In Bernard's Malamud's "Take Pity", Davidov, a census taker, visits the shabby room of Rosen, an elderly former coffee sales representative. He has come to determine the nature of Rosen's relationship with Eva Kalish, the widow of a bankrupt immigrant Jewish grocer who had the misfortune of dying at Rosen's feet. Rosen has taken it upon himself to help the grocer's widow, but his offers of aid are met with consistently proud refusal. Rosen advises Eva to abandon her efforts to try to salvage the store, telling her it is in a bad neighborhood and is a "mistake"; secretly in love with the widow, Rosen offers her credit, a rent-free apartment, and help with childcare, but Eva is adamant in her refusals. The old man then proposes a platonic marriage, with his sole objective to be able to take care of Eva, but when even that offer is rebuffed, he drafts a will deeding all he has to her, and kills himself by sticking his head in the stove and turning on the gas.
When she passes his coffin, Eva is repentant, but Rosen, in a surrealistic twist, calls her a whore from his coffin window and tells her to go away.
The story presents an ironically tragi-comic portrayal of the heroine, who has taken the ideals of feminism too far. In her insistent, single-mindedly proud refusal to be condescended to by a man, she has missed out on the chance of a relationship with someone who truly cared for her, and denied him the opportunity to experience the joy of community and sharing.
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