Everyman by Philip Roth

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Also available in Drew University Library, Call Number 813 R8455e 

The Everyman play has its origins in 16 th century English literature. It is an allegorical story that details the relationship of—aptly—every man and death. That said, Philip Roth's novel of the same title follows in the tradition of affirming the human condition to deteriorate and ultimately, die. The main character, nameless and progressively down-trodden, is forced to accept his own deterioration, the inevitability that many fear.

It sounds pretty morbid and depressing. Well, in a nutshell, Everyman is. But let's not jump the gun and write this novel off as not worth reading. After all, in today's world, a disheartening tale is all we need. But that is if we want to believe that all tales of death are the same. Roth's narrative brings the reader solace in a more somber, but wholly satisfying, manner. The tragedy in itself is a classic genre in literature and when done well, can truly give a reader insight into what makes a human pitiable. To experience the winter of one's life can't be all bad, after all dying is a part of living. It has meaning and substance to us as humans. But in Roth's novel, this withering of body and soul as experienced by his anonymous protagonist, the only thing alive any longer is nostalgia for the past, for a virile youth that tossed him through three marriages. His life of licentiousness turns viciously full circle when he finds, during his last days alone, distraught and only finding solace in the cemetery talking with a gravedigger.

To say that there is more to the story would not be a lie, but the piece de resistance of the novel is death and dealing with its onset. What makes reading a novel about this dark subject worthwhile is Roth's prowess as a writer. As the reader follows the gradual digression of Roth's main character, so does his attitude towards the character digress as well. By the end of the novel you feel his awkwardness in his own body and disgust as he tries, in his old and decrepit state, to seduce a young girl.

For a novel like Everyman death and all that it entails in our minds can be the only sanctuary and true resolve. Philip Roth tackles this dark subject in a way that may not leave you feeling happily—per se—at its conclusion, but feeling deeply about it nonetheless.