Jewish People as ‘Other’ in Jacobson’s The Finkler Question

Abstract

Howard Jacobson's The Finkler Question depicts the Jewish people who have been living in the United Kingdom as 'other' or the 'outsider' due to the stereotypical gaze of the non-Jewish English origin people. These migrated jews have been migrated long ago and have gone through a lot of cultural and racial fusion with other community. However, the traditional stereotypical gaze to look at them is same. It has not changed yet, and it has created the feeling of rootlessness, homelessness and alienation among Jewish people. Through its central character Julian Treslove, the author reveals the stereotypical gaze. He is non-Jews. However, he desperately emphasizes the Jews. Jacobson, depicting the multicultural setting of London composed of Jews and non-Jews, or more specifically, English Jews and English non- Jews, clearly shows that British Jewish people have gone through a sense of dislocation due to the stereotypical gaze of non-Jewish English people.