Letting go
the curious case of Philip Roth’s mature immaturity
Keywords:
the Self, subjectivity, individuality, controlAbstract
In his work, Philip Roth sets forth the idea that the Self’s subjectivity is possible only within the domain of the interhuman, or in other words, in interaction with other subjects. Every time his characters adopt the stance of radical and programmatic individuality, which inevitably entails isolation of the Self, Roth subjects the respective characters to scathing criticism. The self instinctively adopts defensive strategies to forestall the multitude of threats that could compromise its integrity. In Roth’s take on it, however, when this becomes the dominant modus operandi in social interaction, the self relinquishes its individuality and status of a subject and personality and turns into an object, a victim to illusory threats. Besides, the Self perceiving itself as an object usually perceives other individuals as objects to be manipulated and used in the project of radical individuality whose aim is to ensure the Self’s integrity. Eventually, the project fails and the drive to manipulate is exposed as egregious folly in a world where nothing is within the individual’s control. Within such an ontological reality, the only viable strategy is for the Self to lower its guard and dive into the vortex of social interaction and the domain of the interhuman. In Roth’s view, this is the only road to attaining subjectivity.
References
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