Everyman
The inevitability of illness and death becomes increasingly palpable as one ages, a reality that often draws older writers to explore these themes. Philip Roth, at seventy-three, is no stranger to personal losses and brushes with mortality. Despite a career marked by explorations of the male body in contexts of both sexuality and illness, Roth's work has long engaged with mortality and the human condition, making him a seasoned observer of life's final act.
The Lure of Mortality in Literature
Reflecting on recent literary works, one finds a rich tapestry of authors delving into the specter of aging, illness, and death. Saul Bellow's Ravelstein and John Updike's Villages offer vivid explorations of these themes. Joan Didion's poignant narrative in The Year of Magical Thinking and the evocative late poems of Stanley Kunitz and Czeslaw Milosz further underscore the preoccupation with these inevitable facets of life. Roth, however, stands apart for his persistent engagement with these subjects throughout his fifty-year career, often portraying the body as a site of both desire and decay.
Roth's Journey with Mortality
Roth's early works set the stage for his lifelong exploration of death and illness. His first story, "The Day It Snowed," reveals a young boy's confrontation with death, followed by his own demise. In the novel Letting Go, a letter from a deceased mother introduces readers to the protagonist's world. The Zuckerman novels, collected in Zuckerman Bound, intricately weave themes of parental death and personal illness, culminating in The Counterlife, which imagines the death of Zuckerman and his brother.
Persistent Themes in Roth's Later Works
As Roth's career progressed, themes of mortality became central. The Facts: A Novelist’s Autobiography emerged from his own breakdown, while Patrimony: A True Story poignantly recounts his father's decline. The narrative of Operation Shylock begins with Roth's own battle with depression, and Sabbath’s Theater confronts death with visceral rage. The American Trilogy, comprising American Pastoral, I Married a Communist, and The Human Stain, continues with an isolated Zuckerman grappling with loss. Roth's focus on mortality culminates in The Dying Animal, addressing the very essence of its title.
“Can you imagine old age?” asks David Kepesh in The Dying Animal. “Of course you can’t. I didn’t. I couldn’t. I had no idea what it was like.”
Everyman's Universality in Roth's Eyes
In his novella, Roth reimagines the medieval morality play Everyman, presenting an unnamed protagonist facing the inexorable march of age. As "Everyman," the character embodies a universal experience, reflecting the common man's journey through life. This figure, bearing the weight of past relationships, career triumphs, and the inevitable decline of age, becomes a poignant reflection of Roth's own narrative arc and a mirror for readers.
Roth describes this work as "very dark," yet it is a masterful blend of art and reality—an intricate tapestry of life's harshest truths. For those who have encountered similar experiences, the novella resonates deeply, offering both empathy and a chilling reminder of mortality.
A Modern Allegory
Roth draws from a rich literary tradition, echoing the voices of Shakespeare, Tolstoy, Mann, and Solzhenitsyn. This tapestry is woven with threads from his previous works, particularly his autobiographical The Facts and Patrimony. The father figure in Everyman recalls Herman Roth, capturing the resilience and nostalgia that permeate Roth's memories.
The familial and personal echoes resonate within the novella, grounded in a philosophy where hard work and indomitability prevail. These values underpin Everyman's reflection on his past and the legacy of his familial bonds—a narrative deeply entwined with Roth's life path.
The Structure of Reflection
The novella's structure...
(This entire section contains 857 words.)
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enhances its emotional impact. Opening with a funeral, it circles back to Everyman's life, culminating in his demise during surgery. This backward glance mirrors the protagonist's introspection, where the past invades the present, and memories blend with reality.
The initial pages, set in a dilapidated cemetery, introduce key themes and characters. Nancy, the daughter, sees the cemetery's decay as a metaphor for her father’s scarred body. Her brother Howie's eulogy is a heartfelt remembrance of their childhood and their father's jewelry store, imbuing the scene with a sense of time's relentless passage.
“Things have rotted and toppled over, the gates are rusted, the locks are gone, there’s been vandalism ... looking around at the deterioration here breaks my heart.”
Life's Hospital Memories
As the narrative unfolds, Everyman reflects on the women who supported him through his surgeries. These medical episodes become touchstones, intertwining with pivotal life events. Adolescence, love, betrayal, familial bonds, and isolation emerge from these reflections, forming a vivid portrait of a life examined.
Visiting his parents' graves, the character engages in an imagined dialogue, seeking redemption and the warmth of maternal approval. These moments reveal the novella's deeper themes—memory, regret, and the longing for a life unfulfilled.
“I’m seventy-one. Your boy is seventy-one,” he confides to his parents, seeking solace in memory.
In Everyman, Roth captures the poignancy of human decline, crafting a narrative rich with longing and introspection. This story of an ordinary man's journey through age, loss, and redemption, imbues the universal with the personal, creating a resonant meditation on life's finality.
Bibliography
- The Atlantic Monthly, May, 2006, p. 120.
- Booklist 102, no. 13 (March 1, 2006): 46.
- The Nation 282, no. 21 (May 29, 2006): 14-16.
- The New Republic 234, no. 19 (May 22, 2006): 28-32.
- New Statesman 135 (April 24, 2006): 44-45.
- The New York Review of Books 53, no. 10 (June 8, 2006): 8-12.
- The New York Times 155 (April 26, 2006): E1-E9.
- The New York Times Book Review 155 (May 7, 2006): 1-10.
- The New Yorker 82, no. 11 (May 1, 2006): 82-87.
- Newsweek 147, no. 18 (May 1, 2006): 63.
- Publishers Weekly 253, no. 8 (February 20, 2006): 132.
- The Washington Post, May 14, 2006, p. BW07.