Title: Chop Wood, Carry Water

Author: Eileen Gunn

Date of First Publication: 2014

Place of Publication: Questionable Practices

Type: Short Story

Characters: No Characters

Themes: ANDROID; SYMPATHETIC MONSTER

Critical Summary: “Chop Wood, Carry Water” is the tale of the mythic Golem of Prague told from the golem’s point of view. It has gentle wit and sorrow as the golem relates his story, which is an account of the centuries since he was created, and how he hasn’t always been able to fulfill his task of protecting the local Jews. The golem tries to understand what it is to be alive, and the meaning of Jewishness, even as terrible things are threatened for the small Jewish settlement he lives in. The golem initially believes that he was created for simple tasks: to carry gravestones to a graveyard, or to chop wood and carry water. Throughout the course of the story, he loses his strength and suffers an existential crisis. While he regains his strength through an act of charity, there is a much bleaker parable at the heart of the golem’s tale. The golem, of course, was created to do more than the menial tasks of the title. The famous sixteenth-century legend tells how the golem of Prague was stored in the synagogue’s attic, ready to be recalled to life if needed. Narrating his story, the golem is aware of how he failed to protect his people. The Golem’s plight intersects the common lot of humanity at odd angles, rendering the creature both more and less than a child of Adam. The Golem can be compared to the monster of Frankenstein, but only in the sense that they were both created by man. The Golem was created to protect the people of Prague, while the monster was created for a different reason. According to Victor, the monster was created for the betterment of mankind, although he later reveals that his true motive was inspired by his arrogance and his ego, to accomplish the once-impossible feat of cheating death through rebirth. The Golem is mainly driven by the desire to return to the earth, so he carries out his tasks dutifully and without question.

Administrative Notes: Ryan Peters, CSUF; Annette Morrison, CSUF (editing)