This examination takes an admiring, yet critical look at a body of literature that reflects a crossover, not only geographic, with immigration from Poland, but from traditional, tribal values treasured in the Jewish provinces of Europe and then questioned in the new, modern world of America. While this study seeks a place in the modern canon for Singer's work through an appreciation of his achievements, it wrestles with his limitations in continually attempting to reconcile his past with choices available in the present.