On Identity Dilemma Of The Jewish Americans In Philip Roth's Novels

Philip Roth(1933-2018)is one of the most famous Jewish writers in the history of contemporary American literature.In his early works,Roth used to be controversial due to his shaping the role of many Jewish rebels,such as the Brenda in Goodbye,Columbus(1959).However,Roth's creation has been changed with the emergence of the third migration of Jewish generation and the recovery period of American Jewish literature.The publication of The Counterlife(1986)is considered as a turning point in Roth's entire creative career.In The Counterlife(1986),Roth describes the process about how Henry and Nathan lost and returned to their Jewish identity.At that time,Roth began to reexamine himself and transformed the investigation towards Jewish identity into his creation.What's more,Roth's ideas of the Jewish identity transformation are further confirmed in his documentary novel Patrimony: A True Story(1992).The main body of this thesis is composed of three chapters.The first chapter mainly analyzes the loss of Jewish identity in Roth's early works by analyzing his debut publication Goodbye,Columbus.The thesis points out that under the impact of American culture,the early protagonists have gained recognition from American society by deliberately eliminating their Jewish mark and rejecting their Jewish compatriots.Furthermore,they even ignore traditional Jewish cultural dogma and advocate American liberal culture,which result in a broken family and tensed parental relationship.At that time,Roth stood in the opposite of the Jewish identity,escaping his Jewish identity.The second chapter mainly interprets the transformation of Roth's creation by analyzing The Counterlife(1986),which is a turning point in his entire creative career that is,beginning to pursue Jewish identity.The thesis points out that the protagonists begin to respect their traditional Jewish culture and realize the importance of it.The white supremacy in America,the strong thought of Anti-Semitism in Britain and bloody atmosphere in Israel,all prompt American Jews to begin to reexamine themselves.What's more,the intermarriage between different ethnic groups and the moderate relationship between brothers also prompt their consciousness awakening.At that time,Roth began his search for Jewish identity.The third chapter further confirms Roth's creative change through the analysis of hisdocumentary novel Patrimony: A True Story(1992).The thesis points out that the protagonist Roth not only remolds his own Jewish image,but also changes his views on his father,and further establishes a relaxing father-son relation.What's more,this story also shows strong Jewish cultural atmosphere with the emergence of the redeemed Jewish theme and the shaping of the image of traditional Jewish women.At that time,Roth was no longer a traditional Jewish rebel,but stood on a higher level to examine Jewishness.