Philip Roth’s Somber Tone in The Humbling

Like many Philip Roth novels, The Humbling explores human sexuality and presents a wide array of relationships throughout the tale. As one of his shorter works, The Humbling differs from previous Roth novels in a few ways. Most notably, the story is far less satirical than previous stories, especially Portnoy’s Complaint. It also discusses mental illness and same-sex relationships. Upon reading the story, it is interesting to speculate why Roth chose to forgo his usual satirical approach to writing in favor of more straightforward prose, and also why he decided to place a same-sex relationship at the center of the novel’s plot.

The novel begins with an aging actor retiring after being unable to play the role of Prospero or Macbeth. After he realizes his career is over, the actor, named Simon Axler, spirals into a deep depression. During one passage, Roth describes how it is nearly impossible for Axler to even crawl out of bed each day: “In the mornings he hid in bed for hours, but instead of hiding from the role he was merely playing the role. And when finally he got up, all he could think about was suicide, and not its simulation either” (Roth 7). The opening passage displays a solemn tone from Roth, who typically employs a humorous or satirical approach to his writing, as opposed to grim passages such as the one just quoted.

After the man’s depression reaches its high point, he eventually checks himself into a psychiatric hospital where he spends a number of weeks before being checking out. Upon release, Simon begins dating a woman named Pegeen, who has lived as a lesbian for the past seventeen years. In describing the unlikely partnership between Simon and Pegeen, Roth writes: “It was not likely – particularly as Pegeen Mike Stapleford had lived as a lesbian since she was twenty-three – that when she was forty years old and Axler was sixty-five they would become lovers who would speak on the phone every morning upon awakening and would eagerly spend their free time together at his house” (Roth 44).

Simon and Pegeen’s relationship is possibly inserted into the novel to discuss the complexities of human relationships, as the breakup of Pegeen and her former girlfriend is central to the two meeting. Roth details the breakup of Pegeen and Priscilla, stating, “Priscilla announced that she had begun taking hormonal injections to promote facial hair growth and deepen her voice. Her plan was to have her breasts surgically removed and become a man… She would not turn back however much Pegeen pleaded” (Roth 51). The passage is another serious one for Roth, with his intentions possibly being to discuss a serious event (a breakup) in a serious light, not one veiled in satire. It makes sense when considering that Roth had gone through several marriages by this point in his career and had written at length about his personal relationships in previous novels.

Although the discussion of a serious life event was possibly one reason for Roth taking a more serious tone in The Humbling, another reason could be that he was simply bored with writing and wanted to change up his style for the novel. After all, Roth had released a novel in both years surrounding the release of The Humbling and was possibly tired with what he was writing, leading him to take what was for him an unconventional approach to his writing. Some may argue that Roth has written serious works in the past, which is true, but his works immediately preceding The Humbling, including Everyman and Indignation, were more similar to his classic style, with a humorous, satirical prose.

Lastly, Roth could have used a serious tone while discussing a same-sex relationship to provide readers with his opinion on the subject. Near the end of the novel, Pegeen leaves Simon, with Simon thinking to himself: “But to phone Asa now would accomplish nothing. Pegeen was gone. Gone to Tracy. Gone to Lara. Gone to the pitcher with the ponytail” (Roth 131). After their breakup, Simon takes his own life with a shotgun, playing out one final scene for himself (Roth 140). There are a few things Roth could be insinuating with the relationship. Most importantly, he could be subtly stating that a person cannot change his or her sexual orientation. This is most evident with Pegeen, as she initially identifies as a lesbian before her breakup with Priscilla, and in the end, she comes to grips with the fact that she would prefer to be with a woman instead of a man.

In conclusion, the reason Roth decided to take a more serious tone and placing a same-sex relationship at the center of the novel was likely to modify his style and discuss a serious current event. As previously stated, he had released a great deal of work in a short period of time prior to the release of The Humbling. This likely compelled him to try something new instead of relying on his typical style of satirizing everyday life. In addition, the novel was published in 2009, which was at the height of the same-sex marriage debate. Therefore, Roth likely wanted to portray a same-sex couple in his novel to show how there is no difference between a heterosexual couple and a homosexual couple. When juxtaposed beside one another, the relationships between Pegeen and Priscilla and Pegeen and Simon are on practically identical trajectories. They at first have great times together, slowly begin to drift apart, and eventually one partner leaves the other in an attempt to find happiness elsewhere. His portrayal of the two relationships shows how a relationship between members of the same sex is ultimately the same as one between members of the opposite sex. In the end, Roth once again portrays everyday life as only he knows how, with vivid descriptions, isolated humor, and an in-depth examination of why so many people find it difficult to survive in a world that is at times filled with heartache and despair.

Work Cited

Roth, Philip. The Humbling. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009. Print