Topics:Philip Roth, Religion, JudaismPages: 1 (256 words)Published: January 29, 2013
'I refuse, I can't stop being me, that's all there is to it'. Tears came to his eyes. 'It's a hard thing to be a Jew. But now I understand what Mickey says- it's a harder thing to stay one'. He raised a hand sadly toward me. 'Look at you.' Defender of the Faith/ Philip Roth.
The quote above is the part in the Defender of Faith which is a conversation between Grossbart and Marx. Grossbart asks Marx to go out of the army to attend the Passover dinner. Throughout the story we come to understand that Grossbart is taking advantage of the fact that both he and Marx are Jewish for his own benefit. Grossbart tries to 'bond' with Marx on the basis of their common religion, but soon we realize that he uses this common fact to try to get benefits and other privileges. At some point Marx understands that Grossbart is being selfish and is using the religion for his own needs, and gets tired from Grosssbart's requests. Grossbart insists that he shouldn't be treated like everyone else; because he claims that he is better. In addition he throws at Marx accusations saying that he is denting his roots and his family. Grossbart says this only because he is unhappy and doesn't get from Marx what he wants, he calls him a goy. 'You even talk like a goy.' 'It's a hard thing to be a Jew. But now I understand what Mickey says- it's a harder thing to stay one'.
The quote above is the part in the Defender of Faith which is a conversation between Grossbart and Marx. Grossbart asks Marx to go out of the army to attend the Passover dinner. Throughout the story we come to understand that Grossbart is taking advantage of the fact that both he and Marx are Jewish for his own benefit. Grossbart tries to 'bond' with Marx on the basis of their common religion, but soon we realize that he uses this common fact to try to get benefits and other privileges. At some point Marx understands that Grossbart is being selfish and is using the religion for his own needs, and gets tired from Grosssbart's requests. Grossbart insists that he shouldn't be treated like everyone else; because he claims that he is better. In addition he throws at Marx accusations saying that he is denting his roots and his family. Grossbart says this only because he is unhappy and doesn't get from Marx what he wants, he calls him a goy. 'You even talk like a goy.' 'It's a hard thing to be a Jew. But now I understand what Mickey says- it's a harder thing to stay one'.
“Defender of the Faith” In Philip Roth’s, “Defender of the Faith”, Sergeant Nathan Marx is the “Defender” of whom the title speaks. Reluctant at first, Marx defended his faith on two fronts, one across the sea in Europe and the second in the United States. Philip Roth has written many stories throughout his lifetime. 'Defender of the Faith' is a short story that was published in his first collection entitled Goodbye, Columbus which also included four other short stories and a novella.
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Philip Roth's point of view in The Defender of the Faith is not illustrated through Grossbart who is a vain, unscrupulous manipulator who takes advantage of labels that have no meaning for him in. Got some time to spare? Using a mobile device? Want to try a new genre without having to spend any money or time? Pick a story and start reading right away! Or link to your favorite, as long as it's available online for anyone to read! When submitting new stories, try to stick to the following format (whenever applicable): Title. Philip Milton Roth was an American novelist. He gained early literary fame with the 1959 collection Goodbye, Columbus (winner of 1960's National Book Award ), cemented it with his 1969 bestseller Portnoy's Complaint, and has continued to write critically-acclaimed works, many of which feature his fictional alter ego, Nathan Zuckerman. View Defender of the Faith - CL.pdf from ENG 2212 at Troy University. Philip Roth: Defender of Faith page 1 of 27 Defender of the Faith by Philip Roth IN MAY OF 1945, ONLY A FEW WEEKS AFTER the.
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Preview — Defender of the Faith by Philip Roth
After the Allies are victorious in the battle against the Axis in Europe, Sergeant Nathan Marx, in “Defender of the Faith,” is rotated back to the States, to Camp Crowder, Missouri.
Published (first published March 14th 1959)
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Aug 07, 2015Federica rated it liked it · review of another edition
I liked this story.
Grossbart is a sneaky and slimy person that made me feel uncomfortable for the whole narration. It was incredible how Marx was not able to get rid of him definitely, Grossbart's insistence in being treated differently from the others was one of a kind.
Nice edition, with the text both in Italian and in English, with the explanations of the military slang and of the difficult terms.
Grossbart is a sneaky and slimy person that made me feel uncomfortable for the whole narration. It was incredible how Marx was not able to get rid of him definitely, Grossbart's insistence in being treated differently from the others was one of a kind.
Nice edition, with the text both in Italian and in English, with the explanations of the military slang and of the difficult terms.
I'm sure I found Sheldon Grossbart as obnoxiousness as the next guy but I definitely expected more from Sargeant Nathan Marx.
Grossbart was an opportunist who made a gross exaggeration out of every little aspect of Judaism. He spoke on behalf of his fellow soldiers and fabricated or embellished their issues.
First it's Schul, then it's the non kosher food, and the manipulation piles up until Marx realizes he is being fooled, and quite annoyed because of it.
Who is the defender of what faith?
Grossbart was an opportunist who made a gross exaggeration out of every little aspect of Judaism. He spoke on behalf of his fellow soldiers and fabricated or embellished their issues.
First it's Schul, then it's the non kosher food, and the manipulation piles up until Marx realizes he is being fooled, and quite annoyed because of it.
Who is the defender of what faith?
May 06, 2019Sofie Deweerdt rated it it was amazing
{short story}
Very interesting theme, well written. I like it very much!
Nov 11, 2017Stephanie rated it liked itVery interesting theme, well written. I like it very much!
Shelves: charles-university-reading, fiction, historical-fiction, war, wwii
What does it mean, to defend the faith? To what lengths will – should – one go to defend it? And what might be the consequences of doing so? Who will be hurt, who will benefit? How much hurt or benefits make it worth it?
I read a pdf copy of this supplied by my professor.
I read a pdf copy of this supplied by my professor.
Oct 08, 2018Connie rated it liked it
3/5 stars
Really interesting read for my Jewish American module at uni!
Jun 03, 2018Karolien rated it liked itReally interesting read for my Jewish American module at uni!
Shelves: american-literature, war-stories, short-stories
I loved to read this because it shows that we're all equal for the same respect.
It was beautifully written in a non-nonsense manner.
It was beautifully written in a non-nonsense manner.
Aug 25, 2015Carlo Cattivelli rated it liked it · review of another edition
Prima uscita di una nuova serie di Short Stories con il testo a fronte, questo racconto di ambiente militare vede la luce alla fine degli anni Cinquanta, quando cioè il suo autore non è ancora famoso. Dopo essersi distinto in Europa durante il secondo conflitto mondiale, il sergente Marx torna negli Stati Uniti ed è destinato a un campo di addestramento: la guerra sta per finire, ma la fabbrica di nuovi soldati è ancora in funzione. Al sottufficiale si rivolge ben presto la recluta Grossbart che...more
Sep 16, 2016Eliza Hemenway rated it really liked it
A well written short story with great character development.
I was given this book by an Italian friend who, knowing my constant desire to improve my Italian, thought it would help (as well as prove enjoyable). It is a short story, set during the Second World War. In this publication, the original English version runs down the right-facing page while the Italian translation runs down the left. It is a brilliant way to read a story in a foreign language with ease, especially one like this with a lot of specialised vocabulary. There was no need to constantl...more
The subtle yet clear capture of one man's struggle to come to terms with his identities, Roth translates his life experiences into the persona of Nathan Marx, a war veteran who faces conflicting interests being a Jewish American. Under the influence of trainee recruit Sheldon Grossbart, a fellow Jew like himself, Marx learns to find his own definition of belonging by overcoming the differences of his ethnicities.
Aug 15, 2015Come Musica rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
Feb 26, 2015Bear rated it really liked it
I love a story with a satisfying ending.
Sep 17, 2015Josh Greenfield rated it really liked it
Dec 30, 2016Francesca rated it liked it · review of another edition
Obviously I didn't like Grossbart's behaviour at all, but I really appreciated the fact of having understood the meaning of the title at the end of the book.
Jan 27, 2015Laura marked it as to-read The Plot Against America
Shelves: short-stories
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Philip Milton Roth was an American novelist. He gained early literary fame with the 1959 collection Goodbye, Columbus (winner of 1960's National Book Award), cemented it with his 1969 bestseller Portnoy's Complaint, and has continued to write critically-acclaimed works, many of which feature his fictional alter ego, Nathan Zuckerman. The Zuckerman novels began with The Ghost Writer in 1979, and in...more
“In May of 1945, only a few weeks after the fighting had ended in Europe, I was rotated back to the States, where I spent the remainder of the war with a training company at Camp Crowder, Missouri. Along with the rest of the Ninth Army, I had been racing across Germany so swiftly during the late winter and spring that when I boarded the plane, I couldn't believe its destination lay to the west. My mind might inform me otherwise, but there was an inertia of the spirit that told me we were flying to a new front, where we would disembark and continue our push eastward-eastward until we'd circled the globe, marching through villages along whose twisting, cobbled streets crowds of the enemy would watch us take possession of what, up till then, they'd considered their own. I had changed enough in two years not to mind the trembling of old people, the crying of the very young, the uncertainty and fear in the eyes of the once arrogant. I had been fortunate enough to develop an infantryman's heart, which, like his feet, at first aches and swells but finally grows horny enough for him to travel the weirdest paths without feeling a thing.” — 0 likes
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