Zlateh the Goat

The story’s protagonist, Aaron, is the eldest son of Leah and Reuven and the brother of Anna and Miriam. He represents the “common man” but, as a foil to his father, highlights faith rather than doubt. As the eldest, he’s obligated to take Zlateh the goat to the butcher so that the family can afford Hanukkah provisions. Although he doesn’t want to, he obeys, like a good son should. His obedience reveals him as a young man of integrity.

Unlike his father, Reuven, in the middle of his hardship (the sudden blizzard), Aaron asks for help from God. His prayers are immediately answered through the miracle of the haystack, saving him and Zlateh. Through Aaron, Singer highlights the virtue of faith, revealing a God that hears the cries of his people: “Zlateh’s bleating began to sound like crying” (416). Aaron, as her shepherd, hears the innocent cries of Zlateh, and just as she cries out to him, he cries out to God, praying for their salvation. Just as Aaron answers Zlateh, God answers Aaron.

The storm and hardships transform Aaron from an obedient boy into a dynamic character. He no longer unquestioningly follows his father’s wishes but decides to save Zlateh. The blizzard blocks Aaron’s vision physically but improves his vision spiritually. He no longer simply sees Zlateh as a goat but as his kin: “Aaron had always loved Zlateh, but in these three days he loved her more and more” (419). Amid the tribulation, Zlateh is Aaron’s sustenance and salvation. When the storm has passed, Aaron becomes Zlateh’s salvation, her miracle. Just as the Aaron of the Torah was the mouthpiece for Moses, Singer’s Aaron is the mouthpiece for Zlateh and the voices of other “innocent” animals.

Zlateh is the deuteragonist of the story. Her name means good-natured or good friend—a fitting title for a kind and friendly goat. Zlateh is a great friend to Aaron: “[S]he always cocked her ears and listened. When he patted her, she licked his hand and his face. Then she said, ‘Maaaa,’ and he knew it meant, I love you too” (419). She’s a well-developed, round character.

When all goes well, she trusts her humans: “She knew they always fed her and never did her any harm” (415). However, when the storm hits, she begins to question her shepherd: “But when her legs sank deeper and deeper into the snow, she began to turn her head and look at Aaron in wonderment... ‘Why are we out in such a storm?’” (416). Like Reuven, in a moment of desperation, she loses her faith; she’s cold and no longer feels cared for. Zlateh is right: The humans are tricking her—but not by subjecting her to the storm. This indirectly characterizes Zlateh’s purity.

In the blizzard, Zlateh is so cold that she cries out to Aaron: “Zlateh’s bleating began to sound like crying” (416). Her crying leads Aaron to cry out to God. Their prayers are heard when Zlateh and Aaron find refuge in a large haystack. As soon as Zlateh is warm and fed, her doubt dissipates: She “regained her confidence in man” (417). She trusted and had faith when she was cared for.

Zlateh evolves from an old goat with little value—“[s]he was old and gave little milk” (414)—to the miracle of the tale and Aaron’s savior: “He looked at Zlateh and noticed her udders were full” (417). Miraculously, by eating hay, she has enough milk to sustain Aaron for the three days they stay in the haystack. She’s a dynamic character, transforming from a possession to a member of the family: “Nobody ever again thought of selling Zlateh” (420).

Finally, Singer uses Zlateh as the prophet of the story:

[S]he answered, ‘Maaaa.’ Yes, Zlateh’s language only consisted of one word, but it meant many things. Now she was saying, ‘We must accept all that God gives us—heat, cold, hunger, satisfaction, light, and darkness’ (419).

Just as Aesop does in his many fables, Singer places the moral of the story in the innocent mouth of an animal.

Reuven’s wife is Leah, and their daughters are Anna and Miriam, Aaron’s sisters. Singer groups Leah, Anna, and Miriam together in unified emotion: “Leah, his mother, wiped the tears from her eyes when she heard the news. Aaron’s younger sisters, Anna and Miriam, cried loudly” (415). Although the women in this story lack individuality and are static and flat characters, Singer uses them to demonstrate the family’s strong ties.