Ari’s physical abilities, mental toughness, and sharp intellect make him one of the heroes of Israeli independence. If Akiva and Barak represent the two approaches to establishing a Jewish state, Ari is a balance of the two. On the one hand, he is measured, steady, and charismatic, like his father Barak. Like his father, he is able to maintain diplomatic relations with Palestinian Arabs and has a knack for political maneuvering. But like his uncle Akiva, Ari has anger simmering beneath his calm exerior. He has been deeply wounded by the death of his first love, Daphna, and pours every ounce of his anger over it into the effort to establish a safe haven for Jews in Palestine. The balance within Ari’s personality allows him to push the limits of violence and retribution, but never too far. Where Akiva causes deep rifts within his family and the larger Jewish community, Ari is more calculating. By keeping the larger goal of a free Jewish state front and center in his mind, Ari achieves more at less cost and avoids derailing the movement over a need for revenge.  

Ari’s gifts as a soldier and freedom fighter lead to success for Israel, but he is ultimately a tragic character in the story. His goal is so singular and he pursues it so doggedly, it comes at great personal cost. Ari cannot maintain deep relationships. The ones he is closest to, his fellow soldier friends such as David Ben Ami, die in battle. Any potential romantic partnerships, as with Kitty, are truncated because Ari cannot allow himself to be fully vulnerable. In the one moment of the story when Ari allows himself to be vulnerable, just after the news of Karen’s death, he has a complete emotional breakdown. But the leader of the Israeli independence movement cannot afford to have emotional breakdowns, and Ari quickly recovers and buries his grief once again. Ari represents the manifestation of his father Barak’s fears: that Israel’s struggle has produced a generation of strong, fierce, and dedicated fighters, but ones that cannot ever relax, soften, and enjoy the fruits of their struggle.