The Pawnbroker

This article is about the 1961 novel. For occupation, seePawnbroker.For the 1964 film adaptation, seeThe Pawnbroker (film).

The Pawnbroker(1961) is a novel byEdward Lewis Wallantwhich tells the story of Sol Nazerman, aconcentration campsurvivor who suffersflashbacksof his pastNaziimprisonment as he tries to cope with his daily life operating a pawn shop inEast Harlem.It was adapted intoa motion picturebySidney Lumet.

First edition
(Harcourt Brace & World)

Nazerman is a bulky man, 45 years old, who before the war had been a professor at theUniversity of Kraków.He has dealt with his trauma by deliberately shutting down his emotions, with the result that he sees everyone around him, especially the desperate people who come into his shop, as "scum." Nazerman is plagued by nightmares and headaches stemming from the physical and mental trauma of his wartime experiences, in which his wife was forced into prostitution and his son drowned in the excrement of a cattle car on the way to the concentration camp.

Having lost his family in the camps, Sol now lives with his sister Bertha in the suburb ofMt. Vernon.She has married a mid-westerner and prizes her "American" -looking blonde haired daughter over her more Jewish-looking son. He is also taking care of his best friend's widow, Tessie, and her dying father, Mendel. Sol supports both families through the pawnshop, which is in reality a front for Mafia money.

The novel deals not only with the after-effects of the camp experience, but also with making a parallel between the desperation of the residents of Harlem and that of the people in the camps. The major characters include Sol's Latino assistant, Jesus Ortiz, and a recently arrived social worker, Marilyn Birchfield. There are numerous minor characters who are local Harlem residents, some of whom treat Sol with affection and receive only indifference in return.

The climax of the story occurs on the anniversary of Sol's family's death and forces him to confront his own emotions, including his guilt over having survived and his desire to die. The novel details the relationship with Sol's nephew, a troubled young man with whom he achieves a bond.