| The Boxer as Rasha: illustrated by Lola (1920) |
The wicked child is a new kind of soldier. The culture of the naked physique, of sports, of the aggressive boxer is contrasted with a seated middle-class scholar with a tie, glasses and a book. The passivity and introspection of the intellectual whose head is supported by his arm reflects the defensive status of traditional Jewish culture, when contrasted with American sports (and perhaps the culture of contemporary Zionist youth movements) that stressed the importance of the body.
