Zlateh the Goat

“Zlateh the Goat” by Isaac Bashevis Singer (first published in 1966) is a folktale that follows a family and its goat during hard times. Singer wrote the story, which Maurice Sendak illustrated, to entertain and to teach the following moral: “We must accept all that God gives us—heat, cold, hunger, satisfaction, light, and darkness” (419).

This study guide references the Holt-McDougal edition.

The story takes place in an unknown village in Eastern Europe. The protagonist, Aaron, and deuteragonist, Zlateh, live outside of town in a small village. The exposition introduces Reuven, a furrier and the family patriarch; his wife, Leah; their daughters, Anna and Miriam; their eldest child, Aaron; and their beloved family goat, Zlateh.

Singer, a Hasidic Jewish man and the son of a rabbi, intertwines his Yiddish culture into his writing. He initially highlights internal and external conflicts concerning faith during hardship and human interaction with nature: “At Hanukkah time the road from the village to the town is usually covered with snow, but this year the winter had been a mild one” (414). Reuven makes, sells, and repairs fur garments. Because of the mild winter, the villagers have little demand for his wares, which has put him in a tight financial spot, especially with Hanukkah around the corner. Therefore, to provide for his family, Reuven decides to sell the family goat to Feyvel, the town butcher.

Aaron, the eldest son, is tasked with taking Zlateh to town. Although he doesn’t agree with his father’s decision and his mother and sisters are heartbroken, he obeys his father and ventures off with Zlateh. The goat, a symbol of innocence and purity, naively goes with him, displaying no resistance: “Zlateh trusted human beings. She knew that they always fed her and never did her any harm” (415).

The town isn’t far. It should be a quick and easy transaction, but the weather turns, and now the mild winter has quickly transformed into a dangerous blizzard, making it difficult to see. Neither Aaron nor Zlateh is prepared for the extreme conditions. Aaron is wearing only a light jacket. He brought with him one sandwich and no food for the goat. Visibility is limited, so they find themselves off course, lost, alone, afraid, and cold. It will take a miracle for either of them to survive.

Singer, like many Yiddish writers, often focuses on the virtues of the common man, as he does through the characters of Aaron and Reuven. Reuven symbolizes doubt, and Aaron symbolizes faith.

In a moment of desperation, Reuven chooses to solve his problem (financial troubles due to the mild winter) through the death of Zlateh, an innocent animal. Ironically, only moments after Aaron and Zlateh head to town, they find themselves trapped in a storm.

During the storm, Zlateh struggles, for the first time, to trust her humans. She doesn’t and can’t understand all that’s happening around her, only that the weather has changed and she’s in danger: “Those humans in whom she had so much confidence had dragged her into a trap” (416). In the freezing temperatures, she cries out to Aaron: “Zlateh’s bleating began to sound like crying” (416).

Aaron hears her cries. Unlike Reuven, Aaron reaches out to God during his time of hardship: “Aaron began to pray to God for himself and for the innocent animal” (416). After Aaron’s prayer, they “[s]uddenly” find shelter when they miraculously stumble upon a large haystack: “Aaron realized immediately they were saved” (417). Aaron uses his rural acumen to create a safe shelter for Zlateh and himself. They survive the storm because of this haystack. Like the miracles of the Torah, the shelter is all-encompassing. It keeps out the elements while trapping and reflecting the warmth of their bodies. Furthermore, it provides food for Zlateh.

Aaron and Zlateh survive in the shelter for three days. Once Zlateh is warm and fed, her faith in humans is restored: “Zlateh, having eaten her fill, sat down on her hind legs and seemed to have regained her confidence in man” (417). Aaron, on the other hand, isn’t able to eat hay. He has only a sandwich, enough food to last for a day’s journey. Miraculously, however, eating the hay has filled Zlateh’s udders (which were dry) with enough milk to satisfy and sustain him.

The boy and the goat deeply bond during this experience. They spend three nights in the haystack, waiting out the storm. Day blends into night and night into day. Zlateh eats the hay, and Aaron drinks her milk. As time passes, he sees her less as an animal and more as his kin, his family.

On the fourth day, the storm has calmed. Aaron and Zlateh emerge from their nest to head home. Zlateh is now Aaron’s sister. Aaron asks a peasant to direct him back toward his village (rather than to the butcher). He loves Zlateh too much to let her go now.

During the storm, Reuven and his family searched for Aaron and Zlateh but feared the worst and were losing hope. Again, Singer heralds a miracle, as a neighbor “[s]uddenly” announces that the boy and the goat have returned. The family rejoices as they embrace the two snow warriors. Aaron shares with them all that happened and the miracle of Zlateh’s milk just in time to celebrate the miracle of lights, Hanukkah. The blizzard allows Reuven to get back to work. The family feasts while sharing a wonderful holiday. Aaron and Zlateh never forget their time together or the special bond that they share. The family never considers selling Zlateh again. She’s no longer just a goat, or a pet, but an important part of the family.