"The Brooklyn Reader" Describe the uncomfortable collision of cultures between the chracters in "The Assistant."

In Bernard Malamud's "The Assistant," the characters convey a sense of uncomfortable collision of cultures. The author examines their dissimilarities on issues such as their past, views on family life, displays of affection and their future. The differences between these two characters allow the writer to demonstrate that life is indeed what one makes of it.
First, Malamud depicts the contrasting feelings each character has for their past. He portrays Helen as a woman full of nostalgia in her perspective towards her younger days: "All the night I've been thinking about times we had on thi…