Abstract: Malamud created many classic images of Jewish shopkeepers, most of whom were struggling on the edge of the city for the sake of livelihood. His complex about Jewish shopkeeper was rooted in his father’s experience as a grocer, in his desire to preserve the Jewish spirit at a time when supermarkets were disrupting traditional retail and Jews were constantly victims of bullying, and in his attempt to restore the heroism of the little man. By examining the Jewish shopkeepers identity construction in four of his novels, within the context of their marginal status in the city and the city transformation, the characteristics of commercial culture, and heroic narrative mode, we can get a glimpse of their personal experience of Jewish Holocaust, their deep and emotional memories of the event, and the ambivalent feelings that they dare not confront on the one hand but cannot avoid altogether on the other.

Key words: Malamud, Jewish shopkeeper complex, Jewish spirit