Book Bento

The moment the people of Postville realize that the Hasidim are dishospitable to them, they desire control. They wish for the Hasidim to assimilate to a degree, become like them so they can get along. The ultimate way to do that is by annexing the slaughterhouse, as that gives them a degree of control over the Hasidim. This shows that a class in culture leads to a desire for assimilation from the more established side. The hat represents Postville, a town majorly of farmers.

Sonny Thomas was an independent worker hired by the Hasidim to paint the slaughterhouse as the previous owners left it a complete wreck. He does this, and immediately afterwards, he is made an outcast by the community. He is called a jew-lover, almost reminiscent of the racist south insulting people for being friends with black people. This shows that helping members of the other culture leads to you becoming an outcast. The paint represents him and the work he did.

One of the townspeople who interacts heavily with the Hasidim is Glenda, owner of the local shoe store. She sells shoes to the Hasidim, as well as custom made knife sheaths for them to use at the slaughterhouse. This leads her and her kids to become good friends with some of them, allowing her to experience the anti-semitism of some of the townspeople up close. However, she has a negative experience with one of the Hasidim, as in their culture she is worthless, so they steal a sheath from her. This leads to her losing all faith in the Hasidim, and ruins her relations with them. The sheath represents the moment she lost all faith in the Hasidim.

Cliff and Ida Mae serve as the Hasidim’s personal chauffeurs ever since they first gave them a ride from the airport. This gives them a very close relationship with the Hasidim and allows them to learn a variety of things. The townspeople as a whole, however, scorn the Maes, believing that they are Jew lovers and traitors. This shows that a clash in culture leads to ostracization of those who don’t fit in. The car represents them and the work they did.

Doc Wolf is a jewish doctor in the nearby town of Elgin who treated almost everyone in Postville at one point or another. However, on his deathbed he requests a visit from Hasidic rabbi, as well as some matzo ball soup. This quickly turns into a never ending stream of Hasidim and food, which he never expected. The moment the people learn this, they are disgusted that they were treated by a jew. This shows that a clash in culture leads to respected figures' reputations being tarnished. The pills represent him and his work as a doctor.

My guiding question was “how does a culture clash affect those involved with it” and my general topic was culture clash. Postville is a book about a clash in culture between a rural Iowan town and the Hasidic jews operating a kosher slaughterhouse just outside of the town boundaries. The story is from the perspective of a jewish reporter, Stephen, and his interactions with the townspeople and slaughterhouse workers. The culture between the Hasidic and the Iowans is so radically different that they are completely unable to get along. This comes to a head when the townspeople decide to vote to annex the slaughterhouse so that they can have more control over it. In the end, the vote passes and the slaughterhouse is annexed, although the Hasidim continue to fight the decision.