Inquiry II B
The Inquiry II B essay was one a spent a great deal of time thinking about and at first struggled to find the right topic to divulge into. Eventually I decided to try and understand Roth’s motives behind making Coleman Silk pretending not just white, but also Jewish. This was very intriguing to me, as it didn’t quite make sense that you would hide being a persecuted race just to decide to be another persecuted group. As I began to research I discovered that Roth himself was Jewish and many of characters in other books also were Jewish. This made a lot of sense, but he had other reasons for creating the Jewish faux-title. The paper was difficult in the fact that I could never know for sure why exactly Roth chose Coleman to fake being Jewish. It was also difficult because I myself am not Jewish and I had to do a lot of research about the Jewish religion as a whole. Overall I think I did a good job of unearthing my question and learned a lot about Silk as a character and the Jewish religion to boot.
Over the course of history, the Jewish religion has been one of the most persecuted groups to walk the face of the Earth. Jewish oppression can be dated back to 580 AD when King Nebuchadnezzar conquered the Jewish holy land of Jerusalem, exiled thousands of Jewish families and burned the first Jewish temple. Since this time, Jews have been mercilessly tortured and discriminated against by many different groups all over the world. Their cities have been burned to the ground by numerous armies, practicing of their religion has been severely if not totally restricted, and they have been disbanded and banished from their homes on numerous occasions. Jewish persecution spiraled its way through history culminating with the atrocities committed during the 1920’s by Hitler during the Holocaust. This unprecedented level of oppression is what makes Phillip Roth’s decision in The Human Stain to make Coleman Silk pass as a white Jew so fascinating. Coleman came from an African American family during a time when blacks faced horrendous persecution in their own right and his choice to fake being a member of one of the most notoriously persecuted groups in history appears counter productive. In all actuality, Coleman’s decision is one based on the past of Phillip Roth, the idea of the American dream and the pessimism shared by Jews.
When analyzing why Coleman Silk chose to pass as a Jew, it is first important to learn the background of Phillip Roth. “Philip Milton Roth was born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1933, the son of American-born parents and the grandson of European Jews who were part of the nineteenth-century wave of immigration to the United States” (Roth Society). His Jewish heritage can be seen as a major influence behind the majority of his books, which primarily focus around the modern Jewish experience in American society. The Human Stain is included in Roth’s series of novels known as the “American trilogy”, which explores the social, political and mental conflicts surrounding late 20th century America through the tales of Jewish main characters.
Roth’s use of Jewish characters, specifically Silk in The Human Stain, was used as a gateway to highlight Roth’s affinity for the Jewish people and to embrace the idea of the American dream. When Coleman was faced with the choice to pass, there was no need for him to also claim to be Jewish. He could have simply told people that he was a white atheist and nobody would have though anything of it. Instead Roth decided to make Coleman chose to hold the Jewish title and this was done to reinforce Coleman’s struggle to attain success. The American dream is the idea that anyone and anybody can become successful and there is no better example than a discriminated African American passing as a Jew, one of the most notoriously discriminated groups in history. The timing of Coleman’s decision is also of extreme importance because it came shortly after the events of the Holocaust. This was the absolute lowest point in Jewish history and Roth was well aware. It gave Roth an opportunity to give Coleman another reason to not succeed. Coleman’s faux-religion was in the process of recovering from one of the worst atrocities in human history and his ability to become the first Jewish professor at Athena College even further cemented his amazing climb to the top.
The incredible amount of success Coleman experienced was also a testament to Coleman’s resiliency in battling adversity. He had to make the decision early on in his life to cut all ties with his family and forge his own way into the world. He had nobody to rely on but himself and found his way to become a highly successful individual. This sense of resiliency is central to the Jewish people who have battled through unparalleled hardships throughout their history and still remain one of the top religions in the world today. “According to a study by Hebrew University’s Professor Sergio DellaPergola, the global Jewish population reached 13.75 million in the past year, with an increase of 88,000 people” (Silverman). The Jewish people had all the excuses in the world to disband and stop practicing their faith, but even after every horrific event of persecution they kept strong and remained intact. Roth wanted Coleman to fake being a Jew not only to personify the American Dream, but also to reinforce his mental toughness and resiliency.
Roth’s decision to make Coleman Silk fake being a white Jew was not one without meaning. First, it is important to understand Roth’s Jewish heritage and his history for incorporating Jewish characters into his works. Although he didn’t make Silk pretend to be Jewish just for the sake of having a Jewish character, instead it added important elements to his character. By having him pretend to be a Jew it further personified the American Dream. Jews already had horrific history of persecution and were trying to rebound from the atrocities of the Holocaust, which made Silk’s rise to success that much more impressive. The Jewish title was also used as a symbol for Coleman’s mental toughness. Like the Jewish people, Coleman experienced many hardships and tragedies in his life that he could have not have gone through without being resilient and headstrong. Although it appeared Roth gave Coleman Silk the fake Jewish title for no apparent reason, it is quite evident that his decision was filled with much deeper meaning and symbolism.
Over the course of history, the Jewish religion has been one of the most persecuted groups to walk the face of the Earth. Jewish oppression can be dated back to 580 AD when King Nebuchadnezzar conquered the Jewish holy land of Jerusalem, exiled thousands of Jewish families and burned the first Jewish temple. Since this time, Jews have been mercilessly tortured and discriminated against by many different groups all over the world. Their cities have been burned to the ground by numerous armies, practicing of their religion has been severely if not totally restricted, and they have been disbanded and banished from their homes on numerous occasions. Jewish persecution spiraled its way through history culminating with the atrocities committed during the 1920’s by Hitler during the Holocaust. This unprecedented level of oppression is what makes Phillip Roth’s decision in The Human Stain to make Coleman Silk pass as a white Jew so fascinating. Coleman came from an African American family during a time when blacks faced horrendous persecution in their own right and his choice to fake being a member of one of the most notoriously persecuted groups in history appears counter productive. In all actuality, Coleman’s decision is one based on the past of Phillip Roth, the idea of the American dream and the pessimism shared by Jews.
When analyzing why Coleman Silk chose to pass as a Jew, it is first important to learn the background of Phillip Roth. “Philip Milton Roth was born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1933, the son of American-born parents and the grandson of European Jews who were part of the nineteenth-century wave of immigration to the United States” (Roth Society). His Jewish heritage can be seen as a major influence behind the majority of his books, which primarily focus around the modern Jewish experience in American society. The Human Stain is included in Roth’s series of novels known as the “American trilogy”, which explores the social, political and mental conflicts surrounding late 20th century America through the tales of Jewish main characters.
Roth’s use of Jewish characters, specifically Silk in The Human Stain, was used as a gateway to highlight Roth’s affinity for the Jewish people and to embrace the idea of the American dream. When Coleman was faced with the choice to pass, there was no need for him to also claim to be Jewish. He could have simply told people that he was a white atheist and nobody would have though anything of it. Instead Roth decided to make Coleman chose to hold the Jewish title and this was done to reinforce Coleman’s struggle to attain success. The American dream is the idea that anyone and anybody can become successful and there is no better example than a discriminated African American passing as a Jew, one of the most notoriously discriminated groups in history. The timing of Coleman’s decision is also of extreme importance because it came shortly after the events of the Holocaust. This was the absolute lowest point in Jewish history and Roth was well aware. It gave Roth an opportunity to give Coleman another reason to not succeed. Coleman’s faux-religion was in the process of recovering from one of the worst atrocities in human history and his ability to become the first Jewish professor at Athena College even further cemented his amazing climb to the top.
The incredible amount of success Coleman experienced was also a testament to Coleman’s resiliency in battling adversity. He had to make the decision early on in his life to cut all ties with his family and forge his own way into the world. He had nobody to rely on but himself and found his way to become a highly successful individual. This sense of resiliency is central to the Jewish people who have battled through unparalleled hardships throughout their history and still remain one of the top religions in the world today. “According to a study by Hebrew University’s Professor Sergio DellaPergola, the global Jewish population reached 13.75 million in the past year, with an increase of 88,000 people” (Silverman). The Jewish people had all the excuses in the world to disband and stop practicing their faith, but even after every horrific event of persecution they kept strong and remained intact. Roth wanted Coleman to fake being a Jew not only to personify the American Dream, but also to reinforce his mental toughness and resiliency.
Roth’s decision to make Coleman Silk fake being a white Jew was not one without meaning. First, it is important to understand Roth’s Jewish heritage and his history for incorporating Jewish characters into his works. Although he didn’t make Silk pretend to be Jewish just for the sake of having a Jewish character, instead it added important elements to his character. By having him pretend to be a Jew it further personified the American Dream. Jews already had horrific history of persecution and were trying to rebound from the atrocities of the Holocaust, which made Silk’s rise to success that much more impressive. The Jewish title was also used as a symbol for Coleman’s mental toughness. Like the Jewish people, Coleman experienced many hardships and tragedies in his life that he could have not have gone through without being resilient and headstrong. Although it appeared Roth gave Coleman Silk the fake Jewish title for no apparent reason, it is quite evident that his decision was filled with much deeper meaning and symbolism.