Discoursal Formation of Identity in Philip Roth’s The Human Stain

Year 2019, , 1015 - 1027, 02.07.2019

M. Önder Göncüoğlu

https://doi.org/10.21547/jss.487186

Abstract

Philip Roth’s The Human Stain (2000) simply tells the story of a New England classics professor, Coleman Silk, who is forced to quit his job for alleged racism. The charge is a lie, but the truth about Silk is more shocking because it turns out that for his entire adult life, Silk has been covering up the fact that he is neither Jewish nor white although he is actually a very light-skinned man. The stain given in the title of this novel stands for both a mark on the skin and the mark of our experienced-based stories and which, consequently construct our identities. This paper, therefore, analyzes how the idea of ‘stain’ is ironically inscribed both socially and individually into our identities.

Keywords

Stain, Identity, Social Pressure, Class Distinction, Bias, Race

Philip Roth’un The Human Stain Adlı Romanında Kimliğin Söylemsel İnşası

Abstract

Philip Roth’un The Human Stain (2000) adlı romanında sözde ırkçılık iddialarıyla
işinden ayrılmak zorunda kalan New-England’lı bir profesör olan Coleman Silk’in
hikâyesi anlatılır. İddia asılsız olsa da Silk hakkında daha şaşırtıcı başka
bir mesele ortaya çıkar. Buna göre ne Yahudi ne de beyaz ırka mensup biri olan
Silk aslında beyaz tenli bir siyahidir ve bu gerçeği tüm yetişkinlik hayatı
boyunca bir sır olarak saklamıştır. Romanın adında bulunan leke kelimesi ten
rengimizle ilgili ironik bir çağrışımı aklımıza getirirken, öznel yaşanmışlıkların
işareti olarak da düşünülebilir. Bu çalışma, leke kavramından hareketle kimlik
meselesinin hem sosyal hem de öznel tecrübeler ile söylem düzleminde nasıl inşa
edildiğini tartışmaktadır. 

Keywords

Leke, Kimlik, Sosyal Baskı, Sınıf Ayrımı, Ön-yargı, Irk

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