Bildung In The Process Of Escaping-an Analysis Of Indignation From The Perspective Of Bildungsroman

Philip Roth is one of the most influential Jewish American writers in moderntimes. Published in2008, Indignation is, once again, his powerful investigation of theliving condition of Jewish Americans, which shows the impact of American historyon the life of the vulnerable individual. By putting the protagonist under the grandhistorical background of Korean War, Roth presents us with the falling of a Jewishyoung boy from an excellent student to his final destruction in his Bildung. Thisthesis selects Indignation as the subject of research, and explores the protagonist’sBildung in the process of escaping, the reasons for his escaping and the failure of hisBildung through detailed textual interpretation from the perspective ofBildungsroman. Indignation is definitely a successful Bildungsroman. It not onlyinherits the old tradition of Bildungsroman, but also revitalizes this novel genre.Although the protagonist finally fails in his Bildung, he experiences growth in theprocess of escaping. His escaping is caused by the joint forces of society and history,and his final state of placelessness is determined by his Jewish identity. His failure inBildung is not the result of personal defects, but the definite production of thatspecific social context.The thesis is composed of six chapters:Chapter one gives a brief introduction of Philip Roth’s life and career, theresearches on Indignation at home and abroad, and the research purpose andsignificance of this thesis.Chapter two provides the theoretical basis of this research, introducingdefinitions on Bildungsroman, academic studies on it, and the feasibility of analyzingIndignation from the perspective of Bildungsroman.Chapter three devotes to the discussion of the protagonist’s Bildung in theprocess of escaping. This part first presents the background and implications of theescaping motif, then analyzes the protagonist’s three strategies of escaping, andfinally probes the protagonist’s Bildung in the process of escaping.Chapter four studies the reasons for the protagonist’s escaping, including the influence of family, the influence of social environment and the influence of theprotagonist’s indignation.Chapter five illustrates the result of the protagonist’s escaping. The failure of hisBildung includes the inescapable “war”, the destruction of the individual, the tragicending of the Jewish family, and the destruction of American dream.Chapter six is a conclusion of this thesis. It holds the idea that Indignation is asuccessful modern Jewish American Bildungsroman. Roth vividly reveals the livingpredicament of modern Jewish Americans through tracing a young boy’s growth. Theprotagonist’s Bildung can serve as a significant guidance in solving problems incontemporary youth’s growth.