| Tevye the Dairyman | |
|---|---|
 ' | |
|
Real Name |
Tevye |
|
First Appearance |
"Tevye Strikes It Rich" (1894) |
|
Created by |
Sholem Aleichem |
Origin[]
Tevye is a pious learned Jewish milkman living in the Russian Empire in the village of Boyberik, who enjoys quoting the Holy Books, and his seven troublesome daughters (Tzeitel, Chava, Hodel, Shprintze, Taybele, and Bielke), and tell of his business dealings; the romantic dealings and marriages of several of his daughters; and the expulsion of the Jews from their village by the Russian government.
In Tevye Strikes It Rich, Tevye overcomes his annoyance and helps two lost women in a forest, and, after being unexpectedly and handsomely rewarded for his selflessness, sets up his business as a dairyman. In Tevye blows a Small Fortune, Tevye decides to invest his new-found fortune in the stock market through a "distant relative," who assures him of the plan's infallibility, with unsurprising results.
Today’s Children is a story of the rich butcher Lazer-Wolf setting his eyes on Tevye's oldest daughter, Tzeitl, though while Tevye is ecstatic of his daughter marrying into wealth and saving the family from poverty, she and a poor tailor, Motel Kamzoil, have other plans for the future. Hodel is a story of Tevye's daughter who falls in love with a Revolutionary, and eventually has to follow him in exile.
Chavais the story of Tevye's daughter who falls in love with an Orthodox Christian Fyedka, and, aided by a local priest (whom Tevye cannot abide), is faced with a heart-wrenching choice. Schprintze is a tale of Tevye's daughter who falls in love with a rich but inconsistent and spoiled young man, but the man's family's objections to her significantly lower class leads to devastating results for Tevye and his family.
In Tevye Leaves for the Land of Israel, Tevye's youngest daughter, Beilke, marries the rich and very powerful but unpleasant Padhatzur who, concerned about his perceived social status, would like Tevye to give up his dairy business and move to Palestine. In the final story, Lekh-Lekho, Tevye is told that him and all the Jews are to leave the village in which their ancestors have resided for generations within three days, and Tevye has to decide whether to forgive and accept back into the fold one of his daughters.
Public Domain Literary Appearances[]
- Tevye the Dairyman (1894)
- Tevye Strikes It Rich
- Tevye blows a Small Fortune
- Today’s Children
- Hodl
- Chava
- Shprintze
- Tevye Leaves for the Land of Israel
- Lekh-Lekho
Public Domain Film Appearances[]
- Broken Barriers (1919 film)