Zlateh the Goat

“She was old and gave little milk.”

Singer is making a point: Zlateh is being treated as a possession rather than a valuable soul. She’s being sold because a human no longer sees value in her. As long as she could provide milk, she was worth something. Once she could no longer feed the humans or meet a need that a human might have, she was to be sold for meat. Singer uses Zlateh to show that animals are worth more than the milk they provide.

“Aaron understood what taking the goat to Feyvel meant, but he had to obey his father.”

This quote is evidence that Aaron is a foil to his father. Aaron obeys his father even when he doesn’t agree with him. Aaron sees Zlateh’s value, while Reuven sees an item to be sold.

“Zlateh trusted human beings. She knew that they always fed her and never did her any harm.”

Singer directly characterizes Zlateh when he states her trust in humans. This quote reveals Zlateh’s innocence and purity. In addition, Singer also characterizes Reuven and his family as providing the goat with a good home. These two sentences directly reveal Zlateh’s character and her relationship with Reuven and his family.

“Suddenly the weather changed.”

Singer uses the word “[s]uddenly” to signal that a miracle is occurring. The weather changing is a miracle for the peasants and for Reuven. In addition, it’s the catalyst for Zlateh’s salvation.

“He realized that he was no longer on the road. He had gone astray. He could no longer figure out which was east or west, which way was the village, the town.”

Aaron has lost his way. Had he stayed on the road, he may have made it to town, and Zlateh would have been slaughtered for meat, or the two of them would have died an icy death on the journey. His going astray connects to the moral of this piece: God provides, but one must have faith. Sometimes one must accept the bad with the good. During the storm, God provided Aaron and Zlateh with the haystack. Aaron found the haystack only because he lost his vision and was off course.

“Those humans in whom she had so much confidence had dragged her into a trap.”

Zlateh finds herself at the brink of death in the middle of an icy blizzard. Zlateh parallels Reuven when she loses her “confidence” in humans during the storm. When the world becomes cold and harsh, she struggles to trust those that had cared for her so well.

“Aaron began to pray to God for himself and for the innocent animal.”

Singer highlights the narrator’s view of Zlateh. The direct characterization of Zlateh as an “innocent animal” clearly conveys that she’s a symbol of purity. In addition, this quote shows how Aaron is a foil to his father, Reuven, because in hardship Aaron turns to God, whereas his father didn’t.

“Suddenly, he made out the shape of a hill.”

Singer again uses the word “suddenly” to signal the miraculous. Aaron prayed and then immediately saw shelter. What he first thinks is a hill turns out to be the haystack that provides shelter and sustenance.

“No matter how cold it may be outside, in the hay it was always warm.”

Hay symbolizes the protection and provision of the Hebrew God. The haystack is the shelter in the storm for Aaron and Zlateh, just as God is the shelter for his people in the Jewish religion.

“Zlateh, having eaten her fill, sat down on her hind legs and seemed to have regained her confidence in man.”

The theme of trust and doubt is evident in this line. Zlateh struggles to trust in humans when she’s cold and hungry, but as soon as she’s warm and fed, her faith in humans returns.

“Aaron ate his two slices of bread and cheese, but after the difficult journey he was still hungry. He looked at Zlateh and noticed her udders were full.”

Zlateh’s udders and milk symbolize the Hanukkah miracle for Aaron. Even though she’s old and her milk is drying up, after eating some hay she produces enough milk to sustain Aaron through the storm.

“On the contrary, she seemed eager to reward Aaron for bringing her to a shelter whose very walls, floor, and ceiling were made of food.”

At the beginning of the story, Reuven answers Zlateh’s service to the family by sending her to Feyvel to be slaughtered. In contrast, Aaron finds shelter for her during the storm, so she appreciates Aaron and wants to reward him. Singer reveals the folly of Reuven’s decision. Reuven should have rewarded Zlateh rather than sending her to the butcher.

“You can’t speak, but I know you understand. I need you and you need me. Isn’t that right?”

Aaron is talking to Zlateh. One of Singer’s themes is The Value of Animals. Through Aaron and Zlateh, Singer demonstrates that animals and humans need one another.