My Name Is Asher Lev - Journal on Chapter 2
The way Asher’s parents behave towards him strongly impacts the way he behaves and his personality traits. The way they ignore him will change the way he develops as a person in the future. The fact that they ignore him so often just because of problems in Russia will probably affect the way he socially develops later on in life.
Another factor that could change the way Asher turns out is the way his father is often away from home. He greatly respects his father, but he repeatedly says that he wishes his father didn’t have to be away from home so often. His father’s traveling also affects Asher’s mother, who anxiously waits by the window for her husband to return when he has been traveling. He is not much of a father figure for Asher-when he is actually home, he doesn’t really interact with Asher, except to reprimand him for drawing or neglecting his schoolwork.
Asher realizes that he does not live up to his father’s standards, but Mrs. Rackover, the housekeeper, makes Asher feel very guilty. She constantly criticizes him, telling him how he is not as good a son as he should be. “You’re not the boy I thought you would be”. (70). Mrs. Rackover makes Asher feels very remorseful that he does not please his parents.
Asher’s mother is not a good parent, and she realizes it and is willing to admit it. “I’m sorry to be such a mother.” (65). She loses her temper quickly and gets frightened quickly. Because of these traits, she keeps Asher on a tight leash, not allowing him to leave the house much or to act like a normal boy. She behaves like this because of the way Asher’s father travels so often. When he comes home late, she gets very worried and upset because she is nervous that he will never come home. Aryeh’s traveling had a huge negative impact on the family as a whole.