Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Everyman - Philip Roth

We like to think that old age is a nice part of life. Most of the time, it's not: nothing works the way it used to, pain becomes a constant, and young people show off their youth all the time. One learns how overvalued youth is only when he becomes old. Old age is even worse without a God. Believers at least can find consolation in the idea of an afterlife, something that justifies our passage in this World.

Everyman is one of the most depressing books I've ever read. It starts with the funeral of the main character and finishes with his death. The rest of the book is formulated about the main character's medical history and the decay of his body, which started when he was 9.

Roth discusses Everyman here.




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