Well, of course the discussion could not start without a special remark to the Newark "homies" amongst us, who of course did not keep to themselves interesting stories and details about their former home city. (As example: The overpass where he found Merry is exactly the same today.)
Pratically everybody was stunned by Philip Roth's AMERICAN PASTORAL, although not everybody acknowledged to have enjoyed reading it. Hugh and difficult to digest or as Michel put it: As though it is wonderfully written, there's no way out for any of the characters of getting hurt and devastated, it's just ... depressing. There were also several questions about the structure and the general setting: Irritation about the fact that it is knowingly and intentionally set up as an invention, enjoyment starting only when Swede's story begins (so what do we need all the settings around for?), the impression that the whole diner party was not necessary to make the story a complete story, annoyance that the book does not include the Swede's life with his second wife...
We felt that there were so many topics to pick up, that it was just impossible discuss all the different aspects in just one evening. So we went on coming up with events and questions.
It was a clear statement: Such a thing as blowing up the post office of the village would have meant the end of the relation between Caroline and her daughter. There was nevertheless much understanding for the protective feelings and actions of the Swede to save his daughter, for the good Swede. One could almost sense an admiration for the will to and the actual continuation of the goodness by this man. At least, it was never really put in question although the question hung in the air: Can goodness be a bad thing?
Merry's relation with the Swede: Given the good person he was, could he have done anything differently to bring up and save Merry? In the end we agreed: Merry would have been much better off regarding her final state, if she would have been arrested by the FBI. We also understood Swede’s brother, Jerry’s instinct to run back and take her home by force.
Everybody loved the Swede's father and his brother: Genuine characters who did not need kindness to confirm and complete their personalities. We also equally did NOT like Marcia, the wife of Swede’s high school buddy, who even the narrator admits is all talk and no action.
At different occasions the question of "criticism" popped up: The narrator's, Nathan Zuckerman, criticism of Swede…or was it Merry's criticism on her father and thus the "old style" America; Philip Roth's criticizing through Nathan Zuckerman of the Vietnam-post-Kennedy- means Johnson's- and Nixon's-America; Dawn, the New Jersey beauty (which is, as the non-Americans discovered, a cultural reference on its own already!), never quite accepted as a working class girl. Well, we didn't get to a common view and understanding. Or wouldn't there be any criticism at all and Philip Roth is just plainly giving us a 360° view on what was and did happen in America during the Sixties and Seventies? This remained an open question.
Several times we raised the question about Rita Cohen: What was her role, why did she continue to pop up in the story, did she really have a connection with Merry? Well, this, too, remained unanswered.
And we came to the movie question: Apparently there are preparations ongoing to make a film out of the book in Hollywood, but according to our Hollywood insider we will not see it before long on the screen. Besides, our movie experts agreed that "I married a Communist" would be the best amongst Philip Roth's novels to turn into a movie.
Cynthia & Maren
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