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.