The Only Two Town Summary

In the short story "The Only One in Town"; written by Jack Ansell, Marcus and Lillian Greenbaum were the only Jews in all of Twosboro. This was a small town of only 1700 people, located in north-central Louisiana. Marcus and his wife were "typical white residents" of Twosboro despite being the only Jews: they owned and operated a clothing and dry-goods store, they socialized with the white community and whites made up most of their customers. Marcus found himself to be the only white man in town who wasn't signed up as a member of the White Citizens Council. Signing up for this symbolic council was the only way to show your loyalty to the white population of Twosboro. Marcus Greenbaum made an ignorant decision when he neglected to join the
The family "owned and operated one of the two dry-goods stores on [their] street...as had Marcus' father before him." During all of this time in Twosboro, Marcus was not too concerned with his Jewish roots: "In Twosboro [Marcus] so often forgot he was a Jew." When Marcus had to decide whether or not he should sign the petition, he immediately turned to his Jewish roots to help him: "I cannot put my name to this injustice because I am a Jew." How could a man, who never practiced Judaism, just decide out of nowhere that he would follow his religion in this particular situation? You can't simply decide when to be Jewish. Some people will disagree and say that a racist town is no place for a Jew, no matter how observant he is. This position is completely flawed. Marcus Greenbaum and his father lived in Twosboro for several decades. This was a place where blacks were brutally abused by whites. During all this time, did Marcus ever consider leaving? No, he didn't. Marcus continued to live in Twosboro; he worked in Twosboro and ignored the injustices that occurred in Twosboro. The only time when he thought about Judaism was when Marcus found himself in a dangerous position.

In conclusion, Marcus Greenbaum was wrong for not signing the petition. Marcus was a narcissist and was behaving selfishly because he endangered the life of his wife Lillian. Also, Marcus used his Jewish values to justify his decision, despite the fact that he almost never practiced the religion. Marcus risked the fate of his business and even his wife's life, but for what end? His choice had practically no affect on the city of Twosboro. The town remained the same, except it no longer had any Jews. The Greenbaums left Twosboro to escape the peril that Marcus' decision had caused