Effect of the Schlemiel in The Fixer Throughout literature, many Jewish authors have attempted to capture the innocence and heroism of the Jew through the "schlemiel". In The Fixer, Bernard Malamud created a character who fully embraced the idea of ​​the schlemiel. The schlemiel, as defined by Ruth Wisse in The Schlemiel as A Modern Hero, is a character who represents an entire race of people (Wisse x). Yakov Bok, the protagonist of The Fixer, represents all aspects of the Jew: the pain and stupidity experienced by the Jew feel brought together into one. The schlemiel also fully embraces the concept of Yiddish humor, a type known not for its comedic aspect but for its harshness. Yiddish humor is simply meant to bring out the unfair and foolish treatment of Jews throughout time (Wisse x). An example of Yiddish humor in The Fixer comes when Bok is arrested for the crime: he had begged the colonel to let him walk on the sidewalk to lessen his embarrassment, but he was forced into the damp center of the street, and people were heading to work he had stopped ...