lost. He soon realizes he is no longer even on the road and fears that he and Zlateh will perish in the freezing snow. Aaron prays to God for deliverance. Suddenly, he makes out a shape, which he recognizes as a haystack. He runs to the snow-covered haystack and quickly scoops out armfuls of hay to make a large hollow cave. Aaron and Zlateh enter the hay cave where they quickly become warm and Zlateh begins to eat the hay.

For three days and nights, Aaron and Zlateh remain in the hay cave while the snowstorm rages. Aaron is careful to keep the snow cleared from the mouth of the cave, so the air can circulate. Zlateh eats the hay and is quite content. Aaron first eats the food he brought and then subsists by drinking milk from Zlateh. During the three days of storm, Aaron is comforted by Zlateh's presence and imagines that the goat's simple and repetitive bleats are answers to his questions. Aaron also realizes that one must be thankful for the things that God sends, regardless of the nature of the gifts. Aaron begins to feel that he has no father, no mother, and no family, and that he is a child of the snow. When he sleeps, he dreams of summer and green hills.

On the fourth day, the storm abates and Aaron hears the distant ringing of sleigh bells. He leaves the haystack and makes his way to the road where a passing sleigh directs him homeward. Instead of continuing on to the butcher's shop, Aaron takes Zlateh and returns home. When Aaron returns home, he is greeted by his ecstatic family, who believed he had perished in the storm. They feed Aaron and Zlateh a special supper while Aaron relates the story of his survival. No one in the family again thought of selling Zlateh to the butcher.

As winter cold sets in, the townspeople need the services of Reuven the furrier, and the family's economic situation quickly improves. Hanukkah arrives and is a joyous and prosperous occasion, and the children play dreidel, while Zlateh the goat watches.

Zlateh the Goat Analysis

The tone of the final story in the collection is markedly different from the other stories. The last story has a very serious tone and a gritty texture, which sets the tale apart; this is not a fairy tale of heroic defiance of the devil or a humorous folk tale about fools, but a realistic story of survival and friendship. The attention to detail and the descriptive narrative, particularly the details presented about the snowstorm and its immediate physical consequences, allow a definitive connection to be made with the protagonists - a twelve-year-old boy and a goat.

The narrative structure of this story also varies somewhat from the other stories. The self-effacing narrator remains reliable, articulate, and authoritative, but moves away somewhat from the strict third-person limited point of view employed elsewhere in the text toward an omniscient point of view. For example, the goat frequently bleats, and the bleats are interpreted within the narrative as having greater meaning than a simple animal sound. Sometimes, the protagonist interprets the bleats, but other times the narrator implies the goat's meaning or describes the goat's thoughts. For example, consider the narrative statement, "[The goat] looked back at him questioningly, as if to say 'Where are you taking me?' But after a while she seemed to come to the conclusion that a goat shouldn't ask questions" (p. 80). Whereas the narrative attribution is not absolute - it is qualified with "she seemed to" - the statement is still attributed to the narrator. This interesting approach to an omniscient point of view gives the narrative an intimate tone. The narrator's interpretation does not extend beyond the goat, which makes the simple goat an anthropomorphized character capable of meaningful thought and speech within the confines of the narrative events.

The physical peril described in the story is very real and significant. In many of the other stories in the collection, the physical danger is somewhat symbolic. For example, David is menaced by a cobweb-faced devil and his hoop-riding witch wife. However, for Aaron, the danger of death by exposure is not symbolic and is a very understandable threat. Likewise, Aaron's survival and return to his home is a joyful if not triumphant experience, whereas the resolution to Shlemiel's problems is fanciful and funny. Thus, the final story in the collection is more mature and in many ways more meaningful than the other stories presented, a fact surely responsible for the story giving its name to the entire collection.

In short, the simple story of a boy and a goat caught in a freak snowstorm becomes a metaphor for surviving by intelligent choices, by avoiding danger and seeking what comforts are available, and of survival through cooperation. The goat would surely have perished without the boy; the boy would not have survived without the goat - together, however, they survived a dangerous situation somewhat comfortably and in the process became good friends.