Ok I Said I Was Gonna Talk About Mushnik So Im Gonna Talk About Mushnik

Ok i said i was gonna talk about Mushnik so im gonna talk about Mushnik

The general consensus in the fandom seems to be that he’s a shitty dad and a Jewish stereotype. But I think that is a gross oversimplification. He isn’t greedy and money grubbing, he’s a poor business owner trying to survive on Skid Row. Yes Mushnik was being deliberately emotionally manipulative by offering to adopt Seymour just for the money, but he needed that money to survive, before the plant he had just officially announced he was closing the shop. The line before Mushnik & Son isn’t “man i really love money so i guess ill adopt him cause thats how much i love money” the line is “If Seymour left me, why then I’d be right back where i started which was broke and starving, close to bankrupt. Beset befuddled and bereft, thats what I’d be if Seymour left.” I actually equate his decision in that scene more to how Audrey acts towards Orin. He’s fawning to appease someone who he is now financially dependent on. In fact it’s also how Seymour acted towards Mushnik back when he was dependent on Mushnik.

It’s true that he doesn’t treat Seymour as well as he could, but it’s not because he’s an inherently bad person. His relationship with Seymour is complicated. As Seymour says: “he took me in gave me shelter a bed crust of bread and a job, treats me like dirt, calls me a slob which I am.” The first half of this line could be written off as Seymour making excuses for Mushnik, but taking in a kid and providing for him is not easy or cheap, even if he took the path of least resistance. And the meager living he provides can be attributed to his financial situation. He probably only gives Seymour “meatloaf and water” because thats what he can afford. Seymour refers to those as “nice things” because he wouldn’t be able to get them anywhere else. One could easily argue that Mushnik only took him in for cheap labor, but once again, everyone on skid row is in pretty extreme poverty, I wouldn’t expect that Mushnik had much of a choice.

The only problem here is the fact that Mushnik is mean to Seymour and yells at him. And yeah that sucks, but I don’t think it’s grounds to hate him altogether. I wouldn’t even consider him cruel, just strict and… kinda grumpy. Understandable traits for a man desperately trying to manage a failing business that’s his only source of income. Scolding Seymour for doing something like breaking a ton of pots is pretty understandable for someone who probably has to manage his finances extremely carefully, especially when not only Mushnik’s livelihood depends on the shop, but Seymour’s and Audrey’s as well. Im not saying its a stellar parenting technique, but it’s likely that Mushnik’s attitude comes from the frustration of struggling to provide for his employees as well as himself.

If Mushnik is really just greedy and mean, we would have to see him acting this way when he isn’t under extreme financial stress, luckily he gets some money so we can see how he responds. And the MINUTE they get a customer in the shop, the first thing Mushnik does is offer to buy Seymour and Audrey dinner. Not only does he suddenly become generous, but he calls them his “children.” Clearly his attitude is also based on his financial strain. Also when the shop isn’t on the line, Mushnik is consistently caring towards his employees. He goes out of his way to look out for Audrey’s safety even when she tries to avoid the conversation.

Also the movie did him dirty and portrayed him as greedy by having him try to take the plant from Seymour, where in the original he’s trying to help him and Twoey drives Seymour to paranoia.

Basically yeah I am a proud Mushnik apologist, if Mushnik has no fans, im in the plant.