ABSTRACT
The institution of the kibbutz was always treated with the same spirited skepticism and questioning as any of Israel's other national institutions intensely pessimistic portrayals of estrangement and alienation have begun to eclipse more sanguine representations. A remarkable number of Israel's founding generation of writers were raised, or otherwise spent a signifi-cant number of years, on a kibbutz. It should come as little surprise that the kibbutz has long played a pervasive and provocative role in the formation of Israel's literary culture. Murder opens amidst the idyllic surroundings of a veteran kibbutz preparing for a festive celebration of its fiftieth anniversary. Though raised on the kibbutz, Aaron currently has a more officious relationship to the entire movement as the Knesset has recently begun to debate its economic plight. A relatively minor character, Aaron's insider–outsider perspective is nonetheless crucial for establishing the sheer alterity of kibbutz life.
