Philip Roth displays numerous cases of betrayal in his “American trilogy”: Seymour’s betrayal to his father; the mutual betrayal between Seymour and his wife; the daughter’s betrayal to Seymour and his wife; Coleman Silk’s betrayal to his mother and his wife; the mutual betrayal between Ira Ringold and Eve Frame; the betrayal of a paramour, friends and former neighbours to Ira Ringold, etc. Meanwhile, Roth reveals the causes and effects of the betrayal in the trilogy. Through the stage of betrayal, Roth shows a clear picture of American social life.
References
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McDonald, B. J. (2014). Philip Roth’s Mock Lincoln. Canadian Review of American Studies, 44, 389-401.
http://dx.doi.org/10.3138/cras.2013.035
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Roth, P. (1997). American Pastoral. New York: Vintage International.
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Roth, P. (1998). I Married a Communist. Boston, New York: Houghton Mifflin Company.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00144940.2012.699905