Are people born bad? If they are, can they gradually become good? These questions are often broached in Bernard Malamud’s novel, The Assistant. Malamud questions human nature and reveals that humans are capable of change if they only want it bad enough. In this novel, Frank Alpine is the quintessential example of how bad can metamorphose into good and innocent. Frank Alpine is introduced to the reader as a suspicious character. He wanders around Sam Pearl’s store and occasionally Morris Bober’s store. He seems lonely and melancholy. He ....