what are ruth's father and mother like?

Ruth describes her father, Tateh, (the Yiddish word for father). Tateh was an Orthodox rabbi named Fishel Shilsky. Ruth says he was as "hard as a rock." Her sweet-tempered mother, Hudis Shilsky, or Mameh to Ruth, wed Tateh in an arranged marriage. Mamah never felt love or affection from Tateh. Mameh was mild and meek, in part as a result of polio, from which she suffered her entire life.