To the Editor:
Mine is doubtless only one of many comments on Nathan Asch’s provocative “Only So Big?” (November 1952) [in which Mr. Asch pointed to the surprising number of references in contemporary literature to Jews as “little”].
That the question is a little one would be demonstrated, I feel sure, by any parallel set of quotations in which “little” is applied to others than Jews; still better perhaps by quotations describing “big” bullies and racketeers and tycoons. In the language as I know it, it’s not always good to be big.
The diminutive is affectionate. The Jim of whom one is fond becomes a Jimmie. The world is full of Billies and Janies who, despite years, weight, wordly prestige, or an ornery disposition, cling stubbornly to the diminutive nickname bestowed by fond parents. It is pleasanter to be loved than to be respected.
“Little” denotes appreciation. Precious things come in small packages, says the folklore. A sonnet is “riches in a little room.” My “little” friend is one whose special virtues are not appreciated by people less discerning than I.
Advertising recognizes “little” as a term of endearment: the “good little suit”; the “little black dress.” It follows the idiom which allows a size-44 female to speak of her mink coat as “my little fur wrap.”
True, “little” carries a hint of derogation, of belittling. As Nathan Asch implies, it functions as a concession to anti-Semitism. But who does not derogate the object of his respect and affection if that person is held in indifferent regard by others? The diminutive nevertheless invokes a friendly response: “The world may not honor him, but I do.” By such concessions to prejudice and warm-hearted refutations of it, humanity asserts itself.
Frances Comfort
Detroit, Michigan
_____________
To the Editor:
May I offer one solution to Mr. Asch’s “Puzzler”: The “little” in “little Jew”—is it not, perhaps, or was it not originally, a term of endearment rather than of measurement? As, for instance, the French “petit” in “mon petit”? Thus, one Jew will refer to another (possibly exceeding six feet in height) as “a yidl.”
This term, translated into “a little Jew,” may be the root of all evil “little” Jews.
Mascha Kaleko
New York City
_____________
To the Editor:
After reading Nathan Asch on the “little Jew,” I walked to the corner cigar store and began browsing through the collection of reprints. Lo and behold, on page 140 of Thomas Wolfe’s Only the Dead Know Brooklyn, I found this gem: “My little Jews stood first, their dark eyes fixed on me with a dejected but unwavering reproach. . . .”
David Antman
Red Hook, New York
_____________