Defender of the Faith

by Philip Roth

After the Allies are victorious in the battle against the Axis in Europe, Sergeant Nathan Marx, in “Defender of the Faith,” is rotated back to the States, to Camp Crowder, Missouri.
______
Philip Roth’s “Defender of the Faith” raises questions about identity and identification, and the complexities that arise when different aspects of a person’s self-concept are in conflict with one another. The story also invokes the ethical dilemmas that identification creates, forcing its characters and the audience to confront competing allegiances. Published in 1959 as part of Roth’s first collection, the story takes place in 1945, as World War II is winding down.

Genres: Short Stories, Classics, Fiction, World War II, Historical Fiction, War, 20th Century

ebook

First published March 14, 1959

About the author

Philip Milton Roth was an American novelist and short-story writer. Roth's fiction—often set in his birthplace of Newark, New Jersey—is known for its intensely autobiographical character, for philosophically and formally blurring the distinction between reality and fiction, for its "sensual, ingenious style" and for its provocative explorations of American identity. He first gained attention with the 1959 short story collection Goodbye, Columbus, which won the U.S. National Book Award for Fiction. Ten years later, he published the bestseller Portnoy's Complaint. Nathan Zuckerman, Roth's literary alter ego, narrates several of his books. A fictionalized Philip Roth narrates some of his others, such as the alternate history The Plot Against America.
Roth was one of the most honored American writers of his generation. He received the National Book Critics Circle award for The Counterlife, the PEN/Faulkner Award for Operation Shylock, The Human Stain, and Everyman, a second National Book Award for Sabbath's Theater, and the Pulitzer Prize for American Pastoral. In 2005, the Library of America began publishing his complete works, making him the second author so anthologized while still living, after Eudora Welty. Harold Bloom named him one of the four greatest American novelists of his day, along with Cormac McCarthy, Thomas Pynchon, and Don DeLillo. In 2001, Roth received the inaugural Franz Kafka Prize in Prague.

Reviews

[Federica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this story.
Grossbart is a sneaky and slimy person that made me feel uncomfortable for the whole narration. It was incredible how Marx was not able to get rid of him definitely, Grossbart's insistence in being treated differently from the others was one of a kind.

Nice edition, with the text both in Italian and in English, with the explanations of the military slang and of the difficult terms.

[Oceanman768 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Personally, I found this short story really boring as I could not relate and disliked e v e r y character, since they had all seemed to be very shallow. The conflict(s) is/are very mundane and resolves extremely easily.

No I don't write reviews often, no I'm not good at it, and yes, I am a very immature reader.

[Athena · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm sure I found Sheldon Grossbart as obnoxiousness as the next guy but I definitely expected more from Sargeant Nathan Marx.
Grossbart was an opportunist who made a gross exaggeration out of every little aspect of Judaism. He spoke on behalf of his fellow soldiers and fabricated or embellished their issues.
First it's Schul, then it's the non kosher food, and the manipulation piles up until Marx realizes he is being fooled, and quite annoyed because of it.
Who is the defender of what faith?

[Mary D · Rating 4 out of 5]

In our current world of identity politics where every special group of people want special treatment, a story like this seems almost current.

In this story a Jewish soldier comically whines for special treatment from his sergeant because they are the same religon. It all actually works pretty well, until it doesn't! Classic Roth.

[Come Musica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inconfondibile lo stile di Roth.

[Klaudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eggroll

[Sofie · Rating 5 out of 5]

{short story}

Very interesting theme, well written. I like it very much!

[Bear Wiseman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a story with a satisfying ending.

[Hristos Dagres · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ένα σπάνιο και παραγνωρισμένο διήγημα, αμετάφραστο απ'όσα ξέρω, στα ελληνικά αλλά με ιδιαίτερη λογοτεχνική και πολιτική αξία: ίσως είναι το πρώτο λογοτεχνικό έργο που προειδοποίησε με τέτοια διαύγεια και ακρίβεια τους κινδύνους από τη "Βιομηχανία της Θυματοποίησης", δηλαδή από την ωφελιμιστική διαχείριση και επίκληση της ταμπέλας του "θύματος" από κάποιο μέλος μιας μειονότητας, με στόχο τον προσπορισμό αθέμιτου οφέλους. Έψαξα να το βρω έχοντας διαβάσει πρώτα τον απόηχο που είχε προκαλέσει η δημοσίευση του στο περιοδ. New Yorker τη δεκαετία του '50 καθώς ένα μεγάλο μέρος της εβραϊκής κοινότητας στράφηκε εναντίον του Roth, όντας Εβραίος και ο ίδιος. Πιθανόν να ήταν οι ίδιοι που αναξιοπρεπώς προσπαθούσαν να μεταφράσουν σε κέρδος (οικονομικό, προσωπικό, πολιτικό κ.α.) την παρουσία τους σε μία οργανωμένη μειονότητα και ενοχλήθηκαν από την αποκάλυψη των πρακτικών και των στόχων τους από τον Roth. Η σπίλωση του συγγραφέα είναι μία μέθοδος διαχρονική που επίσης χρησιμοποιείται σήμερα από τους επαγγελματίες "ακτιβιστές".

Το διήγημα αναφέρεται στην προσπάθεια ενός νεοσύλλεκτου εβραϊκού θρησκεύματος, του Sheldon Grossbart, να γνωρίσει και να διαχειριστεί προς όφελος του την παρουσία ενός νέου λοχία στο κέντρο εκπαίδευσης νεοσυλλέκτων, ήρωα πολέμου στο Δυτικό Μέτωπο και επίσης Εβραίο που μόλις μετατάχθηκε στο κέντρο. Όλα αυτά εξελίσονται το 1945 και ενώ το μέτωπο του Ειρηνικού είναι ακόμη ενεργό. Ο Grossbart με αφορμή το κοινό θρήσκευμα χρησιμοποιεί διάφορους μόχλους (συναισθηματικό εκβιασμό, ενοχές, κοινές αναμνήσεις, αίσθημα αλληλεγγύης), επάνω στη βάση μιας υποτιθέμενης "αδικίας" και "καταδίωξης", για να πετύχει εξαιρέσεις και προνόμια που δεν έχουν οι συνστρατιώτες του ("κι ας σφουγγαρίσουν οι goyim τα πατώματα"). Αποκορύφωμα είναι η προσπάθεια του να εξαιρεθεί από την αποστολή όλης της μονάδας στον Ειρηνικό (του λοχία που είχε πολεμήσει στην Ευρώπη συμπεριλαμβανομένου) ώστε να αποφύγει τον πόλεμο. Δυστυχώς όμως η χειριστική του συμπεριφορά και οι απανωτές κραυγές περί "θυματοποίησης" δεν μπορούν να λειτουργούν επ' άπειρον και τελικά φέρνουν μία απροσδόκητη ανατροπή.

Το κείμενο είναι αριστουργηματικό. Χωρίς καμία προσπάθεια πολιτικολογίας ή ηθικοδιδακτικών περιγραφών και διακηρύξεων, ο Roth παρουσιάζει ζωηρά και άμεσα μέσα από τους διαλόγους των δύο ηρώων κυρίως, την προσπάθεια χρησιμοποιήσης ως νόμισμα της εβραϊκής ταυτότητας με στόχο την αποκόμιση οφέλους. Η ρητορική της "θυματοποίησης" είναι συνεχώς παρούσα στο λόγο του Grossbart, είτε με τη μορφή "παραπόνου" και παρακλήσεων, είτε - επιθετικά - ως κατηγορία για διακρίσεις. "Γιατί με καταδιώκεις, Λοχία" του λέει κάποια στιγμή (όταν αποτυγχάνει να πετύχει κάποια εξαίρεση από τον κοινό κανόνα), ενώ στο τέλος δεν διστάζει να του επιτεθεί για ... "αντισημιτισμό"!

Δυστυχώς το καμπανάκι του Roth δεν ακούστηκε όσο δυνατά έπρεπε τότε, με αποτέλεσμα σήμερα να έχουμε φτάσει σε ένα ιδιόμορφο point-system όπου ανάλλογα με το πόσο "μοναδικός" είναι κάποιος, ανήκοντας σε όσο περισσότερες "μειονότητες" μπορεί (ή κατασκευάζει) τόσο μεγαλύτερη "πίστωση" θυματοποίησης λαμβάνει σε αυτό το περίεργο χρηματιστήριο κλάψας.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

What does it mean, to defend the faith? To what lengths will – should – one go to defend it? And what might be the consequences of doing so? Who will be hurt, who will benefit? How much hurt or benefits make it worth it?

I read a pdf copy of this supplied by my professor.

[connie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5 stars

Really interesting read for my Jewish American module at uni!

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Systemic anti-semitism in the military. Manipulation. Self-realization. Written in the 1950s and I am sure it is similarly true today.

[Em · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for my Survey of U.S literature class

[Ariel C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

read this for uni :)

[Brother Gregory Rice, SOLT · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very funny.

[Mariah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been thinking of this book since I finished it. I've never read any book that questions the main characters Judaism and his loyalty to his country.

[Kristina Mateo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really truthly enjoyed this one. More then Goodbye Columbus. A valid point from a child that should have been encourged to seek so he could fine. Instead of doing the same thing they essentialy had done to Jesus and persecuted.
I was a truly riveting book.

[Ilan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 rounded down to 3

[Eliza Hemenway · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written short story with great character development.

[Kathy Shuker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given this book by an Italian friend who, knowing my constant desire to improve my Italian, thought it would help (as well as prove enjoyable). It is a short story, set during the Second World War. In this publication, the original English version runs down the right-facing page while the Italian translation runs down the left. It is a brilliant way to read a story in a foreign language with ease, especially one like this with a lot of specialised vocabulary. There was no need to constantly look up words in a dictionary: a quick glance across the page gave an immediate translation and, best of all, the flow of the story was not impeded. I may even have learnt some new words(though I'm not sure about that.) But I did very much enjoy the story which is cleverly crafted with excellent characterisation.

[Carnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The subtle yet clear capture of one man's struggle to come to terms with his identities, Roth translates his life experiences into the persona of Nathan Marx, a war veteran who faces conflicting interests being a Jewish American. Under the influence of trainee recruit Sheldon Grossbart, a fellow Jew like himself, Marx learns to find his own definition of belonging by overcoming the differences of his ethnicities.

[Laura]

You may read online here.

[Josh Greenfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Philip Roth is a wonderful writer.

[Francesca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Obviously I didn't like Grossbart's behaviour at all, but I really appreciated the fact of having understood the meaning of the title at the end of the book.

[Kaitlin Sarago · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gives rise to an interesting question: how far should one go to defend another person's faith?