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MURRAY
Jake's Dad, Murray came from a relatively poor Jewish family who arrived in
Britain from Poland during the '30s.
As he's got older, he's become more religious, more traditional and more
right wing. He lives alone in the house he once shared with his wife and
son. Grumpy and dogmatic, he doesn't have many friends. He is saddened by
his difficult relationship with his son, although he considers this Jake's
fault. Jake's charm is inherited from his father, as are his scathing
one-liners. Murray seems only to use the latter on his son.
Murray and his wife Ruth had Jake late. Ruth wasn't conventionally maternal
and only had Jake under duress. When she left Murray, she moved in with
relatives and promised to fetch Jake when she was more settled but never
did. In reality, she just wasn't very interested in him. Murray looked
after Jake as best he could, but this didn't extend to showing him much
affection.
The truth of Murray's feelings is more difficult and complex. Murray's
business advice often has the ring of truth, but that isn't necessarily the
reason for his put-downs. Murray is threatened by Jake's potential success:
What if Jake succeeds where he failed?
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