Leo Reaction

As society changes in postwar America, Leo finds himself trapped between the traditional “old world” and the modern “new world.” As a rabbi in training, Leo has a background in conventional values and norms. He believes that in order to succeed in society, he must marry. He cannot, however, marry just any woman. His wife must be a woman befitting a rabbi. Leo first examines any potential matches’ assets that they might have to offer rather than their personal character. In this way he reduces women to commodities or business partners, rather than a future spouse. He craves a marriage that benefits him socially and financially. This mirrors the postwar mindset that a man’s true worth was measured by the work that he could do. At the beginning, Leo is not looking for love, but rather for a status symbol.
Leo resorts to his traditional old world ideas as he enlists the aid of a dedicated, if slightly peculiar, matchmaker. However, it is not the matchmaker that hints at traditional values, but rather the manner in which the matches are made. Much mention is made of the father of the potential wives. The process is reminiscent of the arranged marriages that were common in previous times where a dowry would be paid and the bride’s father would give the groom his daughter.
Along with postwar society came a notion of paranoia. There are several instances mentioned throughout the story implying that Leo feels Salzman is attempting to deceive him. In addition, Leo also worries that Salzman follows him on his date with a prospective spouse, Lily. In some ways Leo’s feelings about, and description of, Salzman reflect those held by many Americans toward the Soviets during the cold war. Salzman is depicted as being shady, smelly, and socially inferior by Leo’s estimations.
Leo is not a man who adapts easily to the changes around him. He enjoys his date with Lily until she speaks up and attempts to learn more about him. Leo is unsure of how to respond to a woman who is forward with her actions and actively governs a conversation. Lily does not act the way he believes a woman should behave. While not rude, she also does not wait until Leo broaches a subject before initiating a conversation. Lily is Leo’s intellectual equal, if not superior. Leo accounts this proclivity to their age difference stating that she must be significantly older than he and therefore wiser. However, Lily is likely just a woman comfortable in the modern world. She is educated, worldly, and believes that she is equal to any man.
For Leo, the role of love can be viewed to play the same role as that of faith. Further, while he is training to be a rabbi, Leo is not faithful to his calling. He places his trust in traditional ways of life and is wary of the changes that postwar America is filled with. It is not until he is able to clearly see for himself what his role is in this society actually is that he is able to seek love. Leo realizes that he is “unloved” and uncared for by the people around him. Others simply value him based on his rabbinical talents rather than for the man he is inside. This is similar to how Leo selected his matches up until this revelation.