The Power of Faith: Comparative Researches on Ah Q and Gimpel/ la Puissance de Croyance: La Recherche Comparative Sur Ah Q Et Grimpel (Report‪)‬

Schlemil is a classical theme in world literature. The successful characterization of schlemil can reflect the writer's understanding towards the ethnic spirits from social and cultural aspects. Many writers have shown great interest in the theme. There are such examples as Benjy and Vardaman who are created by Faulkner, the silly son by Chinese writer Ah Lai, Ah Q by Lu Xun and Gimpel by Singer. Some of those "schlemils" are clowns while some are protagonists with different cultural connotations. This paper makes a comparison between Gimpel the Fool and The True Story of Ah Q and then, examines them under different value systems to get a better understanding. Gimpel the Fool is a short story which makes Issac Bashevis singer famous. In the story, he depicts the whole life of Gimpel who was fooled and mocked all the time. His life shows the ethnic and religious consciousness behind the Jewish Zilch. Coincidently, the motive of Lu Xun to write The True Story of Ah Q is to "expose the weakness of our people" and creat a figure standing for the soul of modern people. Based on their own cultural background, Ah Q and Gimpel become the classic figures in world literature. By employing Ah Q and Gimpel as examples, this paper seeks to examine the differences and similarities between them, which are influenced by different cultures and religious background. Then, the paper points out that Gimpel shows a spirit of humanitarianism because of his belief in God.