Abstract:
World history is full of different versions of victimization that actually derive from humans
fears. For instance, as people feared natural phenomena in ancient times, sacrifices were offered as a
way of placating the forces of nature and purifying the elements that were thought to cause the outrage
of nature/gods. In ancient Greece this was practiced by exiling a goat loaded with the metaphorical
sins of the town. The practice of sacrifice has embedded itself in human history so deeply that in
modern times it survives in a variety of different forms such as “othering” of women, non-white races,
and political dissidents. American history itself is laden with such victimization-sacrifice deliria, the
most known of which is the Salem witch trials. Though the act of victimization still stems from fear,
in our modern world, rather than the forces of nature, people fear social and political forces which
threaten to ostracize them if they do not fit. Therefore, social and political misfits are the new victims
to be sacrificed.
Philip Roth, the most celebrated of Jewish-American fiction writers, sheds light on the
ongoing practice of victimization in contemporary world and its catastrophic effects on the
protagonists’ lives in The Human Stain. This paper aims at analyzing the reasons and the effects of
victimization on the protagonist, Mr. Coleman, the College Professor having an African-American
heritage. Being brought up witnessing the discrimination against blacks and experiencing its tragic
consequences in his personal life, Coleman decides to “pass” as a Jew in order to climb up the
hierarchal ladder and enjoy the status he is allowed to earn as a Jewish College Professor. Though his
passing functions as a way out of racial inequity for some time, ironically, Coleman is victimized due
to making racial discrimination to black students in his class.
Key Words: Victimization, Philip Roth, Fear, Racism, Political Correctness.
Description:
İnönü Üniversitesi Uluslararası Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi Cilt 4, Sayı 2, 2015, s. 145-150.
