"’But there’s no remaking reality,’.... ’Just take it as it comes. Hold your ground and take it as it comes. There’s no other way’". This quotation from Everyman’s main character himself gives a good insight into the theme of this novel. It deals with the limitation of life which at some point becomes real for everyone, and a man’s attempt to escape this reality. The book describes the hard truth that there is no turning back, once you have realized your mistakes, you will have to live with the consequences. For most of his life though, the main character does not accept what he advices his daughter in the previous quote, namely that there is no way around reality. At some point of his life, his only aim is to escape death. Before that, however, he tries to elude growing older, hence starting a race against time, although he knows, he can never win.
As Robert Kastenbaum explains, "[a]nxiety - all anxiety - is rooted in the awareness of our mortality. The consequences are enormous, and reveal themselves in virtually every aspect of individual and cultural life". The protagonist is caught up in a frantic fear of aging which is at the same time connected to a fear of loss. Therefore, he does not immediately realize the damage he has caused to others and to himself. This leads to the thesis that in Philip Roth’s novel Everyman, the main character’s destructive behavior towards relationships, mirrors his desperate attempt to cope with his own aging process.
The first chapter of this analysis will reveal the origin of the main character’s fear of aging by examining the reasons and the development of his anxiety. After that chapter two will discuss these findings in relation to the protagonist’s way of living and his dealing with his own aging process. In the last section the consequences of his behavior will be worked out. Furthermore, the reasons for his increasing loneliness as he grows older and his lonely death will be analyzed.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Analysis
2.1 Origin of Fear of Aging
2.2 Lifestyle and dealing with Aging Process
2.3 Consequences of Behavior
3. Conclusion
4. List of Works Cited
Objectives and Themes
This paper examines Philip Roth's novel Everyman to analyze how the protagonist's destructive behavior in relationships functions as a psychological defense mechanism against his encroaching fear of aging and mortality. It explores the interplay between his traumatic past, his desperate attempts to maintain vitality through affairs with younger women, and his eventual isolation.
- The psychological origin of the fear of aging and mortality.
- The connection between lifestyle choices and the repression of existential anxiety.
- The impact of self-destructive behavior on personal relationships and social isolation.
- The inevitable transition from the denial of death to the acceptance of personal loneliness.
Excerpt from the Book
2.1 Origin of Fear of Aging
The main character’s fear of aging is a deep-seated anxiety, rooted in his early encounters with disease and death. The experience he makes, when he has to stay in the hospital for his hernia operation and the memory of a drowned seaman’s body that had washed up on the beach, basically mark the beginning of his trauma, his frantic fear of death and ultimately also of aging: “Memorable enough that he was in the hospital that young, but even more memorable that he had registered a death. The first was the bloated body, the second was this boy” (Roth 27).
From then on, the inevitability of death starts haunting his thoughts. As Lois Tyson points out, experiences like that unconsciously influence our psyche. Therefore, it may happen that a person’s childhood experiences affect his or her manner of behaving as an adult later on, as it is seen in the protagonist (12).
This trauma continues throughout his life and appears at moments when it is least expected. His fears reappear in him, for example, in the symbol of the sea, when he thinks that he has finally found stability in his life (30). The sea stands for uncontrollable vastness, comparable to the ubiquity of death and symbolizes his fear of losing the solidity of his life. His main problem seems to be that his fear of aging is connected to a fear of instability, loss, and loneliness.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter outlines the central thesis that the protagonist's destructive interpersonal behavior reflects his desperate struggle to cope with the reality of aging.
2. Analysis: This section deconstructs the protagonist's psyche by examining his childhood traumas, his reliance on affairs to assert vitality, and the long-term consequences of his actions.
2.1 Origin of Fear of Aging: This section identifies the roots of the character's anxiety in early life experiences, specifically hospitalizations and encounters with death.
2.2 Lifestyle and dealing with Aging Process: This section explores how the protagonist uses romantic affairs as a distraction and a means to deny his own aging process.
2.3 Consequences of Behavior: This section examines the culmination of the protagonist's actions, leading to his isolation and eventual lonely death.
3. Conclusion: The concluding chapter summarizes how the protagonist's refusal to accept mortality leads to a life defined by regret, ultimately confirming that his chosen lifestyle determined his "death style."
4. List of Works Cited: This section provides the bibliographical references used to support the analysis of the novel.
Keywords
Everyman, Philip Roth, aging, mortality, trauma, fear of death, existential anxiety, loneliness, relationships, lifestyle, self-destruction, abandonment, literary analysis, psychology, vitality.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this academic paper?
The paper focuses on Philip Roth's novel Everyman, analyzing how the main character's fear of aging and death drives his self-destructive behavior in interpersonal relationships.
What are the central thematic fields addressed in the work?
The central themes include the psychological roots of aging anxiety, the denial of mortality, the impact of trauma on adult behavior, and the consequences of lifelong social isolation.
What is the main research question or objective?
The objective is to demonstrate that the protagonist's problematic relationship patterns are not merely personality flaws but are direct reflections of his frantic, failed attempts to escape the inevitable process of growing older.
Which scientific method is utilized in this study?
The paper employs a literary and psychoanalytical approach, using secondary sources and psychological theory to interpret the protagonist's actions and motivations within the narrative of the novel.
What topics are discussed in the main part of the analysis?
The main part analyzes the origins of the protagonist's fear of aging, his reliance on younger women to reclaim a sense of youth, and the eventual realization of his own loneliness at the end of his life.
How would you characterize the primary keywords of the work?
Key terms include "Everyman," "mortality," "trauma," "aging," and "existential anxiety," which collectively highlight the study's focus on the intersection of human psychology and literature.
What role does the "symbol of the sea" play in the protagonist's life?
The sea serves as a recurring symbol for uncontrollable vastness and the ubiquity of death, which triggers the protagonist's fear of instability and the potential loss of his own identity.
Why does the protagonist constantly engage in affairs with younger women?
These affairs serve as a psychological remedy; they provide him with the sexual acknowledgment necessary to deny his aging process and momentarily repress his deep-seated fear of death.
- Quote paper
- Katharina Gerhardt (Author), 2014, "Everyman’s" Drama with Growing Older. An Analysis of the Main Character, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/433237
