Letting Go: Analysis of Major Characters
"Letting Go: Analysis of Major Characters" delves into the intricate relationships and struggles of key figures connected to Gabe Wallach, a young English instructor at the University of Chicago. Gabe's life is intertwined with his friend Paul Herz, a struggling writer who marries Libby DeWitt, a student navigating her own challenges, including a complicated pregnancy and the decision to adopt. The narrative explores themes of love, responsibility, and the emotional complexities of human connections, particularly through Gabe's affairs with women like Martha Reganhart, a determined divorcée, and Marge Howells, an earlier romantic interest.
The characters exhibit diverse backgrounds and aspirations, highlighting the pressures of societal expectations and personal desires. For instance, Paul grapples with the responsibilities of family life, while Libby's conversion to Judaism reflects her commitment to her marriage. The dynamics are further complicated by Gabe’s conflicting feelings towards Libby and his entanglements with other characters, such as John Spigliano, the department chairman, and Sid Jaffe, Martha's suitor. The story paints a vivid picture of the emotional turbulence and moral dilemmas faced by each character, inviting readers to reflect on the themes of attachment and the challenge of letting go in their own lives.
Letting Go: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Philip Roth
First published: 1962
Genre: Novel
Locale: Chicago, New York, Iowa, and Pennsylvania
Plot: Satire
Time: The 1950's
Gabriel (Gabe) Wallach, a young instructor of English at the University of Chicago. He had studied creative writing at the University of Iowa, where he met a fellow graduate student, Paul Herz. He becomes heavily involved in Paul's complicated life with Libby DeWitt, the woman Paul eventually marries. Gabe finds Paul a job as an instructor at the University of Chicago, and their involvements deepen. Gabe's life is complicated by devotion to his widowed father, his affair with Martha Reganhart, his encounters with his department chairman and his wife, and his love-hate relationship with the Herzes.
Paul Herz, Gabe's friend and colleague at the University of Chicago. Poor, hardworking, and not especially witty or intelligent, he has an affair with Libby DeWitt, a student whom he later marries. He has aspirations to become a writer, but eventually, under pressure of poverty and family responsibilities, he decides to become a schoolteacher instead.
Elizabeth (Libby) DeWitt, a student who becomes Paul's wife. She was reared as a Catholic but later decides to convert and be as good a Jewish wife to Paul as possible. Early in their relationship, she becomes pregnant and reluctantly agrees to an abortion. Later, wanting a child but unable for health reasons to risk conceiving another one, she persuades Paul to adopt a baby. The baby, Rachel, is found through Gabe's help, but adoption is difficult and almost fails. In a strange, almost perverse way, Gabe is attracted to Libby, but he resists the temptation to become her lover, realizing that such a relationship might be disastrous for her as well as for Paul.
Martha Reganhart, a divorcée and mother of two children who becomes Gabe's mistress after they meet in a restaurant, where she is waiting on tables. Gabe is attracted not only by her beauty but also by her crazy household and her determination to make something out of her life despite the handicaps of her upbringing and bad marriage. The relationship falters, however, when Gabe finds himself unable to make a full commitment to her and her children.
Marge Howells, a woman from Kenosha, Wisconsin, with whom Gabe has an affair in Iowa. She falls in love with Gabe, who from the outset recognizes that the relationship cannot last. He lets it continue rather than face the alternatives of loneliness and the absence of sex in his life, but he eventually breaks it off, using a visit to his father in New York as the occasion.
Theresa Haug, a waitress who works with Martha Reganhart. She is separated from her husband and becomes pregnant with an unwanted baby. It is her child that Gabe arranges for the Herzes to adopt, but the arrangement becomes complicated when Theresa's husband, Harry Bigoness, balks.
Sid Jaffe, a lawyer, Martha's longtime suitor, whom she does not love enough to marry, although he has been consistently kind to her and her children. After her breakup with Gabe, she finally agrees to marry him.
Asher Herz, Paul's bachelor uncle, whose independent lifestyle is in direct contrast to Paul's. Before marrying Libby, Paul considers a life like Asher's and is almost persuaded by its attractions.
John Spigliano, Gabe's department chairman at the University of Chicago, through whom he meets Martha Reganhart, one of John's older students. He is married to Pat; they have two children and like to throw parties. At their Christmas party, after walking out on Martha, Gabe flirts brazenly with one of his female colleagues, Peggy Moberly, after watching Paul and Libby furtively embracing.