The Rise of David Levinsky

The Rise of David Levinsky is Abraham Cahan's classic and ironic rags to riches story; a cautionary tale set amid the bustling, industrial atmosphere of late 19th century America.

Cahan himself observed the burgeoning growth and prosperity which propelled the United States from its roots as a fledgling colonial nation to an industrialized powerhouse. As a committed socialist, he also sympathized and spent time with those at the bottom of the equation; the working poor, many of whom suffered great poverty and exploitation by ruthless employers. 

The titular protagonist emigrates to the United States from his native Russia after spending his formative years in study of the ancient Jewish text, the Talmud. Fluent in Yiddish and later English, the book's early chapters follow the young David Levinsky in Russia; he has a keen and sharp mind, and grasps difficult principles with an astonishing and speedy degree of comprehension. 

As a poor emigre to the USA, Levinsky finds a new outlet for his mental processes: business. Using his quick-witted brain he steadily assembles an empire of stunning proportions, becoming a millionaire manufacturer over the course of several years. He is also a desirable prospective husband, attracting the attention of women in high society who admire his wealth and ambition. 

However, Levinsky's rise is marked by a disdain for his workers and for the increasingly popular ideology of socialism. His attainment of the American Dream is shot through with irony: Levinsky fails to attain the intellectual depth he held as his highest life goal as a young, studious boy. He meets an old teacher who is very unimpressed with him; she chastises him as a capitalist and he departs her company frustrated. 

This novel has some semi-autobiographical overtones; Cahan and his protagonist are both Jews who emigrated to the USA at a young age; both have much experience reading the Talmud and observing holy occasions which form a recurring part of the story. Levinsky is frequently reminded of the unchanging principles of his religion and of intellectualism, but is too immersed in business to meaningfully participate in either.