Conundrums of Assimilation – Rethinking the World Presented in Philip Roth’s “Defender of the Faith” and Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use”

Magdalena Klimiuk

Helena Chodkowska University of Technology and Economics in Warsaw, Poland

Abstract

This article presents a comparative reading of Philip Roth’s “Defender of the Faith” and Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use.” The purpose of this article is to analyze the conundrums of assimilation in both stories, the main characters’ state of being, “not-at-home,” and their representation as ethnic Others, in order to point to the Biblical terrain of interpretation of the two stories. “Defender of the Faith” and “Everyday Use” skilfully explore the theme of Biblical redemption and present versions of a wise son and a mocking child from the Biblical Book of Proverbs. By deploying these metaphors they embrace larger issues such as the clash between ethnic/cultural authenticity and forged identity,individuality and conformity, tradition and modernity.

Keywords:

ethnic Other, assimilation, redemption, “not-at-home-ness", masquerade, identity