Reflective Journal Of Henry David Thoreau's 'Asher Lev'

Reflective Journal #2 “Away from my world, alone in an apartment that offered me neither memories nor roots, I began to find old and distant memories of my own, long buried by pain and time and slowly brought to the surface now…. Now I would have to paint the street that could not be seen,” Asher Lev. So far away from his comforting world, Asher is forced to think beyond what his mind is upholding him to. Now that his childhood is only serving him as a memory, reality is kicking in and tearing his conscious apart. Dealing with the stress from his parents and especially his community, Asher starts to reflect to his past. Can art have limits? When I relate this question to Asher’s life, I automatically think no. Asher brought a huge dose of creativity to his own reflections. Every crucifixion that was created by Asher was all based off of his memory. An American poet by the name of Henry David Thoreau once said, “The world is but a canvas to the imagination.” Asher has found his canvas. His imagination is far beyond his surroundings. Even though the crucifixions are breaking away from his close community/family, Asher strides forward not turning back.
The nude pieces that were apart of his creations could not be accepted. The Jewish community left Asher abandoned and also left him with no hope and support. It seemed like there was no way to combining a “good Jew” and a “good artist.” During that time, there were two different views to the culture and the moralities that were brought along with it. Asher was left disowned. Having been in a community that could not accept his desire for art, Asher struggled with confusion. Looking through the confusion, Asher was left with a great deal of emotion to express through his art. Making his pieces so astounding and