Fiddler on the Roof: A Story of Survival Through Love
The 1971 movie musical Fiddler on the Roof opens with an image of a man, the unnamed titular fiddler on the roof. As the sun rises he sits atop the roof, plucking out the opening notes of “Tradition” so that Tevye may begin the song. This picture is beautiful, it’s memorable, it’s timeless. The audience is gradually swept into the small Russian village of Anatevka. Immediately, we are immersed and welcomed into the vibrant Jewish culture that runs throughout the community - this is not only powerful within the film, but also an important message in the face of antisemitism, which seeks to create divisions and paint one group as abnormal.
Throughout the story, the film speaks on human survival and our ability - and the necessity - to find even the slightest bit of joy in the face of hardship. During “To Life” the male ensemble sings; “May all your futures be pleasant ones / Not like our present ones / Drink l'chai-im, to life” in response to the engagement of Tzeitel and Lazar Wolf. Such lyrics offered much needed happy news in the face of their current hardships; the characters instead chose to view the announcement as a possible precursor for a more hopeful and brighter future - a future free of persecution, fear, and antisemitism. Even so, the characters still acknowledge the difficulties experienced being Jewish in early 1900s Russia, in particular with the line; “And if our good fortune never comes / Here's to whatever comes.” Despite a better tomorrow not being promised to them, they will continue to celebrate life.
The wedding scene between Tzeitel and Motel is festive for two reasons: because it is a wedding, of course, but moreover for the brevity of the moment. Earlier in the film, Tevye is warned by the constable about a coming pogrom, (an anti-Jewish riot), so the event of the wedding allows both the viewers and characters to put their minds elsewhere, even if only briefly. This beautiful union between two childhood lovers, who were almost married off to other people, teaches us to embrace and cherish the little moments in life. After all, it isn’t every day that one has the opportunity to attend a wedding, or be the one getting married.
During the film, Tevye’s daughters - Tzeitel, Hodel, and Chava - test their father’s conservatism and Jewish faith with their rebellious behaviour, by continuously going behind the matchmakers back to form their own unions. Each time - with the exception of Chava whom he disowns - Tevye wavers, allowing the young girls to marry the men of their choice, Motel and Perchik. He sees such love in them and a deep need to be with one another; without this, he fears they may suffer great unhappiness. This could arguably stem from both his love of his three daughters and the dire need to hold on to what little good may exist in a dark and scary world like the one he knows so well. For him, like for all of the other characters, love is a necessary tool for survival. This is why the wedding is delightful, and why he continuously allowed his daughters to make their own decisions and carve out their own path despite his deeply held beliefs.
As the film concludes, Tevye, his wife, and their two remaining daughters are packing their entire life up. They are escaping with what they need, (or what they can carry), to start a new life in the United States. As was expressed earlier in the film during the iconic line “If I Were a Rich Man,” they weren’t exactly a rich family. All they did was simply survive together, as a family, a married couple, and a village. They didn’t necessarily thrive in the conventional sense, but they survived and they had love, and that is what truly mattered and sustained them.
Love, and survival through love, reside at the center of this classic movie, driving the characters’ actions and connecting them to one another. The core ethos of Fiddler on the Roof is that the strength that comes from love - romantic, paternal, communal, and platonic love - is the most vital part of a person’s life. This holds precedence over everything, even engrained tradition and fear of the unknown. To truly be alive in this world, we must have love and allow ourselves to engage in moments of bliss, no matter how big or small.