Marty Kaufman Character Analysis in Dreams from My Father

Marty, a Jewish organizer on the South Side of Chicago, is Barack’s boss when he moves to Chicago. Marty looks constantly rumpled, but he’s smart and dedicated to his work. He hires Barack because he recognizes the necessity of having a Black person to spread his message—because he’s Jewish, many of the Black religious congregations he tries to work with are unwilling to actually commit to a partnership. Despite this knowledge though, Marty still struggles to maintain enthusiasm and ties with the Black people who help him and those he’s supposed to serve. Angela recognizes that, as good as Marty’s intentions are, he wants to treat the poor Black and white people in Chicago the same—ignoring Chicago’s history of segregation and the fact that, despite the Black middle class’s recent rise, that middle class’s wealth is slipping away.

Marty Kaufman Character Timeline in Dreams from My Father

The timeline below shows where the character Marty Kaufman appears in Dreams from My Father. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...possible. Barack feels like the movement is over. Not long after, a Jewish man named Marty Kaufman calls Barack, looking for a trainee to organize in Chicago. Marty is pudgy, unkempt,... (full context)

Marty asks what Barack knows about Chicago, and he really only knows about Harold Washington, the... (full context)

That afternoon, Marty picks Barack up and they drive to the old Wisconsin Steel plant. Marty says that... (full context)

When they arrive at a school auditorium, Marty introduces Barack to Deacon Will Milton and they scurry away. Three Black women block Barack... (full context)

The next day, Marty gives Barack a list of people to interview. His job is to “Find out their... (full context)

...Reverend Reynolds is impressed, a Reverend Smalls isn’t. He insists they don’t need Barack and Marty, and they won’t work with the racist Catholic archdiocese when they have committed Black aldermen... (full context)

...spends his time directing elderly people to the Bingo game upstairs while Ruby sits sadly. Marty arrives halfway, helps Barack clean up, and takes Barack for coffee. He says that Barack... (full context)

...help the neighborhoods. Others, including Angela, Shirley, and Mona, are also disillusioned. They feel like Marty doesn’t listen to them, and they’re disappointed that the job bank turned out to be... (full context)

One Saturday, Marty takes Barack and Angela to a meeting with a local union president. Marty insists that... (full context)

Later, when Barack calls Marty, Marty isn’t surprised by what happened. He suggests that Barack find some new leaders so... (full context)

...difficult. People fight over limited parking spaces and others don’t come to meetings at all. Marty encourages Barack to take time off and create a life for himself outside of work,... (full context)

...his world is coming together. He feels like he has a place and discovers that Marty was right: there’s always community if one digs for it. Barack also learns things that... (full context)

...he has to make up for the Old Man’s mistakes. Barack also has issues with Marty, though they parted ways in the spring. Finding that the suburbanites he was organizing cared... (full context)