Summary
Gimpel, the narrator, introduces himself, saying that while he does not consider himself foolish, everyone in town refers to him as "Gimpel the Fool." His reputation as a fool started in childhood when fellow students would deceive and embarrass him with small lies. They would tell him that famous people were coming to town or that the rabbi's wife was having a baby. Soon, Gimpel realized that if he challenged them, they would be angry with him.
One day, Gimpel visited the rabbi for advice. The rabbi told him that it was the other townspeople who were fools for making him feel embarrassed. When Gimpel left the rabbinical court, however, the rabbi's daughter deceived him into kissing the wall and laughed at him for his gullibility.
When the town starts matchmaking, the townspeople force Gimpel to marry Elka, a promiscuous woman who already has a son, but who tells Gimpel it is her little brother. Elka has a baby four months later, and the entire town laughs when the sexton announces it at the synagogue. Gimpel knows the baby is not his, but he feels there is nothing he can do.
Analysis
The beginning of the story establishes the central tension between Gimpel and the townspeople of Frampol. In the first few sentences of the story, Gimpel says, "I don't think myself a fool. On the contrary. But that's what folks call me" (994). This admission – that he does not perceive himself as foolish while others refer to him as "Gimpel the Fool" – immediately calls into question the nature of Gimpel's foolishness. From the outset of the story, Gimpel is self-aware and confident in his actions, even when those actions are embarrassing. He frequently asks rhetorical questions like, "How was I supposed to know?" (994), defending his gullibility and trusting nature while others ridicule him for it. Immediately, then, the story questions the concept of foolishness altogether: through Gimpel's relationship with the townspeople, and especially through his conversation with the rabbi, the story highlights how the notion of a "fool" is not an inherent characteristic of a person but is instead born of other people's cruelty and desire for entertainment.
Gimpel recognizes this tenuous relationship between himself and his community early on. "I had to believe when the whole town came down on me!" he says, "If I ever dared say, 'Ah, you're kidding,' there was trouble. People got angry...What was I to do? I believed them, and I hope at least that did them some good" (994). This statement of Gimpel's underscores the problem with calling him a fool, as it shows that he was not actually quick to believe the people attempting to deceive him. Instead, Gimpel's tendency to believe stems from his desire to please and to maintain a type of status quo: to the people of Frampol, he is a fool, and to behave any differently would cause too much disruption in the community. This discomfort with conflict is what leads Gimpel to marry Elka, even though he knows she is promiscuous and unfaithful. The story suggests that Gimpel's foolishness is itself a fiction, but one that too many people have propagated for him to change their minds.
