Asher feels like he has disappointed everyone, and he basically has. Now that he is an artist, he is greatly looked down upon among the Ladover. “Somewhere in those bundles, there were prayers for my mother and father and for Jacob Kahn. I hoped the Ribbono Shel Olom would listen more seriously to my prayers for my parents and Jacob Kahn than He had to my father’s prayers for me.” (225). Asher feels guilty because of the fact that the way his life turned out was a major let down to his parents.
Asher lives with his uncle in the summer while his parents are in Vienna. His room there is too small for all his paintings, so his uncle remodels the attic into a new room for him. “It will take you five years to fill up this studio”. (258). Asher seems a bit conceited about his gift. He knows that he is talented, and it has gotten to his head. “I did not think it would take me five years to fill it.” (258). “The next night, I painted my first oil on canvas, a picture of my mother looking out the window of our living room. It was as if I had been painting in oils all my life.” (155). Maybe Asher is so arrogant because his gift attracts so much attention. No one has ever paid much attention to him, and now that they are, he is definitely enjoying it. “The room began to look cluttered with drawings and canvases. No, I would not need five years to fill this room.” (261).
Asher’s parents, especially his mother, miss him when the family is separated. She tries to convince Asher to come to Vienna with them, and he would be able to study art at the famous art schools in Vienna. Asher is very reluctant to do this because he thinks that his father will try to stop him from becoming an artist. “He’ll try to take it away from me. NoÖI’m worse than an animal.” (263). Asher’s father previously said that only an animal cannot control his actions. But it is true, Asher is worse than an animal because he cannot stop drawing, and he doesn’t really want to stop.