Jewish Identity in the Human Stain.
The core of Philip Roths the Human Stain is the controversy of a black man who passed off as a Jewish man for more than 40 years, fooling his wife and 4 children as well as all the people around him, from the academe department he worked for as well as the community he lived with. This paper wants to highlight how this is possible. The paper wants to understand if the story highlight how easy it is to acquire a Jewish identity. Is there no significant depth with being Jewish such that a person can be a Jewish just by saying hes one and acting like one There would be portions that discuss the Black identity as well, as this is a major theme of the story and it is very significant to understanding the Jewish identity. This paper would start with a discussion of the concept of cultural identity and racial development in the United States.
Concept of Cultural Identity and Racial Development
An individuals conception of what group he belongs in lies in his ethnic or religious identity, and despite the circumstances in his life, he would always find value and emotional significance to this identity (Galkina, 1997). By practicing their own cultural traditions and values, engaging with their religious and familial neighborhood as well as educational communities, minorities feel a positive sense of their ethnic identity and find a sense of confidence (Chavez Guido-DiBrito, 1999).
On the other hand, they also must filter their identity through negative treatment and stereotypes in relation to their race, which makes them feel they have a less of a status because of their different ethnic make-up compared to the mainstream society (Chavez Guido-DiBrito, 1999). Despite the contrast between the minorities and the mainstream, the fact that everyone has an advantage when they develop a conscious ethnic identity remains, especially when they are in learning environments that abide with a multicultural framework (Chavez Guido-DiBrito).
Cross (1991) supposed that self-conception is developed through the two components of personal identity and reference group orientation. Personal identity is the individuals general personality features such as psychopathology and self-esteem while reference group orientation pertains to the individuals membership to several social groups based on common factors like race, gender, religion and others more. For example, blackness or the black identity is influenced more by the reference group orientation as it reflects the salience of race as well as the valence given to race (Cross).
Blacks can be divided among those who give race much, little or no importance. According to Cross (1991), a positive reference group orientation towards ones own race does not necessarily mean a high self-esteem or low esteem if the positive reference group orientation is towards another race (blacks comparing themselves to whites).
Another important theory of racial-ethnic identity development is the Parham Model (1989). According to this theory, ethnic groups go through cycles of hatred toward the majority groups and then later on establish a positive framed of reference. According to the model, the exposure to the associated negative differential treatment to racial difference is the trigger for this cycle. However, the supposition of this triggering factor is criticized by those who believed that immersion in ones culture is the factor that stimulates ones transference towards his racial identity (Chavez Guido-DiBrito, 1999).
Another renowned racial identity model is the White Racial Identity Model by Helms (1993 1994 1995). This is one of the first white racial models. She finds the earlier racial identity models dependence on stages to analyze racial identification to be too limiting. Rather, she decided that statuses would explain more about the white racial identity. She posits that there exists a superiority of the white race, as well as the presence of individual, cultural and institutional racism.
The theory posits that a white individual progresses through three statuses. According to this theory, a white individual comes from a racist position before going through the three statuses to become someone with a non-racist white identity (Helms, 1993). This theory is helpful in showing that interracial exposure facilitates the development of racial identity. However, this theory had been criticized for not in reality explaining the development of a white individuals consciousness towards his or her racial identity. It had only talked about whites perception and feelings toward blacks changing from a racist point to a non-racist frame and used this as a basis for the development of the white racial identity (Chavez Guido-DiBrito, 1999).
All these discussed models described the intersection between racism and racial development, or how the perception of others towards ones race (white or black) influenced the development of the individuals self-perception. It would also be important to look at the different ethnic identity development models or the models that center on what individuals discover about their own culture from their interaction with their family and community.
Ethnic identity is the identity an individual has that is developed from belonging to a common culture, religion, geographic location as well as common language. Strong connection or loyalty towards this commonality and proximity leads to the formation of a strong ethnic identity (Torres, 1996). Evidences of ethnic identity are shared rituals, symbols and behaviors within a group that emerges from values, beliefs and assumptions held by the group (Ott, 1989). Ethnic identity development models would therefore delineate the common attributes that can be found within a particular ethnic group.
Katzs (1989) model centers on the white ethnic identity and worldview. She describes fifteen values and perspectives common in the while American cultural identity. Her theory provides subsequent analyzers a pattern that says Americans regard the concept of time as linear, that they have a win-lose frame of thinking, and values independence, autonomy and competition among several patterns.
Aside from providing a description of the white ethnic group, Katzs (1989) model conceives that individuals who have these common beliefs among themselves connect with others difficultly, which explains why whites tend to believe they are superior. Unlike the white racial identity model, this model does not simplistically claim that whites are born racist. However, the model is not able to identify the triggers or outline the process involved on how the whites become conscious of their ethnic identity either. Although the model does not merely describe the common patterns of a particular group, its analysis of the group does not go as far as what is needed from this model. Furthermore, the models applicability is again confined only to a particular group.
One model that set to provide a description of ethnic identity that could be identified in all ethnic groups is the one by Phinney (1990). According to this theory, every minority ethnic group or the group non-dominant in a particular country must first filter and fight through stereotypes and prejudice against their group, which are detrimental to their process of self-conception or self-identification. Aside from this, the group must also reconcile the differences and conflict between the dominant and the non-dominant value systems as well as resolve how the members of the minority group fight for a bicultural value system.
This model is successful in laying out the real triggers involved in the emergence of ones consciousness regarding his or her ethnic identity. The limitation of this model lies in the insufficient argument regarding the positive influence of immersing in ones own culture, which could be very important in the resolution of the two problems outlined by Phinneys model (1990) regarding the negative prejudice a minority has to go through and resolve and the differences between their value system against the value system of the dominant group.
Concept of Jewish Identity
In the United States, Jews made up one of the many ethnic groups in the United States. However, unlike other ethnic groups and although they barely reach 3 of the total American population, they are deeply integrated with the social American mainstream (Lipset Raab, 1995). There are three types of Jews in the United States. The first type are the Core Jews, who are Jews clearly defining themselves as belonging to this group, and people within the same household acknowledge this (Goldstein Kosmin, 1992). The second type of Jews is those people with Jewish Background, people born or raised Jewish but identify with another group or religion. The third type of Jews is individuals living with Jews such as their spouses or children of mixed marriages, although they have no Jewish background. To be more or less acknowledged as Jews, majority view that engaging in synagogue assistance or membership is already a clear indication of their Jewish identifications. Others treat engaging in synagogue already part of ethnic and communal sphere (Horowitz, 2003).
According to Winter (1992), the Jewish identity is always described as both a religion and an ethnicity simultaneously. Jewish identifications have been differentiated into two expressions public and private (Hartman, 2001). Each of these expressions has their own dimensions of Jewish commitments and behaviors (Horowitz, 2003).
The Jewish identity has another unique element. This is in terms of socialization and group cohesion (Cohen, 1998). They have to have a proportion of Jewish friends and the place of his residence has to have Jewish character (Winter, 1992). For Jewish people, it is important to have links or support system composing of other Jewish during dire circumstances (Hartman and Hartman, 1999). Most Jewish people have an identity of treating anti-Semitism as a serious problem and have uncertainty toward intermarriage (Lazerwitz et al, 1998).
Another component of Jewish identification is parochial education. A Jewish persons educational background reflects and signifies the identity on his parents as well as the parents level of desire to transmit a sense of distinct ethno-religious heritage (Pergola Schmelz, 1989). Barack-Fishman and Goldstein (1993) illustrated how there is a significant relationship between Jewish education and the level of Jewish identification among adults. They illustrated that having Jewish education heightens an adults Jewish identification. Barack-Fishman and Goldstein measured Jewish education by looking at the type of school and duration of enrollment. They focused more on formal education than look at Bart Mitzvah celebrations and their adults participation in adult education programs.
Analysis of the Human Stain
The Human Stain is Philip Roths last volume in his trilogy on postwar America, preceded by the American Pastoral (1997) and I Married a Communist (1998). The Human Stain focused on post-war American preoccupations, ranging from race relations to identity politics. This book tells the story of a man and the tragedy that befalls his life, made interesting with secrets and revelations after the persons death, in which it could be said the past he longed to erased actually catches up with him even upon demise.
The Human Stain talks of a tragic protagonist named Coleman Brutus Silk, who at age seven, already devoted his life to teaching classics and to being a dean of the faculty at New England towns Athena College. It was illustrated in the beginning that Coleman Brutus Silk was a Jew, and only the few of the Jews invited to be on the Athena faculty. He was also one of the few Jews first to get the chance to teach and be part of the classics department anywhere.
Coleman Brutus Silks personal tragedy began a day five weeks into a semester. That day, two students were late in his class, and while they have not come in yet, Coleman made a remark alluding to them. He said, Does anyone know these people Do they exist or are they spooks This was misconstrued as a racist comment despite Silks adamant explanation that it was just a casual comment, in which the term spooks was only pertaining to ghosts. When he was labeled as a racist, this led to a scandal. When his wife died, Silk claimed that the scandal and harassment they suffered killed his wife, so he resigned from the college and severe all the ties with the institution.
Silk then engaged in an affair with Faunia Farley, a 34-year-old janitor. The harassment continued even though he was starting anew, and this affair was exposed and turned into a public scandal by the ambitious Yale-educated literary theorist, Delphine Roux. This was the same person who led the attack aggressively against the professor over the alleged racism his remarked had caused. Silk even received an anonymous letter that said, over the affair that, Everyone knows youre sexually exploiting an abused, illiterate woman half your age.
Silk, in his attempt to clear his name and get the scandal off, planned to write a book relaying his own version of what happened on that fateful day when he referred to his students as spooks, and the following events. He planned to entitle the book Spooks. However, he find himself uncapable of doing it. He turned to his neighbor and professional author, Nathan Zuckerman for ears, and told his story and version of events. He wanted his neighbor to write the story for him but Nathan refused. So Coleman did it himself, but when he finished, he realized that he do not want it published.
Nevertheless, when Coleman got killed, Nathan decided to go forth with the idea and piece the story of his friends life and death and come the novel called the Human Stain. In this book, Nathan relayed the events in his friends life, and shockingly revealed a secret of Coleman with regard to the professors real identity.
Silks secret was something he kept from his colleagues and friends, and most shockingly of all, even from his family. The professor turned out to be not a Jew after all. Instead, he is a light-skinned African American who had lived for the majority of life as a Jew. He kept this secret very well that Kaddish was even recited at his funeral. Not even his wife and children were let in on the secret.
In this revelation, Nathan uncovered a life that is fascinating and deeply representative of American society. The line the truth will always come out is true here. Silk was actually the descendants of Southern Negro slaves and his father was an optician until his business went bust, so his father had to work as a dining car waiter until he died. His mother was the first colored head nurse on any floor of any hospital in Newark City. But because, several inter-racial unions characterized Silks heritage, his complexion became a pleasant shade, which the author described as the color of eggnog, and this advantage allowed him to pass off as white and a Jew.
The incorporation of this twist by Roth made the fiction interesting, not even the scandal along the issue of racism and sexual exploitation can compare. The novel became powerful and disturbing, not really because of all the drama involved in Silks life or that he was killed, but because all these happened because he was thought of as a Jew. Furthermore, the fact that he is a Black make it more seem absurd that he would make a racist comment against his Black students, even though he hated being Black so much, or uncomfortable with it that he had to assume a Jewish identity.
Then again, if he could display such ruthlessness when he cut off his mother, and his identity makes it seem he cannot be just a victim of political correctness when he got harassed back in school. If he hated his identity that much, then it probably means he hated his Black students as much and can make such racist comments. .
Furthermore, although by revealing to the readers that he was innocent for the racial slurs because of his real identity, this make it strikingly obvious that some Blacks, like Coleman Silk, would choose to pass of as white just to enjoy the privileges, or avoid the complexities of being black. Coleman Silk symbolized those people that do not care, or do not have the guts to fight the injustices that deny his race or people their humanity. He symbolizes those people that would rather bend to the will of others and honor those that are doing these injustice against his people.
Coleman Silk chose a simpler life and assumed an identity that enables him to marry a white woman, engage in a career as a college professor and live the American dream without fear or challenges. However, because keeping ones identity is never a good idea, his past comes to hunt him with a series of events that led to the vanishing of all his comforts in life. Ironically, racial slurs against blacks have to be the case when he is a black person himself.
Issue of identity in the story
It can be seen in the story that the plot, although it seems like just any other story with drama in the start, revolved around the complexities of identities in the United States. On the one hand, it highlighted the plight of those with African identity such that the lighter skinned ones have to hide it, which is still much of a reality today. On the other hand, it highlighted the complexities of being a Jew. It makes it seem that the Jewish identity is so complex and vague that anyone can adapt or pass off as one without being caught until they die and have their identities be revealed in a book (technically, if youre going to be basing it on the story).
The novel highlighted as well the negativity associated with being Jewish such that Coleman has to die because of an identity he assumed. It was interesting to see through the interplay of events as well, the mixing and converging of the subjects of blacks and Jews, which is actually in reality, united by certain bond of alienation. Below are theories of cultural identities in the United States that could be used as foundation over the identity issue of the story.
Reading the story of Silk in the Human Stain and by studying the different models of cultural identity as well as the Jewish identity emphasized how cultural identity is a very sensitive issue. I learned that sometimes, some people would really want to pass off as someone they are not, even if it means turning their backs on their own identities, which could never be altered. The story makes it seem that passing off as a Jew is easy. However, no one can really escape his or her own identities, as well as their pasts.
Concept of Cultural Identity and Racial Development
An individuals conception of what group he belongs in lies in his ethnic or religious identity, and despite the circumstances in his life, he would always find value and emotional significance to this identity (Galkina, 1997). By practicing their own cultural traditions and values, engaging with their religious and familial neighborhood as well as educational communities, minorities feel a positive sense of their ethnic identity and find a sense of confidence (Chavez Guido-DiBrito, 1999).
On the other hand, they also must filter their identity through negative treatment and stereotypes in relation to their race, which makes them feel they have a less of a status because of their different ethnic make-up compared to the mainstream society (Chavez Guido-DiBrito, 1999). Despite the contrast between the minorities and the mainstream, the fact that everyone has an advantage when they develop a conscious ethnic identity remains, especially when they are in learning environments that abide with a multicultural framework (Chavez Guido-DiBrito).
Cross (1991) supposed that self-conception is developed through the two components of personal identity and reference group orientation. Personal identity is the individuals general personality features such as psychopathology and self-esteem while reference group orientation pertains to the individuals membership to several social groups based on common factors like race, gender, religion and others more. For example, blackness or the black identity is influenced more by the reference group orientation as it reflects the salience of race as well as the valence given to race (Cross).
Blacks can be divided among those who give race much, little or no importance. According to Cross (1991), a positive reference group orientation towards ones own race does not necessarily mean a high self-esteem or low esteem if the positive reference group orientation is towards another race (blacks comparing themselves to whites).
Another important theory of racial-ethnic identity development is the Parham Model (1989). According to this theory, ethnic groups go through cycles of hatred toward the majority groups and then later on establish a positive framed of reference. According to the model, the exposure to the associated negative differential treatment to racial difference is the trigger for this cycle. However, the supposition of this triggering factor is criticized by those who believed that immersion in ones culture is the factor that stimulates ones transference towards his racial identity (Chavez Guido-DiBrito, 1999).
Another renowned racial identity model is the White Racial Identity Model by Helms (1993 1994 1995). This is one of the first white racial models. She finds the earlier racial identity models dependence on stages to analyze racial identification to be too limiting. Rather, she decided that statuses would explain more about the white racial identity. She posits that there exists a superiority of the white race, as well as the presence of individual, cultural and institutional racism.
The theory posits that a white individual progresses through three statuses. According to this theory, a white individual comes from a racist position before going through the three statuses to become someone with a non-racist white identity (Helms, 1993). This theory is helpful in showing that interracial exposure facilitates the development of racial identity. However, this theory had been criticized for not in reality explaining the development of a white individuals consciousness towards his or her racial identity. It had only talked about whites perception and feelings toward blacks changing from a racist point to a non-racist frame and used this as a basis for the development of the white racial identity (Chavez Guido-DiBrito, 1999).
All these discussed models described the intersection between racism and racial development, or how the perception of others towards ones race (white or black) influenced the development of the individuals self-perception. It would also be important to look at the different ethnic identity development models or the models that center on what individuals discover about their own culture from their interaction with their family and community.
Ethnic identity is the identity an individual has that is developed from belonging to a common culture, religion, geographic location as well as common language. Strong connection or loyalty towards this commonality and proximity leads to the formation of a strong ethnic identity (Torres, 1996). Evidences of ethnic identity are shared rituals, symbols and behaviors within a group that emerges from values, beliefs and assumptions held by the group (Ott, 1989). Ethnic identity development models would therefore delineate the common attributes that can be found within a particular ethnic group.
Katzs (1989) model centers on the white ethnic identity and worldview. She describes fifteen values and perspectives common in the while American cultural identity. Her theory provides subsequent analyzers a pattern that says Americans regard the concept of time as linear, that they have a win-lose frame of thinking, and values independence, autonomy and competition among several patterns.
Aside from providing a description of the white ethnic group, Katzs (1989) model conceives that individuals who have these common beliefs among themselves connect with others difficultly, which explains why whites tend to believe they are superior. Unlike the white racial identity model, this model does not simplistically claim that whites are born racist. However, the model is not able to identify the triggers or outline the process involved on how the whites become conscious of their ethnic identity either. Although the model does not merely describe the common patterns of a particular group, its analysis of the group does not go as far as what is needed from this model. Furthermore, the models applicability is again confined only to a particular group.
One model that set to provide a description of ethnic identity that could be identified in all ethnic groups is the one by Phinney (1990). According to this theory, every minority ethnic group or the group non-dominant in a particular country must first filter and fight through stereotypes and prejudice against their group, which are detrimental to their process of self-conception or self-identification. Aside from this, the group must also reconcile the differences and conflict between the dominant and the non-dominant value systems as well as resolve how the members of the minority group fight for a bicultural value system.
This model is successful in laying out the real triggers involved in the emergence of ones consciousness regarding his or her ethnic identity. The limitation of this model lies in the insufficient argument regarding the positive influence of immersing in ones own culture, which could be very important in the resolution of the two problems outlined by Phinneys model (1990) regarding the negative prejudice a minority has to go through and resolve and the differences between their value system against the value system of the dominant group.
Concept of Jewish Identity
In the United States, Jews made up one of the many ethnic groups in the United States. However, unlike other ethnic groups and although they barely reach 3 of the total American population, they are deeply integrated with the social American mainstream (Lipset Raab, 1995). There are three types of Jews in the United States. The first type are the Core Jews, who are Jews clearly defining themselves as belonging to this group, and people within the same household acknowledge this (Goldstein Kosmin, 1992). The second type of Jews is those people with Jewish Background, people born or raised Jewish but identify with another group or religion. The third type of Jews is individuals living with Jews such as their spouses or children of mixed marriages, although they have no Jewish background. To be more or less acknowledged as Jews, majority view that engaging in synagogue assistance or membership is already a clear indication of their Jewish identifications. Others treat engaging in synagogue already part of ethnic and communal sphere (Horowitz, 2003).
According to Winter (1992), the Jewish identity is always described as both a religion and an ethnicity simultaneously. Jewish identifications have been differentiated into two expressions public and private (Hartman, 2001). Each of these expressions has their own dimensions of Jewish commitments and behaviors (Horowitz, 2003).
The Jewish identity has another unique element. This is in terms of socialization and group cohesion (Cohen, 1998). They have to have a proportion of Jewish friends and the place of his residence has to have Jewish character (Winter, 1992). For Jewish people, it is important to have links or support system composing of other Jewish during dire circumstances (Hartman and Hartman, 1999). Most Jewish people have an identity of treating anti-Semitism as a serious problem and have uncertainty toward intermarriage (Lazerwitz et al, 1998).
Another component of Jewish identification is parochial education. A Jewish persons educational background reflects and signifies the identity on his parents as well as the parents level of desire to transmit a sense of distinct ethno-religious heritage (Pergola Schmelz, 1989). Barack-Fishman and Goldstein (1993) illustrated how there is a significant relationship between Jewish education and the level of Jewish identification among adults. They illustrated that having Jewish education heightens an adults Jewish identification. Barack-Fishman and Goldstein measured Jewish education by looking at the type of school and duration of enrollment. They focused more on formal education than look at Bart Mitzvah celebrations and their adults participation in adult education programs.
Analysis of the Human Stain
The Human Stain is Philip Roths last volume in his trilogy on postwar America, preceded by the American Pastoral (1997) and I Married a Communist (1998). The Human Stain focused on post-war American preoccupations, ranging from race relations to identity politics. This book tells the story of a man and the tragedy that befalls his life, made interesting with secrets and revelations after the persons death, in which it could be said the past he longed to erased actually catches up with him even upon demise.
The Human Stain talks of a tragic protagonist named Coleman Brutus Silk, who at age seven, already devoted his life to teaching classics and to being a dean of the faculty at New England towns Athena College. It was illustrated in the beginning that Coleman Brutus Silk was a Jew, and only the few of the Jews invited to be on the Athena faculty. He was also one of the few Jews first to get the chance to teach and be part of the classics department anywhere.
Coleman Brutus Silks personal tragedy began a day five weeks into a semester. That day, two students were late in his class, and while they have not come in yet, Coleman made a remark alluding to them. He said, Does anyone know these people Do they exist or are they spooks This was misconstrued as a racist comment despite Silks adamant explanation that it was just a casual comment, in which the term spooks was only pertaining to ghosts. When he was labeled as a racist, this led to a scandal. When his wife died, Silk claimed that the scandal and harassment they suffered killed his wife, so he resigned from the college and severe all the ties with the institution.
Silk then engaged in an affair with Faunia Farley, a 34-year-old janitor. The harassment continued even though he was starting anew, and this affair was exposed and turned into a public scandal by the ambitious Yale-educated literary theorist, Delphine Roux. This was the same person who led the attack aggressively against the professor over the alleged racism his remarked had caused. Silk even received an anonymous letter that said, over the affair that, Everyone knows youre sexually exploiting an abused, illiterate woman half your age.
Silk, in his attempt to clear his name and get the scandal off, planned to write a book relaying his own version of what happened on that fateful day when he referred to his students as spooks, and the following events. He planned to entitle the book Spooks. However, he find himself uncapable of doing it. He turned to his neighbor and professional author, Nathan Zuckerman for ears, and told his story and version of events. He wanted his neighbor to write the story for him but Nathan refused. So Coleman did it himself, but when he finished, he realized that he do not want it published.
Nevertheless, when Coleman got killed, Nathan decided to go forth with the idea and piece the story of his friends life and death and come the novel called the Human Stain. In this book, Nathan relayed the events in his friends life, and shockingly revealed a secret of Coleman with regard to the professors real identity.
Silks secret was something he kept from his colleagues and friends, and most shockingly of all, even from his family. The professor turned out to be not a Jew after all. Instead, he is a light-skinned African American who had lived for the majority of life as a Jew. He kept this secret very well that Kaddish was even recited at his funeral. Not even his wife and children were let in on the secret.
In this revelation, Nathan uncovered a life that is fascinating and deeply representative of American society. The line the truth will always come out is true here. Silk was actually the descendants of Southern Negro slaves and his father was an optician until his business went bust, so his father had to work as a dining car waiter until he died. His mother was the first colored head nurse on any floor of any hospital in Newark City. But because, several inter-racial unions characterized Silks heritage, his complexion became a pleasant shade, which the author described as the color of eggnog, and this advantage allowed him to pass off as white and a Jew.
The incorporation of this twist by Roth made the fiction interesting, not even the scandal along the issue of racism and sexual exploitation can compare. The novel became powerful and disturbing, not really because of all the drama involved in Silks life or that he was killed, but because all these happened because he was thought of as a Jew. Furthermore, the fact that he is a Black make it more seem absurd that he would make a racist comment against his Black students, even though he hated being Black so much, or uncomfortable with it that he had to assume a Jewish identity.
Then again, if he could display such ruthlessness when he cut off his mother, and his identity makes it seem he cannot be just a victim of political correctness when he got harassed back in school. If he hated his identity that much, then it probably means he hated his Black students as much and can make such racist comments. .
Furthermore, although by revealing to the readers that he was innocent for the racial slurs because of his real identity, this make it strikingly obvious that some Blacks, like Coleman Silk, would choose to pass of as white just to enjoy the privileges, or avoid the complexities of being black. Coleman Silk symbolized those people that do not care, or do not have the guts to fight the injustices that deny his race or people their humanity. He symbolizes those people that would rather bend to the will of others and honor those that are doing these injustice against his people.
Coleman Silk chose a simpler life and assumed an identity that enables him to marry a white woman, engage in a career as a college professor and live the American dream without fear or challenges. However, because keeping ones identity is never a good idea, his past comes to hunt him with a series of events that led to the vanishing of all his comforts in life. Ironically, racial slurs against blacks have to be the case when he is a black person himself.
Issue of identity in the story
It can be seen in the story that the plot, although it seems like just any other story with drama in the start, revolved around the complexities of identities in the United States. On the one hand, it highlighted the plight of those with African identity such that the lighter skinned ones have to hide it, which is still much of a reality today. On the other hand, it highlighted the complexities of being a Jew. It makes it seem that the Jewish identity is so complex and vague that anyone can adapt or pass off as one without being caught until they die and have their identities be revealed in a book (technically, if youre going to be basing it on the story).
The novel highlighted as well the negativity associated with being Jewish such that Coleman has to die because of an identity he assumed. It was interesting to see through the interplay of events as well, the mixing and converging of the subjects of blacks and Jews, which is actually in reality, united by certain bond of alienation. Below are theories of cultural identities in the United States that could be used as foundation over the identity issue of the story.
Reading the story of Silk in the Human Stain and by studying the different models of cultural identity as well as the Jewish identity emphasized how cultural identity is a very sensitive issue. I learned that sometimes, some people would really want to pass off as someone they are not, even if it means turning their backs on their own identities, which could never be altered. The story makes it seem that passing off as a Jew is easy. However, no one can really escape his or her own identities, as well as their pasts.
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