American Pastoral: Analysis of Major Characters
"American Pastoral," a novel by Philip Roth, intricately explores the lives of its central characters against a backdrop of social upheaval in 1960s America. The narrative primarily focuses on Seymour "Swede" Levov, a once-idyllic figure whose life unravels after his daughter Merry commits an act of domestic terrorism, profoundly impacting his world and leading to personal tragedy. Swede's journey reflects his struggle to reconcile his idealized vision of family and American life with the chaos that emerges from Merry's radical choices.
Nathan Zuckerman serves as the reflective narrator, piecing together Swede's story through memories and testimonies, while grappling with his own health issues and reclusive tendencies. Merry, the troubled daughter, transitions from a coddled child to a radicalized youth, highlighting the alienation and crises of identity that can fracture familial bonds. Swede's wife, Dawn, an Irish Catholic beauty queen, experiences her own emotional decline following the family's turmoil, revealing the complexities of cultural and religious differences in their marriage.
Supporting characters like Jerry Levov, Swede's brother, and their parents, Lou and Sylvia, further illustrate the generational and societal shifts of the time, encapsulating the tension between traditional values and the burgeoning counterculture. Through these characters, Roth delves into themes of disillusionment, identity, and the quest for meaning in an increasingly fractured world.
American Pastoral: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Philip Milton Roth
First published: 1997
Genre: Novel
Locale: Newark, New Jersey; Old Rimrock, New Jersey
Plot: Domestic realism
Time: 1927–1995
Seymour “Swede” Levov, an attractive high school sports superstar who grew up in a largely Jewish community in Newark, New Jersey. He earned his nickname, Swede, as a child because of his blond hair and blue eyes. After graduating from high school, he marries Dawn Dwyer, a former beauty queen, and takes over his father's prosperous glove factory. His family flourishes until 1968, when his seemingly idyllic life is shattered by an act of terrorism committed by his daughter. This incident leads him to an emotional breakdown. As he longs for his daughter, Levov is forced to come to terms with the disharmony, violence, and chaos that exist beyond his tranquil life. He dies of metastatic prostate cancer at the age of sixty-eight.
Nathan Zuckerman, a novelist and the narrator of American Pastoral. In his youth he was an adventurous, outgoing man, but he has become somewhat of a recluse and devotes himself entirely to his writing. This change in lifestyle may have stemmed from being diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1995. He undergoes a prostatectomy that results in him becoming impotent and incontinent. As a teenager, he attended Weequahic High School, where he returns in 1995 for his forty-fifth high school reunion. There he learns about the tragic events that befell his high school hero Seymour Levov from Levov's younger brother Jerry. After the reunion, Zuckerman begins to piece together the story of Levov's life through various sources, including Levov's brother, a handful of newspaper clippings, and his own memories about the man.
Meredith “Merry” Levov, the sixteen-year-old daughter and only child of Seymour Levov and Dawn Dwyer. She was a coddled child who suffered from a severe stutter in her youth. In her teens, she joins a faction of the Weather Underground, a radical organization whose goal is to establish a revolutionary political party in order to overthrow the US government. In February 1968 she plants a bomb in the post office of her hometown of Old Rimrock, New Jersey, incidentally killing a doctor who was inside. She goes into hiding and becomes involved in further acts of domestic terrorism, resulting in three more deaths. When she resurfaces in Newark, she is destitute and has dedicated herself to Jainism, a religion that stresses noninjury to all living things, prompting her to give up eating almost entirely.
Mary Dawn Dwyer Levov, the wife of Seymour Levov and the mother of Merry Levov. She is an Irish Catholic woman from Elizabeth, New Jersey, who won the 1949 Miss New Jersey pageant when she was twenty-two years old. A brown-haired, blue-eyed beauty, she met Levov while attending Upsala College in East Orange, New Jersey. After the tragic event in 1968, she breaks down emotionally and spends time in psychiatric hospitals. She ultimately divorces Levov. It is later revealed that she was having an affair with a married man, William Orcutt III, while still married to Levov.
Jerry Levov, the younger brother of Seymour Levov. He is a brash and intimidating cardiac surgeon who has been married four times and lives in Miami, Florida. He was a childhood friend of Zuckerman. As a youth he enjoyed playing table tennis, and at one point, he sewed a fur coat from the hides of dead hamsters to give to his crush. At the 1995 high school reunion, he explains to Zuckerman what befell his brother.
Lou Levov, the hard-working owner of a successful ladies' glove factory and the father of Seymour and Jerry Levov. He is a proud Jewish man who grew up in the slums of Newark, where he developed a strong work ethic. He disapproves of his oldest son's marriage to a Catholic woman and his younger son's multiple divorces. As the novel plays out against the turbulent backdrop of the 1960s, Lou believes that the nation's sense of morality is declining, and he agonizes over the decline of the glove industry.
Sylvia Levov, the wife of Lou Levov and mother of Seymour and Jerry Levov. A meticulous and well-mannered red-haired woman, she worked in the family glove factory, where she examined the finished products to ensure perfection. Along with her husband, she disapproved when her oldest son, Seymour, married out of their Jewish religion. Her household was kept tidy, and her refined upbringing showed through her well-spoken, sophisticated manner.
William “Bill” Orcutt III, a prosperous architect born into wealth who attended Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey. He and his wife, Jessie Orcutt, are neighbors of the Levov family. He is a cultured and athletic man who used to play touch football with the Levov family. Dawn Dwyer had an affair with Orcutt while still married to Levov. Orcutt's smug personality infuriates Zuckerman and Levov.
Rita Cohen, a mysterious woman who is a member of the radical political group Merry Levov joins after fleeing Newark. She is a homely woman with pale skin. Several months after Merry's disappearance from Newark, Cohen visits Seymour Levov and tells him that she knows where his daughter is.
Sheila Salzman, a speech therapist to young Merry Levov and the wife of the Levov family doctor, Shelly Salzman. She has a four-month affair with Seymour Levov.