Inescapable Cycle

As I read Patrimony I couldn’t help but see the boldly apparent examples of role reversal. Then as I began to read the blog my observations were confirmed with other people’s examinations on role reversal. It is clear that Roth switches roles with his father many times throughout the novel. Often I was confused as to weather Roth or his father was the person being described. However, what I took away from this clear change of roles was a little more dramatic. I saw not just a role reversal between Roth and his father but between all of us and our parents. I recognized a cycle we are all inevitably part of, where we eventually become our parents. The caregivers will always eventually become the ones needing care. Although this assertion is slightly depressing and terrifying it is an unavoidable fate we all will one day face. We all will grow old and turn into the people we were so used to tracing the lines of wrinkles on. I guess I have always known this cycle and always sort of seen it from a far; however, reading Patrimony and looking so deep into the rawest part of this circle I really began to see it. I began to look at it from a different perspective and relate it to my own life. So although this post is again about the wonderful theme of role reversal I also wanted to make a small side note at the fact that it is not just about this role reversal between Philip and his father, it is one that we will all experience in different and unique ways one day.

Comedy

Although Patrimony was definitely not a comedy, it was a funny novel. I don't mean that the cancer and the death of Roth's dad were funny moments because those are really serious topics. However, there are moments in the book where the comedian in Roth comes out. After researching Philip Roth, I found out that most of his novels are humorous and sometimes really sexual, but maybe that was common knowledge and I had just never heard of Philip Roth.

While I was reading the book, I had a sneaking suspicion that Roth was a funny guy by some of the things he wrote, like the repeated use of the word "hock" on p. 80 and the description of the Elizabeth Y as a place filled with "familiar Jewish bellies and balls" (96). One outstanding funny moment was when Herman Roth "beshat" himself (172). Even though it was a sad moment at the because Herman hit a really low point, you have to admit the whole scene was pretty funny. Maybe I have a heartless/immature sense of humor, but I was laughing during the whole incident. There were other funny moments, but I won't make this post super long with a bunch of examples. Hopefully some other people agree and laughed a couple times as well.

Survival of Memory

Bridget said that one of the themes she noticed was survival. I agree, but it's not only physical survival that is important to Herman, but also the survival of his memory. Even though he loses the battle against the tumor, he ultimately wins because his memory will remain in the hearts and minds of the people who love him. By writing Patrimony, Philip allows his father to survive as long as people continue to read, and maybe that's the most important form of survival there is. Herman remembers everyone and everything because that is his duty as long as he continues living. After his death, it's Philip's turn.

Control

This was a terrifying book for me. The idea of such an abject loss of control over your own life, and especially handing that control to somebody else, is a very scary prospect to me. Herman's life, as he ages, very clearly spirals out of his control. Obviously nobody has total control, but this was a strong, determined man who had everything going for him. He was physically capable, mentally sharp, and I guess he had a fairly large member, which I thought was an odd point to make. But I guess autobiographies can be like that. Anyways, he had moved far enough up the corporate ladder that he had 55 people under his command, and this at a point where he believed that there was significant anti-Semitic belief in the corporate world. And while he had so much control over his life, and over others, his life was great. His family was stable, his wife seemed perfect, his sons were successful, and all was well. But once he retired, it all began to fall apart. He worked in humanitarian efforts and volunteered, but it is impossible to even attempt to control things there. In fact, working with those less fortunate only offers examples of how little control we sometimes have. Anyways, he falls back into his family life, where he immediately tries to take control. He tries to be his wife's boss, when she worked perfectly fine all those years being her own. He needed something to control, and with his children gone, she was all he had. But she fought back. She made it known she didn't need him to be in control, and I think that got to him. He kept trying to control her further, prove he was needed or something (I don't really know), and this idea that as a boss, he always knew best, is what killed his wife. But as he ages, and his body and mind start to break down after her death, he begins to lose control. His own body no longer obeys him and in fact works against him. Soon, he can't even trust himself to survive on his own, and his son has to come in to help him. His son makes his decisions, and pushes him to make he right decisions, until he finally concedes control over his own life. The second Philip says "Do as I say" everything changes for Herman. He has completely lost contorl of his own life, and given it to somebody else. Now, Philip is an excellent caretaker, and Herman is surrounded by surviving family and friends who care for him and keep him safe, but I know from personal experience that all too often these caretakers can be less than benevolent. Philip was lucky that he had such support, because often consigning his own life into somebody else's hand can be completely disasterous. And he didn't even have a choice if he wanted to live. That's what's scary to me. That a perfectly healthy and able man was degraded to the point where he could not even control a single aspect of his life. His body betrayed him, and his son's made his decisions. And more than likely we will all reach that point, but only if we are lucky. If we are lucky, we get to lose control and give it somebody else, we only have to live long enough for that to happen. And that is terrifying.

Strength and Stubbornness

Throughout the entire novel, Herman Roth is nothing but a strong and stubborn character. Philip Roth portrays his father as a fighter through and through. Even as he transforms from a healthy father to a sickly eighty-six-year-old man, he refuses to succumb to his disease. One line in particular that shows his strength is how just before he died, “he fought for every breath with an awesome eruption, a final display, of his lifelong obstinate tenacity” (231-232). Another instance of Herman’s strength is how after suffering through a biopsy, Philip walks in to hear his father not complaining about his own misery, but saying “that poor Chinaman” (168). Even while in immense pain, he is still able to think about other people who are sick and may have it worse than him. In addition to being strong, there is no doubt that Herman is also extremely stubborn. As he is sitting in the hospital, he refuses to pay $3.50 a day to watch television, even if it would take his mind off of his impending biopsy. “Three and a half dollars for television?” Herman says incredulously to Philip. “They’re out of their minds” (151). His stubbornness sometimes ended up being a good thing – it allowed him to fight for survival until the very end – yet it often resulted in more trouble than good. Instead of having a peaceful and passive last year or so of his life, Herman continued to fight with everyone about everything, much of which was unnecessary. Yet his tenacity was not just shown in his little arguments with Lil, or his refusal to move from the couch on some days, but more importantly in the way he preserved his old life. He refused to change his opinions and his lifestyle just because he grew sick. Even though he was dying, he continued to hold the same stubborn and unimportant arguments with his friends and family. Philip Roth depicted his father in many different ways throughout the many different stages of his life, yet no matter how much Herman’s life changed, he never deviated from his life of strength and stubbornness.

Writing & More Role Reversal

I think a specific strength of Roth in this memoir is his ability to keep his father very human. In death and sickness, it’s a human tendency to glorify a person and his or her life. It is much easier to forget about the negative traits, I think because we feel like it’s unfair to the recently deceased, or maybe we feel uncomfortable admitting it to ourselves. Part of Roth’s honesty might have been due to the fact that he was writing parts of this while his father was still alive. Reading about his father’s insecurities, stubbornness and fear makes the inevitable ending more touching than if we read about an unrealistically perfect man.

As a child, Roth was never exposed to this side of his father, but in his sickness, Herman Roth is forced to rely on his son. This role reversal (as Nicole discussed a while back) seems to be a bit uncomfortable for them both. Roth is forced to stand up to his father’s stubbornness, deliver bad news in the most sensitive way, and make executive calls about procedures (with his father’s consent, of course). Herman has to accept that he must rely on his son now and can no longer function independently. I saw Herman’s revived interest in the Mets as a way to keep a sense of normalcy and return to Roth’s childhood. Most people when they reach a certain age begin to need help doing routine things, and this obviously becomes very frustrating. Roth walks a thin line between giving his father the support he needs and not restricting Herman’s sense of freedom and independence. He does so pretty successfully, and it seems that their relationship grew stronger during the last few years of Herman’s life.

History

If Herman believed that leaving behind the teffilin would give him the strength and "fighting spirit" to face his next chapter as Jason said, I find it interesting that he saved the prayer shawls. The idea of both of these symbols is to get closer to God, so I can not figure out why the prayer shawls were worth keeping if the teffilin were not.

Another interesting question was about Philip's true patrimony. In A Farewell To Arms when Catherine dies in the end, Henry leaves the hospital and walks back to the hotel, most likely to begin writing the novel. After facing adversity, people turn to the written word to clear their heads and reflect on their life or the lives of their loved ones. Just as many people have already said, Philip's patrimony is his desire to remember, and to "recreate" the man who created him. Why do we study History in school? Part of the reason we do is so we can learn about the past and learn how to prevent the past from repeating itself. Does Philip want to study his father's life as well as treasure his memory?