The need for victimization and the search for purification in Philip Roth's American trilogy

Myths and archetypes, which are claimed to exist in man?s collective unconscious, are shown as a proof to explain the common behaviour patterns of the individuals and society. These mythical and archetypal images have been reflected in literature especially through tragedies since Old Testament till modern fiction. Though the reasons may differ through history, tragedies reflect the fall of mankind and the pain he suffers as a result of it through several archetypes. The usage of the same archetypes in the tragedies depicting the fall of man due to particular social and historical events of the rea he lives in puts forward the fact that archetypal images are universal, transcending time and place. Two of the archetypal and mythical figures that are generally depicted in tragedies and also evaluated in this thesis are ?scapegoat motif? and ?the need for sacrifice and victimization?. This thesis aims at analyzing the reasons for the need for victimization in different eras of mainly American history and its tragic outcomes that are reflected onto the lives of people in Philip Roth?s ?American Trilogy.? The main emphasis goes to the experiences of tragic heroes who fall victim to the societal rules in Philip Roth?s three recent novels, American Pastoral, I Married a Communist and The Human Stain.