Short Fiction · Character

Yankel

Old Yankel, a skullcapped Jewish catcher of souls, argues sins with the devil by the dam and bets his freedom on a Christian miller's hidden guilt.

supporting

Also known as old Yankel, Yankel the Jew, The Jew, the Jew, poor Yankel, Jew, Yankel kvass

First appearance: short fiction

As a supporting figure in Short Fiction, Yankel is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

The old one-eyed Jew who accompanies Joachim on bass-viol during his earlier performances.

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Yankel is a poor Jew with ringlets and a rasping scratch, snared by the devil Khapun on the dam and dragged toward the sky while he screams for his Sarah, Shlemka, Iteley, and Movshey. Quick-witted even in terror, he counts sins on his fingers alongside the devil and wagers that the Christian miller is as guilty as any Jew. His comic, desperate bargaining with the devil gives the tale its folkloric wit and its sly commentary on who truly deserves damnation.

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Character Web

21 connections

A slice of how Yankel sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Friendship
Other

Character groups

Village community figures
Central family and authority

+16 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This is the story's dramatic climax because it marks the emotional and psychological peak where the narrator’s…

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Relationships

Khapun
friendship · positive
Kapun and Yankel are close companions who share many interactions, likely allies in their… How this plays out →
Khapun
friendship · positive
Kapun and Yankel are close companions who share many interactions, likely allies in their… How this plays out →
Khapun
friendship · positive
Kapun and Yankel are close companions who share many interactions, likely allies in their… How this plays out →

Relationship notes

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See Yankel in short fiction

In the story

Yankel appears across 11 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

IV
I
III
IV
V
VI
VII
VIII
+3 more

IV
The old one-eyed Jew who accompanies Joachim on bass-viol during his earlier performances.
I
The Jewish innkeeper, absent from the inn on Yom Kippur, observing the holiday in the city.
III
The miller resents Yankel, a Jewish innkeeper, and wishes the devil would take him; later he sees Khapun carrying a Jew he recognizes as the innkeeper from Novokamensk.
IV
The poor Jew captured by Khapun, who tries to bargain for his freedom.
V
The innkeeper who was taken by Khapun.
VI
Deceased; his murder sets the events of the chapter in motion.
VII
Old Yankel is contrasted with the miller; he grovels for money and endures abuse, while the miller demands both money and respect.
VIII
The miller recalls Yankel, now presumably dead, and his orphaned children; the memory of the Jew's fate weighs on the miller's conscience.
IX
The Jew who is carried by Khapun and argues with him about the journey and his bundle.
Chapter X
The Jew who quietly picks up the devil's discarded clothes and makes off with them.
XI
Returned at dawn after the miller's strange adventure.

Chapter companion notes

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See Yankel in short fiction

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