Everyman
by Philip Roth
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Book Summary Information
Author: Philip RothEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2006-04
ISBN: 061873516X
Number of pages: 192
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Book Reviews of Everyman
Book Review: "Just as he'd feared from the start"
Summary: 4 Stars
I have avoided reading Phillip Roth for so long now, it was becoming a point of pride - so many people liked him so unreservedly that I was sure he wouldn't appeal to me. Additionally, in every review I've ever read about any of his works, the characters he chose to write about sounded distateful and the manner of writing self-indulgent. Since the conclusion usually was that Roth was his characters, I felt even less reason to seek him out. I also believed, fairly or unfairly, that Roth began writing at a time that was so buttoned up and reserved that the nature of his explicit work garnered him undue attention, and that graphic sex and foul language masked an average talent. Once his reputation was sealed though, he became an icon and too difficult to dislodge.
Over the years, I have often picked his books up off the shelves, chastising myself for not investing the time to see what the hubbub was all about, but eventually replaced them as I remembered just how turned off I was after reading one review or another. I suppose graphic depictions of sexual activities have their place in literature, but personally I don't believe it's justified nearly as much as it takes place. When I run across those scenes, I usually feel as though the author is trying to manipulate me by trying to excite me - and I really rather they didn't do that.
Anyway, back to Roth: Maybe this is the kinder, genter, mellower Roth, because there was only one mention of a graphic sexual nature - one that was so totally unnecessary (and surprising, given that up to that point there had been none) that it bordered on the ludicrous. It literally jarred me out of the story, and it took some effort to get back into the narrative. I can't believe any author hopes that happens to his readers.
Aside from this incident, the rest of the story follows a man, an 'everyman' as Roth might have us believe, who is waning in life and power, who has reached the last stage of his life, full of regrets and afraid of death. He has no belief system in place, and has cut himself off from nearly everyone. Even those he's remained close to are not in the position to relieve his anxieties anymore.
If all this sounds like a bit of a downer, it is, up to a point. It's only in the last few pages where Roth provides for his character to finally grow up. A secular man, nonetheless our 'everyman' finds a very ancient comfort to guide him into the next stage, and steps forward to (unknowingly) accept his fate with a maturity lacking for his entire life.
I get the feeling the 'Everyman's' intended audience is Phillip Roth. If so, I hope he finds real comfort in the ending he's constructed. Though I could not relate to nearly any detail in this everyman's life, Roth made me empathize completely with the idea of a man approaching the end of his life who has regrets and looks forward with fear and dread. I can even say I sympathized with him - we all do things that have hurt others, though we may not have wanted it to turn out that way. To be consumed with obsessions to the point of ignoring the people who are important to us is an American pastime, and Roth's everyman has to face up to a lifetime of it. Because of this, it's easy to believe that for him, "Old age isn't a battle, it's a massacre."
'Everyman' won't make me run out and buy up the rest of Roth's work, though I can now say that I'm no longer unfairly prejudiced against him. Regardless of what I may have thought in the past, he is definitely talented enough as a writer to illuminate this everyman, and whether it's a self portrait or not, Roth effectively points the reader right to the heart of his character.
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