Victoria Gornopolskaya

Upon reading the story of “Monk Eastman, Purveyor of Iniquities,” I felt as though I were reading a classic historical account of a fictional sounding character during the early 1900’s. To my surprise, this person actually existed in real life. Monk Eastman was the man who everyone feared and wanted to be like. He ran those New York streets until his untimely death in 1920. Though the story does not specify how I believe his death was due to the result of gang violence. It seems as though Monk Eastman lived the life of a petty ruler, who experienced a brutal uprising and a sure downfall.

While reading “Hakim, the Masked Dyer of Merv”, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the main character, Hakim. He was only a mere villager and upon gaining his immortality he simply wanted to show the rest of the villagers his extraordinary gift. I feel that anyone placed in this situation would probably do something similar. As this religiously derived story progressed, Hakim was appropriately punished for betraying his wisdom in exhibiting such unholy behavior. It sort of teaches a moral to all of us who happen to come across good fortune; that we should be humbled; otherwise our souls are doomed for eternity.