When we found each other, I was very flabbergasted by his appearance. This is an American? I thought. And also, This is a Jew? He was severely short. He wore spectacles and had diminutive hairs which were not split anywhere, but rested on his head like a Shapka. {If i were like Father, I might even have dubbed him Shapka.} He did not appear like either the Americans I had witnessed in magazines, with yellow hairs and muscles, or the Jews from history books, with no hair and prominent bones. He was wearing nor blue jeans nor the uniform. In truth, he did not look like anything special at all. I was underwhelmed to the maximum.
The narrator's initial reaction upon meeting the character is one of surprise and confusion. He reflects on the stark differences between his expectations of both Americans and Jews based on cultural stereotypes. Rather than seeing a typical representation of these identities, he finds a man who is short, bespectacled, and unremarkable in appearance, which creates a sense of disappointment for him. This encounter challenges his preconceived notions and highlights the disconnect between image and reality.
The narrator's observations emphasize the uniqueness of the individual he meets, contrasting sharply with the idealized figures he had previously imagined. Instead of the muscular, blonde Americans or the typical Jewish figures from history, the man embodies an utterly different reality. This scene captures the theme of identity and the complexities of how it is perceived versus how it actually exists, leading to a deeper exploration of self and other in the narrative.
