Cultural Trauma in Philip Roth's The Human Stain

Abstract

The current research “Cultural Trauma in Philip Roth’s The Human Stain” the study of traumatic experiences of Coleman Silk and Lester Farley. Coleman’s traumatic experiences can be vividly noticed in his behavior even though he tries his best to hide his identity. Meanwhile, Lester Farley, a veteran soldier is traumatized which can be seen in his actions recalling the Vietnam War and feeling of being a looser. Lester Farley is largely traumatized in the Vietnam War where he has witnessed violence and destruction as well as death of his friend, Kenney. He has long lasting memories of the Vietnam War which repeatedly disturb him and make him dumb and numb. The major characters like Coleman Silk, Lester Farley along with the narrator, Nathan Zuckerman, seem to be affected by cultural trauma.