This essay was originally put online when still accompanied by editorial suggestions. These suggestions have now been incorporated, together with some further stylistic amendments. — JB]
Introduction
my Levy’s Reuben Sachs gives a partly satirical and partly realistic portrayal of the Anglo-Jewish community which is also subject to the very harsh criticism voiced by the narrator. In this paper, my aim is to discuss the relationship between desire and race in the novel; my main discussion will be about the nature of that desire in relation to nationalism, commodity culture, reproduction and the eroticization of race. I will be focusing on the descriptions of the female body and the domestic environment, and will look at the parallels between the fetishization of commodity and that of the female body, and at how desire is shaped and integrated within the literary representations of the Jewish community.
“While much of that we experience as sexual desire seems a largely immutable condition of human (and perhaps not just human) existence, the scope and shape of the meanings that we attach to this experience are decided by a complex of historical forces” (Nunokawa 125). Desire as represented in Reuben Sachs has a broad compass, and its sexual side goes beyond mere erotic energy and is governed by multiple factors that are closely linked with both historicity and with contemporary, late nineteenth-century society. Commodity fetishism and increased possessiveness, the importance of survival and the ability to adapt, and growing racism together with nationalism are groups of factors that relate directly to the representation of desire in the Jewish community in the narrative. In the first place, the plot is clearly constructed around the importance of gaining and securing money. This is vital for the Jewish communities represented in the novel, since surviving in foreign lands as a seclusive community required good adaptation skills, and in an age where industry and capital were the dominating forces on people’s lives, making money was the main way to acquire financial prestige and status; as Reuben says “this is a materialistic age, a materialistic country” (Levy 116). In such an age “the prestige of birth dwindled, that of money had increased,” and this was why the father of Judith Quixano, a central character in the novel, lost his prestige when he has lost his money, even though he belonged to a good family. Quite simply, being able to make money meant more than being born into privilege, as the latter no longer guaranteed an easy and wealthy future in a world where “life is reduced to a huge competitive examination” (136).
Marriage as a Market
The adjectives “tribal” and “clannish” are often used in Reuben Sachs to define the Jewish community and families. The “tribal” nature of the families creates an unceasing pressure upon almost all the characters, determining the atmosphere in the domestic sphere. This primitive togetherness and the way it dominates the atmosphere is evident when Levy describes a day by saying “it was a long day, growing less and less endurable as it went on; the atmosphere getting thicker and hotter and sickly with the smell of stale perfume” (91). This carefully constructed image triggers a sense of community that keeps itself to itself. Within the closed doors, what dominates the air is the “smell of stale perfume” of the old women in the family, the mothers of the marriageable offspring. They dominate the family dynamics just as their perfume permeates the air. The whole social script is controlled by these women, and for the hero, Reuben Sachs himself, it is specifically his mother who controls him. “Reuben will do nothing rash” she says at the beginning of the novel, and he eventually abstains from anything that would seem “unfitting” to her (9). The whole social script is controlled by his mother.
Reuben is faced with two options: prospering in his career and complying with an arranged marriage, or following his instincts and desires by marrying Judith and having children. To be able to understand the difficulty of this decision, we need to look at the ways Reuben’s desire manifests itself. Judith is first depicted as a “tall, regal looking creature” with her “smooth, oval cheek glowing with a rich, yet subdued, hue of perfect health” (21). Her beauty is strongly linked with her health which is suggestive of her fertility. From the eugenic point of view, she is the perfect girl. Even though she is financially not what he expects her to be, she meets his expectations in many other ways, too. Her financial expectations are outlined: “it was a matter of common knowledge that her uncle would settle £5000 on Judith when she married” — although her uncle’s own daughter, her cousin Rose, is known to have “a fortune of £50,000” for herself (34). Rose, however, is never considered to be a match for Reuben. But then there is another possibility, Caroline Cardozo, who already has £50,000 and “will have more when her father dies” (65). The tangible financial gap, therefore, is between Judith and Caroline. Unsurprisingly, Judith is never considered an acceptable match for Reuben, while Caroline Cardozo is, especially by Reuben’s sister who sees herself as a “good sister for not forgetting her duty,” further demonstrating the way the marriage market is managed and expected to be managed by the women in the family (65).
Reuben’s desires encompass eugenic love and financial status, and as these two do not seem to come hand in hand, his in-betweenness dominates the whole plot. It is very evident when even in the family meeting he is “divided between the expediency of challenging fortune at Polish bank, and the pleasantness of joining the girlish figure at the far end of the room” — the young woman in question being Judith (59). Even though “some irresistible magnetism drew him towards her,” he is quite indecisive about approaching and talking to her. His desires are always restricted by social pressure as everyone’s behaviors are scrutinized in this public family sphere. Judith’s proud yet humble femininity and deep interest in the matters Reuben talks to her about, as well as her genuine admiration and respect for Reuben, can also be seen as factors triggering Reuben’s attraction towards her, besides her race and physiognomy. “Shall it be blamed her that she had a kindness for everything he said and everything he did; that he was the king and could do no wrong?” (56). Judith simply idealizes Reuben and sees him as her superior.
Marriage was also seen as a transaction and an investment; it was regarded as an institution that was highly concerned about the material life. The material nature of marriage can be seen clearly when Judith thinks to herself that “a lover may be a shadowy creature, but husbands are made of flesh and blood” (243). One’s bond with a lover is completely based on emotions and does not entail much material concern unless one starts to think of marriage. Emotions are fleeting, intangible, unreliable whereas marriage as an institution provides both partners with tangible gains and losses, rights and privileges. Here, there is a clear distinction between a lover and a spouse, therefore love and marriage, suggesting that marriage is not based on love and emotions. This idea is supported throughout the novel by several characters. “We all have to marry the men we don’t care for. I shall, I know, although I have a lot of money. I am not sure that it is not best in the end” (228). Even as a wealthy and marriageable girl, Rose, for example, is quite aware of the distinction between love and marriage. In the marriage market one needs to make the best decision with regard to market value, making the most of one's own assets, and this applies to both men and women in Reuben Sachs.
Reuben “had an immense idea of his own market value; an instinctive aversion to making a bad bargain” (126). Reuben sees himself as a valuable piece for the market he is in, and is always hesitant to give himself away for less than what he thinks he is worth. “He must marry money,” says his mother, emphasizing the material nature of marriage. The money the prospective bride has is more important than any other qualities she might have. “Marrying money” is a very straightforward way to express the function of marriage as a mainly commercial space. Reuben becomes obsessed with his own market value, constantly trying to improve it, chasing promotion, working himself to death. Yet he fails to commercialize himself successfully, while increasing his market value, and eventually fails to be a suitable match for anyone. Instead, he dies of what seems to be overwork.
What Reuben fails to recognize, too, is the fact that market value is determined by public demand. Judith, “though of course she had her admirers, was by no means such a success as her cousin” (146); so, what she gains in this competitive market is dependent on what others want from her, both by way of her wealth and physiognomy. By increasing his market value, Reuben set too high a standard for himself and trying to “avert from making a bad bargain”, he rendered himself extinct. At some point, for Judith, Reuben ceases to be “a commodity of the market with a high price set on him” but becomes “a piteous human creature” (170). She can see through his commercial value, when her feelings for Reuben reach their peak. Without his money and status, Reuben is not unattainable for Judith and still desirable. She is, in fact, attracted to him by more than either wealth or status.
Love and Eugenics
When the economic metaphors for marriage reach a crisis point, the eugenicist notions of marriage begin to intervene. The mutual attraction between Reuben and Judith manifests itself in ways that are closely linked with their Jewish identity. Her stately beauty, “her health, and her air of breeding” are often observed by Reuben himself and he even fantasizes about getting married to her and having children with her (75). When the misfit of the family, Leo, attacks his own community for being “materialists to their fingers’ ends” (116), Reuben defends his own culture and people in a confident and proud manner. Judith witnesses this powerful verbal defence and “in her own breast was kindled the flame of a great emotion; she felt the love of her race grow stronger at every word” (122). In standing up for their mutual origin, Reuben becomes incredibly attractive to Judith and the same goes for Reuben. “He praised her in the race, and the race in her; and this was conveyed in some subtle manner to her consciousness” (122); he associates her with the Jewish race itself, and by praising his own race, he is complimenting Judith, because what makes her so attractive is her Jewish identity, her familiarity. There is obvious sexual tension in the air during this verbal defense by Reuben. The two never openly talk about their feelings towards each other, but their love and praise of their race almost becomes a demonstration of their love for each other, and their mutual admiration. This eroticization of race is also obvious between Jack Quixano, Judith’s brother, and his cousin Rose, on whom "he was beginning to cast aspiring eyes, and whom he closely resembled in personal appearance” (96). Because of the clannish and exclusive nature of their race and community, opposite sexes can simply socialize in these family gatherings, and end up falling for another in the same pond. Levy shows how eroticization of race runs in the families she describes.
The survival instinct is very strong and pervasive throughout Reuben Sachs. Characters are deeply concerned about their survival and continuing their lineage. There are two basic concerns here: racial purity and financial compatibility. There are two ways in which people can marry beneath them: by marrying someone belonging to a lower race (in this case, marrying a non-Jewish person), or by marrying someone with less financial availability. Depending on the circumstances, these two factors may outweigh one another. In Reuben Sachs, this is strongly linked with the material value one gains by financial status. The higher one’s position gets in the social hierarchy, the more valuable he or she becomes. With increased material value, there is more to risk in the marriage market. The distance between Judith and Reuben gets irretrievably wide once Reuben gets promoted, as Reuben reaches a position to which Judith cannot hope to aspire. As Reuben gains more material value through promotion, he now possesses so much more to risk; so, it would be more degrading than ever to marry someone below him both with regard to race or wealth. However, Judith’s material value is fixed, so there is no chance for her of a promotion that does not come from marriage.
Because of her seemingly insignificant material value, there is no concern at the prospect of her marrying a convert who has the genes of an Englishman. It is obvious in the novel that the Jew is regarded as superior to such a man: “The Jew, it may be remarked in passing, eats and dresses at least two degrees above his gentile brother in the same rank of life” (162). By marrying the middle-class convert Bertie, then, Judith is marrying beneath in terms of race. But she is matching her financial value with his. She is aware of the racial difference between the two of them, even though now Bertie belongs to the same religion as her: “As a matter of fact, Judith recognized clearly the marks of breeding, the hundred and one fine differences which distinguished Bertie from the people of her set” (209-210). She is not attracted to Bertie as she is to Reuben, but she finds him tolerable. Thinking of George Eliot's Daniel Deronda, Levy describes her train of thought here: “Bertie, as Gwendolen Harleth said of Grandcourt, was not disgusting. He took his love, as he took his religion, very theoretically” (237). To Gwendolyn, Grandcourt “seemed as little of a flaw in his fortunes as a lover and husband could possibly be […] He was adorably quiet and free from absurdities — he would be a husband to suit with the best appearance a woman could make” (Eliot 112-113).
Prospering in his career, or marrying Judith: which would be the most suitable? The ability to adapt and survive are two important notions that determine a character’s success in life throughout the novel. Reuben and Judith’s relationship includes different aspects like economic concerns, a eugenicist approach, and genuine personal attraction; however, the narrative implies that genuine personal attraction is impossible in this community because of the intense materialism of the married and marriageable women. Women in Reuben Sachs are usually better adapted and more successful when it comes to survival. They seem “practical and sensible” (70) and have a very high financial awareness. Their decisions are almost always money-based and they enjoy shopping, gossiping, matchmaking. Judith, even when she is madly in love with Reuben, is seen by him as standoffish: “I believe there isn’t one grain of sentiment in your whole composition” (64). Not only women but also men are represented as deprived of emotion as when Old Solomon greets Reuben with “something like emotion” (52).
Almost all the concerns of Levy’s Jewish characters are simply rooted in materiality and they do not seem to have any emotional investment in each other. “(Judith) liked him immensely, of course, she was unsentimental, like most women of her race” (43). Women do not prioritize their emotions in Reuben Sachs. They approach feelings rationally and have a very high level of class-consciousness. We witness women’s passionate sides only when they are shopping: “Rose was in her element; she was an excellent shopping-woman, loving a bargain for its own sake, grudging no time the matching of colors and such patience-trying operations, going through the business from beginning to the end with a whole-hearted enjoyment that was good to see” (70). A good bargain seems to be more precious than a lover’s kiss when their whole life is set around money. “Adelaide had, to the full, the gregarious instincts of her race, and Whiteley’s was her happy hunting ground. Here, on this natural territory… her love of gossip has free play” (71). Making money, spending money, and making the most of their money seem to be these women’s basic concerns in life. Their desire is fixated on the ownership of new things, and the very word choice here emphasizes how “instinctive” this desire of theirs is. Shopping and love for money is reflected as a primary trait of their race. Commerce is “in their element”; it is “the gregarious instinct of their race”.
Conclusion
Consequently, desire in Reuben Sachs manifests itself in different forms that are mainly concerned with race and money. Sexual desire is often triggered by the familiarity of belonging to the same race and physical fitness that holds out the hope of survival and healthy offspring. Desire also manifests itself in other forms that are not sexual or reciprocal. Making money, spending money, making most of the money and management of financial matters are also factors triggering passion and fulfillment in both males and females. Marriage is not a consequence of mutual sexual attraction; both partners in marriage seem to satisfy their desires in other ways. “Adelaide, her feet on the fender, her gloves off, was preparing for herself an attack of indigestion with unlimited muffins and strong tea” (81). This greedy and passionate image of Adelaide is almost suggestive of an alternative way of bodily satisfaction through a non-sexual oral pleasuring or a Freudian oral stage of psychosexual development. Characters' desires are usually directed at materials other than their partners. Therefore, buying and possessing are immensely important in their lives, as the main ways of manifesting and satisfying their desires. In the world Levy created, a genuine love interest seems impossible.
Bibliography
Eliot, George. Daniel Deronda. Ed. Graham Handley. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998.
Levy, Amy. Reuben Sachs: a Sketch Forgotten Books, 2015.
Nunokawa, Jeff. “Sexuality in the Victorian Novel.” The Cambridge Companion to the Victorian Novel, Cambridge University Press, 2012.
Last modified 18 May 2025