As World War II broke out and anti-Semitism shook Europe, Jewish immigrants emigrated to the United States. The Jewish population continued to increase well after the World War. II, and with a decrease in anti-Semitism throughout the country, the Jewish population did not face discrimination and was able to find economic and social wealth. One of the authors who described Jewish life in America was Phillip Roth, who emphasized the upward social mobility of Jews. communities of New York and New Jersey in his acclaimed novel American Pastoral. Having changed events, the novel refutes any American immigrant dreams and depicts colossal events that doom the protagonist's life due to a choice made by his daughter in American Pastoral, Phillip Roth. explains how past difficulties and sins that alter a person's life will eventually cause them to change their own outlook on life. Say No to Plagiarism Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay all the way through. American Pastoral, Roth shows how a fall leads to the continuation of new difficulties in life. Merry Levov detonates a bomb at the post office to protest the Vietnam War. This event is the first of the falls to occur: “The girl who transports him out of the much-desired American pastoral and into all that is its antithesis and its enemy, into the fury, violence and despair of the counter-pastoral. – in the Native American berserk” (Roth 86). After Seymour's sixteen-year-old daughter Merry detonates a bomb at the local post office, she shames her father. In doing so, she killed an innocent bystander. By blowing up the post office, Seymour is no longer part of the American dream he achieved, which included his wealth, his family, and his home. The bomb explosion at the post office also caused Seymour's life to explode as following this event he experiences even more downfalls. Critics Debora Richey and Mona Kratzert note: “Much like a collage artist, Roth chooses the pieces that best fit his work. Thus, at the height of the activity of the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) in 1968, Merry detonated his bomb and exiled him. family from their perfect American dream life and makes redemption impossible for his father. Due to Merry detonating the bomb, her poor choices began to affect other situations and ultimately triggered the collapse of her family. Seymour's relationship with his wife Dawn collapsed because she had an affair with another man: "The Swede couldn't help but imagine the details of Orcutt fucking his wife..." ( Roth 359). Seymour discovered his wife Dawn and their architect, Bill Orcutt, in their kitchen doing what appeared to be corn peeling, but they were actually engaged in sexual intercourse. Seymour's perfect life continues to neglect him as his wife was no longer in love with him and valued Orcutt much more due to their daughter's mess creating tension in the house. Ultimately, Dawn wants to get rid of Seymour because he is a constant reminder of Merry who she also wants to get rid of. Critic Derek Parker Royal suggests that "the heart of the American pastoral is devoted to imagining the Swede's life after this tragedy: the attempts to find his daughter, the communication with his alleged associates, his and Dawn's emotional difficulties, and the ultimate disintegration of the family. .” Difficulties in Seymour's lifecontinually intensify due to the result of a wrong decision made and lead to the continuation of other difficulties in one's life. In addition to other difficulties due to Merry's sin, the Newark Maid Glove Factory was on the verge of having to be closed: "The Swede found himself hooked on public relations," he explained, "to which he was hanging in Newark…” (Roth 27). Seymour inherited his father's glove manufacturing business in Newark. The business was slow at first, but then expanded in 1942 during World War II when the Women Army Corps ordered dress gloves from the company. Eventually there were factories in Newark, Puerto Rico and the Czech Republic. The company was no longer prospering and was on the verge of bankruptcy as only one of the three factories remained. Critics Debora Richey and Mona Kratzert note that "the American immigrant's dream—if one excels, works hard, and is honorable, one will succeed with all one's dreams—is the myth that Roth debunks." » Seymour represents the American dream of immigrants because Roth depicts Seymour's life full of difficulties and sins and refutes the myth of this dream. Being successful does not mean that your entire life will continue without difficulties. Over the course of the novel, Roth suggests that the difficulties and sins that arise in the present change perspective. During her cross-country trip after her first post office bombing, Merry had been raped twice: “The most perfect girl of all, her daughter, had been raped” (Roth 266). Once Seymour found out Merry had been mistreated, he was heartbroken. This shows that even though he saw her innocence for a short time, even though she was forced to do something she didn't want to do, Seymour did not forget her past. To many, the rape may have masked everything else, but to Seymour, he believed Merry had lost his innocence after bombing the post office. Critic David Brauner writes: "When Seymour meets Merry for the first time since her sudden disappearance following the bombing of the Old Rimrock post office, he is dismayed to discover that she was indeed responsible for both of this terrorist act (during which a local doctor was killed) and for two other bombings (during which three other people died). In the past, Seymour viewed Merry as an innocent human being, but since Merry was accused of bombing the post office, he sought her out to confirm that she actually did it and believed that she was innocent all these years. Meeting her and discovering the truth discouraged him because he believed that his daughter was still innocent and no longer wanted to preserve her innocence. Seymour realizes that Newark, New Jersey was not what he remembered growing up: "It's the worst town in the world, Skip" (Roth 24). Growing up, Seymour was a popular kid at Weeqhauic High School and was an athlete in football, basketball and baseball. Everyone, including his parents, knew him, especially for his good looks because he had blond hair and blue eyes. Newark was an industrial city because many things were manufactured there. This was before the 1967 riots that turned the city into another city full of crime and criminals. Seymour knows Newark as it is now and no longer considers it a good place. Critics Debora Richey and Mona Kratzert share their thoughts that "the Swede's thoughts are disjointed as he searches his memories for a transgression that he can blame on the tragedy that his life has become." Due to the difficulties in his life, Seymour's ego was affected. His life.