Christopher Booker is a scholar who wrote that every story falls into one of seven basic plot structures: Overcoming the Monster, Rags to Riches, the Quest, Voyage and Return, Comedy, Tragedy, and Rebirth. Shmoop explores which of these structures fits this story like Cinderella’s slipper.
Plot Type : Tragedy
You'd think being a genius painter would be a good thing, but Asher Lev's story is actually pretty tragic.
Anticipation Stage
Asher is a gifted young artist living in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. He loves his family, he loves painting and drawing, all is fine and well. But he knows he's destined for something bigger than just doodling in notebooks.
Dream Stage
Asher becomes aware of the plight of the Jewish people in Russia. He starts dreaming about his mythic ancestor, who traveled Europe being a good Hasidic scholar. He begins to paint portraits of wandering scholars and suffering Jews.
Frustration Stage
Asher's parents tell him he's going to move to Vienna with them and Asher wants absolutely nothing to do with that. Asher keeps on getting in trouble for failing at school, and his dad is really not thrilled with what a teen rebel his son's turning out to be. This stage persists for a pretty long time, like as in most of the book.
Nightmare Stage
Asher grows apart from his parents enough to travel on his own. He lives in Paris like an artist, but declines to wear a beret. While in Paris, he paints Brooklyn Crucifixion I and II, and even as he does this he knows things aren't going to end well for him.
Destruction or death wish Stage
Asher's parents see Brooklyn Crucifixion I and II and pretty much disown him. The Rabbi casts him out of the Ladover community.