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Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University

Defender of the Faith

(1959)

“Defender of the Faith” by Philip Roth One. Why does the narrator Sargeant Nathan Marx say he is “fortunate enough” to travel “the weirdest paths without feeling a thing”? He wants us to know that he is world-weary and life-hardened, a man who “has seen it all,” but in fact. 'Defender of the Faith'. The story is set in late spring 1945, after the end of military operations in Europe. The first-person narrator, Sergeant Nathan Marx, is rotated from Germany to a training company at Camp Crowder, Missouri. He served in infantry in the European theatre of operations for two years. Philip Roth: “Defender of Faith” page 1 of 27 Defender of the Faith by Philip Roth IN MAY OF 1945, ONLY A FEW WEEKS AFTER the fighting had ended in Europe, I was rotated back to the States, where I spent the remainder of the war with a training company at Camp Crowder, Missouri. A review for Phillip Roth's short story, defender of the faith. This is both Dalton and I's first experience with Roth. Review of Adjustment Day, the newest. Defender of the Faith (1959) Philip Roth (March 19, 1933 – ) Notes 'Defender of the Faith' was first published in the March 14, 1959 issue of The New Yorker. 162 C.O.: Commanding Officer 'List of Abbreviations,' US Army Center of Military History.

Philip Roth

(March 19, 1933 – )

Notes

'Defender of the Faith' was first published in the March 14, 1959 issue of The New Yorker.
162 C.O.: Commanding Officer

• 'List of Abbreviations,' US Army Center of Military History
• 'Abbreviations and Acronyms of WWII and Service Records, ' WWII Forum (2010)

162 G.I.:

• GI (Merriam-Webster)
  1: provided by an official U.S. military supply department <GI shoes>
  2: of, relating to, or characteristic of U.S. military personnel
  3: conforming to military regulations or customs <a GI haircut>
• 'GI,' FUBAR: Soldier Slang of World War II (2007)
  1) Government Issue. The term became synonymous with the Army. It can mean the soldier himself, or any government or military property, or can be tagged to just about anything relating to the Army or the soldier's life. It was not until late 1943 that GI came into general use for identifying soldiers.
  2) Gastrointestinal illness—diarrhea, dysentery. See 'shits.'
  3) Galvanized Iron, with particular reference to the 'GI can,' a galvanized iron trash can that was used for a wide variety of purposes (trash, laundry, cleaning weapons, cooling beverages).
  4) 'To GI' means to clean up.
• William H. Young and Nancy K Young, World War II and the Postwar Years in America: A Historical and Cultural Encyclopedia, vol. 1: A–I (Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2010)
  'G.I.' (with periods) originally meant government issue and could be found stamped on many military supplies. Soldiers, with their dark humor, considered themselves a type of government issue, and the initials spread and entered everyday speech. As is always the case with slang, the meanings for GI expanded and the periods disappeared, as more and more troops swelled the armed forces. If a soldier complained of stomach discomfort, it meant he had the 'GIs,' or a gastrointestinal illness. To 'GI a place' meant cleaning up a site, probably under supervision. A 'GI haircut' meant short on the sides and back of the head.

162 G.I. party:

• 'GI party,' FUBAR:Soldier Slang of World War II (2007)
  Traditional way to spend a Friday night—barracks clean-up to get ready for the Saturday-morning inspection

165 shul: synagogue, a Jewish house of worship, from the Yiddish word meaning 'school'

• Rabbi Moshe Waldocks, 'What’s the difference between a temple, synagogue, and a shul?,' Jewish Boston (2012)
• synagogue (Merriam-Webster)
  1: a Jewish congregation
  2: the house of worship and communal center of a Jewish congregation

171 beat a tattoo:

tattoo (Merriam-Webster) 1: a rapid rhythmic rapping 2 a: a call sounded shortly before taps as notice to go to quarters b: outdoor military exercise given by troops as evening entertainment tattoo (Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary) 2 (especially British English) an outdoor show by members of the armed forces that includes marching, music and military exercises the Edinburgh military tattoo 3 [usually singular] a rapid and continuous series of taps or hits, especially on a drum as a military signal The drummers beat a tattoo each morning. Her fingers tapped a light tattoo on the table. George felt his heart begin to beat a tattoo against his ribs. tattoo (Oxford Dictionaries) 1 An evening drum or bugle signal recalling soldiers to their quarters. ‘a military tattoo takes place with clockwork precision’ 1.1 British An entertainment consisting of music, marching, and the performance of displays and exercises by military personnel. ‘a visit to Edinburgh during the Festival includes a visit to the Tattoo’ ‘a crash involving two Russian jet fighters at the International Air Tattoo’ 1.2 A rhythmic tapping or drumming. ‘she tapped her fingers in a nervous tattoo’

188 Seder:

'Seder Menu,' Rome, Italy, 1945 (Courtesy of the American Jewish Historical Society at the Center for Jewish History)	seder /ˈseɪdɚ/ (Merriam-Webster) a Jewish home or community service including a ceremonial dinner held on the first or first and second evenings of the Passover in commemoration of the exodus from Egypt The Seder (Jewish Virtual Library) On the first night of Passover (first two nights outside of Israel), Jews are commanded to have a special family meal filled with ritual to remind us of the significance of the holiday. This meal is called the Seder, which is a Hebrew root word meaning “order.” It is the same root from which we derive the word “siddur” (prayer book). 'The Seder Service in a Nutshell,' Chabad 'Passover,' Britannica Encyclopedia of World Religions (2006) Hebrew Pesah, or Pesach, in JUDAISM, “the festival of our freedom.” Passover commemorates God’s deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt in the events described at EXODUS 1–15. Celebrated from the 15th day of Nisan, the first full moon after the vernal equinox, generally in April, the festival lasts for eight days in the diaspora, seven in the Land of Israel, with the first and final days holy days; during that time all leaven is forbidden, and in place of bread, the faithful eat MATZAH, unleavened bread. Passover is marked in Judaism by a home banquet, or SEDER, that follows an order of song and story. With unleavened bread and sanctified wine, the holy people, ISRAEL, celebrate the liberation of slaves from Pharaoh’s bondage. Families see both the ancients and themselves as liberated—so states the Passover HAGGADAH, or Narrative: “We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt and the Lord our God brought us forth from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. And if the Holy One, blessed be he, had not brought our fathers forth from Egypt, then we and our descendants would still be slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt. And so, even if all of us were full of wisdom, understanding, sages and well informed in the TORAH, we should still be obligated to repeat again the story of the Exodus from Egypt; and whoever treats as an important matter the story of the Exodus from Egypt is praiseworthy.” Not only so, but every generation celebrates God’s deliverance of Israel, encompassing the living: “This is the promise which has stood by our forefathers and stands by us. For neither once, nor twice, nor three times was our destruction planned; in every generation they rise against us, and in every generation God delivers us from their hands into freedom, out of anguish into joy, out of mourning into festivity, out of darkness into light, out of bondage into redemption.” Dan Gilgoff, 'Explain It to Me: Passover,' CNN (2011; video clip, 3:20 min.) Marjorie Ingall, 'Seders in Uniform: How American Troops Celebrated Passover During WWII,' Tablet (2015)
	Avraham Goldhar, 'Crash Course on Passover' (2011; 6:50 min.)
	Rabbi Maccabi, 'Model Passover Seder' (2015; 44:11 min.)

Bitter Complaints
Since early in his career, some critics, and some important members of the Jewish community, have complained bitterly about how Roth portrays Jews - many have even gone so far as to call him an anti-Semite. Roth says that such remarks have had a great effect on him.
'I can remember the very day it began. It was 1957, when The New Yorker published my story 'Defender of the Faith.' I was 24, and being published in The New Yorker was pretty exciting. I was living down on the Lower East Side. It was a Thursday, and I kept walking out to the newsstand on 14th Street to see if the magazine had come up. Finally there it was, and I took it back to my apartment. The first few hours, I just looked at it. Then I read it, down to my name. Then I read it backward to the beginning. Then forward again down to my name. That was my day.
'The next day I got a phone call from my editor at The New Yorker, saying that the story had provoked a tremendous response—first the indignant phone calls, then, a day or two later, the angry letters. They poured in. Strong medicine for a 24-year-old writer. Not only had I published a story, but I had created a scandal. Talk about the unforeseen consequences of art. Did it have an effect on me? Sure. I put up my dukes.'
The accusations continued with 'Goodbye, Columbus' and, of course, with 'Portnoy's Complaint.'
'I didn't help things any with 'Portnoy's Complaint,' ' he says, laughing again. 'This indictment is a kind of fever that flares up from time to time. It flared up after 'Defender of the Faith,' again after 'Goodbye Columbus,' and understandably it went way up—to about 107—after 'Portnoy's Complaint.' Now there's just a low-grade fever running, nothing to worry about. I think the generation that got hot and bothered by my work is getting a little tired of the fuss.
'You know,' he says, 'if you hang around long enough, they begin to get used to you.'

Comprehension Check What does an 'infantryman's heart' (161) mean? What do soldiers do at a GI party (162)? Grossbart makes a point of distinguishing the narrator's last name: 'M-a-r-x. Isn't that how you spell it, Sergeant?' (164). What is the other spelling by implicit comparison? Where and how does Grossbart spend Seder? Aside from Grossbart, Fishbein and Halpern, which characters mentioned in the story are Jewish? How do you know? How would you find out?

Study Questions Compare Marx's two years of war in Europe (161) with the fighting in the 'new front' that he faces with 'the Jewish personnel' (163). What does he show us on this 'field of battle' (166)? What 'guts' does he have? How is this 'war' at home, back in the States, similar to or different from the one Marx experienced in Europe? What is the difference between Marx's and Grossbart's questions about names? Compare 'What's your name, soldier?' (163) with 'Those guys are all—M-a-r-x. Isn't that how you spell it, Sergeant?' (164). What is the difference between the heart and the gut? How does Grossbart show his insolence or insubordination? When does Marx realize that he is being played by Grossbart? What triggers this realization? Why are Grossbart's lies disturbing to Marx? Why is the chain of command important in the story? What is the hierarchy of authority presented? Is this order of command disrupted at any point? If so, how? Consider what the following instances reveal about the line of authority, its appeal, effects and stability. 'Higher up? He means the General?' 'Hey, Shelly,' Fishbein said, 'he means God.' He smacked his face and looked at Halpern. 'How high can you go!' (173) 'His mother called a goddam congressman about the food. [..] Lightfoot Harry's on the phone [..] This congressman calls General Lyman, who calls Colonel Sousa, who calls the Major, who calls me' (175) How does this story illustrate the difference between boys and men? Which moments in “Defender of the Faith” might Charles Baxter call moments of stillness? What occurs within them? How are they different from non-still moments?

Review Sheet

Characters

Nathan Marx– 'Your new first sergeant is Sergeant Nathan Marx here He is a veteran of the European theater' (162)

Sheldon Grossbart– 'The trainee, who had been staring at me [Marx] whenever he thought I wouldn't notice, finally took a step in my direction' (162); 'his green-speckled eyes, long and narrow, flashed like fish in the sun. He walked over to me and sat on the edge of my desk' (163)

Larry Fishbein– 'tall boy [..] He had a cadaverous face that collapsed inward from his cheekbone to his jaw, and when he smiled [..] revealed a mouthful of bad teeth' (169)

Michael Halpern, Mickey– 'Only Halpern responded to the chant by praying' (171)

Defender Faith Philip Roth Pdf File

Captain Paul Barrett– 'my [Marx's] C.O. in Camp Crowder [..] he was short, gruff, and fiery, and—indoors or out—he wore his polished helmet liner pulled down to his little eyes' (162); 'I'd fight side by side with a nigger if the fella proved to me he was a man. I pride myself [..] that I've got an open mind' (166); 'I admire you [Marx] because of the ribbons on your chest. I judge a man by what he shows me on the field of battle' (166)
Corporal Robert LaHill– 'the C.Q.' (167)

Places

United States

Camp Crowder, Missouri – 'In May of 1945, only a few weeks after the fighting had ended in Europe, I was rotated back to the States, where I spent the remainder of the war with a training company at Camp Crowder, Missouri' (161)

Jedit x for mac.

Time

1945

May – 'In May of 1945, only a few weeks after the fighting had ended in Europe, I was rotated back to the States' (161)

Vocabulary

narrator
protagonist
antagonist
voice
silence
dialogue
plot
conflict
setting
simplification
stereotypes
discrimination; racism
themes
integrity
conscience
guilt
consciousness
idenity
trust
loyalty
betrayal
transgression
duty; responsibility
obligation

Defender Of The Faith Philip Roth Pdf

honor
lies
truth
distortion
human nature
relationship

Sample Student Responses to Philip Roth's 'Defender of the Faith'

Response 1:

Reference

Links

Philip Roth, 'Writing about Jews,' Commentary (1963) Jewish Surnames Bennett Muraskin, 'Jewish Surnames Explained,' Slate (2014) Bennett Muraskin, 'Follow Up: Jewish Surnames Explained,' Slate (2014) Aaron Demsky, 'The Memi De-Shalit Database of Jewish Family Names at Beit Hatfutsot: An Introduction,' Museum of the Jewish People

Media		'Philip Roth,' The Book Review Show (2011; 14:37 min.)
		Philip Roth, Arena (1993; 58:33 min.)
		'A Rare Look at Author Philip Roth,' Sunday Morning, CBS News (2010; 7:30 min.)
		Jeffrey Brown, Philip Roth Interview, PBS Newshour (2004; 9:11 min.)
		Philip Roth Unleashed, dir. Sarah Aspinall, BBC One (2014) Part 1 (1 hr. 2:34 min.) Part 2 (1 hr. 3:44 min.)

Philip Roth

Mervyn Rothstein, 'The Unbounded Spirit of Philip Roth,' The New York Times (1985) Hermione Lee, 'Philip Roth,' The Art of Fiction No. 84, The Paris Review (1984) Biography 'Philip Roth Biography,' The Philip Roth Society (2013)

Reference

Roth, Philip. 'Defender of the Faith.' Goodbye, Columbusand Five Short Stories. Modern Library, 1995, pp. 161–200.

Further Reading

Roth, Philip. Goodbye, Columbus and Five Short Stories. Modern Library, 1995.
Roth, Philip. American Pastoral. Vintage, 1998.
Roth, Philip. The Facts: A Novelist's Autobiography. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1988.

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Last updated March 28, 2018

By: Tasha • Essay • 1,209 Words • January 22, 2010 • 1,113 Views

Join now to read essay Defender of the Faith

Philip Roth has written many stories throughout his lifetime. “Defender of the Faith” is a short story that was published in his first collection entitled Goodbye, Columbus which also included four other short stories and a novella. To understand Roth’s writing one must first look at his life and where he got his general ideas from. In many of Roth’s stories he encompasses parts of his life that he has dealt with such as being a Jewish American.

In “Defender of the Faith” we watch a Sergeant in the United States Army come back from fighting in World War II and come to terms with his Jewish faith and what it truly means to him by reconnecting with a part of his heart he hasn’t been able to use for a long time. The story is written in first person allowing us to follow Sergeant Marx’s true perspective and feelings on what he is going through in the story. The main characters in this story also include Sheldon Grossbart, Michael Halpren, and Larry Fishbein, three Jewish trainees trying to deal with the difficulties of basic training and also those of being true and faithful Jewish men. Roth joined the army in 1955, just ten years after the end of World War II, so through these men’s difficulties you can see what Roth himself probably went through during training. Roth brings himself and his family alive through the characters and happenings of the story. The men tell of how their parents are very concerned and overprotective of their sons. In a biography of Roth’s life by Lee Hermoine it discuses how he had a “over-possessive mother who, like most Jewish mother’s only wanted the best for her son.” This theme is conveyed throughout the book.

Roth characterizes Sergeant Marx as a man who mostly has been in the army for too long and has lost the warmness in his heart only because he’s had no other choice so that he could deal with the things the army brings with enlisting in it. It is said in Hermiones biography of Roth that he seems to have a “less loving view of the lives of Jews.” This could be why we see that Marx has forgotten some of his faith and has gotten over things such as eating kosher for the right to serve in the army. We watch the changes in Marx’s character and personality as he gets to know the three privates who remind him of the things he use to believe in. Marx even returns for Friday night services after the men come to him about going. Marx transforms himself throughout the story into a man who truly remembers who he is and who he was before he came into the army.

Throughout the story we see the relationship between Sergeant Marx and Private Grossbart form and change over time. At first Sergeant Marx questions Grossbart, wondering why he and the others believe they should get special privileges just because they are Jewish. Marx allows the men to see that he went through everything that they are going through and he made it just fine. The men allow Marx to see that all they want to do is stay faithful to their religion and be true Jewish men. Eating kosher, attending services, Passover dinner, these are all things that are special and important to them and they help the Sergeant to remember how important they are to him also. During the story though we see how Private Grossbart takes advantage of Marx’s kindness when he and the others are allowed to leave for the night to go to a special dinner his aunt supposedly cooked for them but returns back with only a bag of Chinese food. This shows how Roth possibly felt about the world at that time and how dishonest people can truly be. Roth shows Grossbart as a conniving person who takes advantage of anyone who has ever helped him with anything. In the end we see that Grossbart truly gets his when he tries to get his orders changed so he can stay stateside while the rest of the trainees were getting shipped over to the Pacific. Marx finds out and intervenes so that Grossbart gets orders to go overseas with the rest of the group. Roth allows us to see that

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