Frank Alpine commits some pretty horrendous crimes in The Assistant, and he pretty much gets away with them too. He escapes the notice of the police, but his conscience troubles him. The Assistant is a story about Frank's desire to receive compassion and forgiveness from the very people he's wronged and their struggle with whether or not to offer him these gifts. The focus, however, is on Frank, his motives for wanting to be forgiven and his schemes and sincere attempts to persuade those he wronged to do so.
Questions About Compassion and Forgiveness
- How is the theme of forgiveness pertinent to the novels Helen asks Frank to read?
- Why does Frank want to be forgiven by Morris and by Helen?
- Why does Morris feel the need to apologize to Ida?
- In what ways are Frank's pleas for forgiveness disingenuous?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
Frank offers to help Morris with his store out of compassion for the grocer's need.
Frank's offer to help Morris run the grocery is mostly motivated by self-interest.