How we cite our quotes: Story Number.Paragraph
Quote #4
[…] whenever I feel miserable and wretched, I pour my heart out to the ruler of the universe about the way he deals with me. He is a merciful Father. He has pity on me, but He also turns against me, may I not be published for these words. I try to reason with Him as with a father, but you might as well cry out to the heavens! […] He is high above, and we are here below, forever bound to the earth on which we lie, so we must say that He is right and that His judgment is just. [Who am I] to confront Him with my foolish reasoning to try to give Him advice on how to run His little world? I'm no more than a worm crawling on the earth." (4.93-94)
So, this is pretty much Tevye's whole deal with God, summed up right here. Basically, Tevye is always trying to play the part of innocent ol' Job in their relationship. (Check out "Symbols" for a refresher on that little story.) Sure is a convenient comparison for Tevye to make.
Quote #5
[Perchik] did have this virtue: once he started talking, it was a passionate, unstoppable stream, like fire and water. What a tongue—not to be stopped! He spoke out against God, against the Messiah, and against injustice […] For instance, a rich man, according to his backward reasoning, was less worthy than a poor man, who to him was a jewel. A man who was a worker was beyond estimation because he worked.
"That's all well and good," I said, "but will that get you any money?"
He became angry and tried to convince me that money was the root of all evil. (5.41-43)
This is a neat little way of showing the difference between Perchik and Tevye's views on economic reality. Tevye is working with practical knowledge. Basically, he's happy to be inside the capitalist system, however unfair it is to him personally. Perchik on the other hand is working with theory and idealism.
Quote #6
"Tell me, is it so complicated? It seems to me that with God's help, I understand far more complicated things."
"It's not something you can understand with your mind alone. This is something you must feel, feel with your heart," Hodl said to me, her face shining and her eyes glowing. These daughters of mine, I tell you, when they get involved in something, it is with body and soul and heart! (5.105-106)
If you didn't know what Hodl was talking about here—what would you guess it was? Probably something like love, or some new religious thing, right? The whole bit about not understanding with just your head but also needing your heart to feel the thing? That's the language of conversion, basically. Which is interesting given that what she has converted into is the totally non-religious socialist/Marxist movement that Perchik is a part of.