Chains Around the Fence
This story’s setting is New York City in the 1950s. Dave Markowitz, a dreamer, sees the future as a boundless horizon of opportunity. Unfortunately, his past successes have been modest. He loves his family, but his dreams frequently put him at odds with them. Then he takes an ambitious gamble that fails, and tragedy follows. The story continues as Ruth, his wife, struggles to raise three children. They are challenged, not only by poverty but also by their Jewishness, from both society and their family.
As the story unfolds, it explores the difficulties of a single mother during the 1950s, and the conflicts and challenges that two of the children face. The child Sara, perpetually self-conscious, grows and slowly embraces her religious heritage; while Jesse, as a young adolescent, travels a difficult path trying to replace his father, which almost leads to a tragic end.
In a prose style that is disarmingly straightforward, Ragen’s narrative is rich in period detail, describing the struggle this family survives and triumphs over. It has a spiritual resonance without being maudlin or preachy.
