The Counterlife
In the novel The Counterlife by Philip Roth, the character Henry Zuckerman changes from a respectable dentist and responsible family man in the first chapter to an irresponsible man who abandons his family to become a religious fanatic. Throughout the first chapter, Henry is presented by his wife and children as a man who lives for his family and is willing to under go heart surgery and risk his life in order to preserve his marriage. Only his brother, Nathan, who acknowledges his brother’s true intentions, and believes that Henry’s wife, Carol is trying to uphold the illusion that Henry created in life so she can preserve her husband’s reputation. In the second chapter, Henry has lost all interest in being a husband, father, or even a dentist and selfishly leaves his family to escape his existence. No one is able to understand the personality transformation Henry undergoes after his surgery so Nathan tries to discover what brought about this change. Henry, who was once considered a responsible family man, becomes someone who is selfish and unwilling to take responsibility for his actions Throughout the first chapter, Henry is presented as the reputable dentist in his community and dependable, loving husband and fat
Once Nathan finds Henry in Israel, he is amazed to find a man whose priorities have completely changed and the man who was once dedicated to his family and his profession now claims to be devoted to Judaism and the state of Israel. Nathan is amazed to find that Henry, who was never very religious, has now become obsessed with Judaism and is what Nathan considers a fanatic. Henry proves Nathan’s point when he says, “Excuse me! What is fanatical? To put egoism before Zionism is what is fanatical. To put personal gain and personal pleasure before the survival of the Jewish people” (Roth, 102). After his trip to Israel, Henry has completely neglected the life he once knew, and even goes as far as to say that his family is the result of medical condition. He believes that his “normal life” was a diseased existence that he had to escape. Henry tells Nathan, “My whole existence was the sickness. I got off easy with my heart. Diseased with self-distortion, self-contortion, diseased with self-disguise – up to my eyeballs in meaninglessness” (Roth, 111). While Henry claims that his family is destroying him, he asks his wife and children to meet him in Israel for Passover, he has no words of remorse. He expects them to visit him even though he has not given any sentiment that he is willing to return as a husband and a father. The man who once seemed to live for his family, selfishly asked them to come to him without any guarantee that he while return to New Jersey and take responsibility for his family. Henry renounces his former life for a life devoted to the state of Israel. In the second chapter, Henry awakens from his heart surgery as a very different man, someone who is no longer interested in his career or his family and is willing to abandon his life in New Jersey to begi
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Approximate Word count = 1220
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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