Phillip Roth and Saul Bellow about Genocide - Essay Example

Phillip Roth and Saul Bellow Introduction Several wars have erupted due to various issues in different countries. As it is known, the general result of war is destruction; socially, economically, culturally and politically. Another common occurrence of wars is death and injuries. War leaves in its wake casualties; some have wounds that they got as a result of the wars. Those who are not so fortunate die, either by directly being affected; like in the case of being in the battlefield, or indirectly; like becoming stressed up by losing a loved one and falling sick to the point of death. Wars targeted to particular group of individuals are a common occurrence, and if successful, genocide would be the result. Genocide is the killing of a specific group of people, particularly characterized of identified by race, origin, belief or tribe. The result of genocide is that many, if not all, of the targeted people end up dead. Such acts are committed in order for that particular group of people to cease to exist (Roth, 100). In Europe, there was so much discrimination of Jews that as a result, millions of them were killed. During the World War 2, one of the largest genocides took place. There was the mass murder of approximately six million Jews. The killing of these Jews was under the command of the then known German leader, Adolf Hitler. Before World War 2 came to happen, various laws had been formulated that would ensure that Jews were removed from society in Germany. Before this, many Jews had been killed when under labor, by being beaten, left to die due to disease and also due to being exhausted. Mass shootings were carried out during different times. This goes to show that Jews were once one of the most hated groups of people and with the closing stages of the WW2, the genocide came to cease. Phillip Roth and Saul Bellow have written about Jews in America. Some of the things that they have written have managed to draw support for Jews while others have been brought about criticism. From the pieces of writing, it can be seen that Judaism has made an impact in their lives, one way or another. Phillip Roth wrote the book, ‘The conversion of the Jews’ showing the exact happenings of the World War 2. From the reading of his book, he has some views that might somewhat be against Jews. The Jews migrated during the World War 2 to escape the mayhem that they would face eventually. They settled in the United States, and many moved on with their lives. They became assimilated into the American system, though some chose to remain royal to their culture (Roth, 100). There were differences between those who chose to become Americans fully, and those who chose to remain true to their cultural background. Those who chose to change were as it seems, accepted by the American community and got to share their American dreams. Those who remained royal were scrutinized by others. In his book, he writes about how the Jews who had their solid ground in their culture were treated (Roth, 101). They were viewed differently because of their religion. Religion is important to everyone as it is what gives people a moral rule or obligation to act differently. The book contains different approaches to belief. Ozzie, a character in Phillips book greatly believes in God (Roth, 102). From this, he can be viewed as modern since he is shown to love and believe in one Supreme Being, God. Rabbi, on the other hand does not share Ozzie’s beliefs. He is more of a traditional type of person. From the questions that Ozzie asks his teacher, Rabbi, it can be seen that he does not believe in Judaism as much as he is supposed to, yet he is a Jew. From the way Roth brings out Ozzie, it is safe to say that he discusses religion with a key interest in bringing Christianity and Judaism together. From the book, it can be concluded that Roth is in favor of the Jews, since he calls them the ‘chosen people’ (Roth, 101). Roth’s story ends with the conversion of the Jews into Christianity. Those converted come to love and believe in God, and thus they are united. Roth shows that religion is something that governs people towards a particular path. The American Jews wanted one thing; maintain their culture. This brought about two groups; Christianity and Judaism (Roth, 111). Both stood for different things, and Roth brings out the understanding that Christianity is superior to Judaism. The religious diversity of the two religious groups is clearly shown by Roth. For Christians, there is a belief that there is a Supreme Being who causes things to happen. From the reading of this book, Roth brings out Judaism in a positive way. He believes that religion is religion, no matter which one it is. If it gives a sense of belonging and purpose, then it is an important essence in human life (Roth, 113). There are different groups of Jews since recent time, and the major source of difference between these groups is how they approach Jewish Law.  For Orthodox Judaism, there is the belief that the Torah and Jewish law are holy and one in origin, eternal and cannot be altered, and that following them is mandatory (Ehrlich, 39). For Conservative and Reform Judaism, being liberal is what defines them. Conservative Judaism is known for having a more traditional way of handling Judaism's requirements than Reform Judaism. A Reform position is one where the Jewish law should be seen as a set of general instructions or guidelines, and not a collection of restrictions and obligations whose observance is required of all Jews (Ehrlich, 45). Saul Bellow shares Roth’s opinion about Christianity. He views religion as a way for people to receive certain closure about their lives. The inspiration to write this piece of literature by Saul was from the great depression. The great depression brought a lot of suffering to people, women in particular. Then World War 1 arose, where the effects lasted decades after another World War took place. With the passing of both wars, those mostly affected were the Jews. They had been killed in large numbers, and this was bound to affect those who survived in one way or another. The Jews who maintained their identity can be viewed as true to their culture. They are no cowards that they hide their true self for fear of being killed or insulted. The two writers bring Judaism in a positive manner, showing them to be strong and willing. They were able to move on following what came to pass to their counterparts. Saul is a key believer in religion as it can be seen in his book where he is keen to note that on Sundays’ the churches’ bells were ringing so as to inform people to go to church (Bellow, 78). Woody is an aged man with many things in his mind, one being his family. Like all other families, his is filled with troubles of their own, but one interesting fact is the conversion of Woody’s mother into Christianity, particularly to being a catholic. This conversion to another religious group causes his mother to be abandoned by his father. The conversion might have helped with the break-up, but the fact remains that religion was involved (Bellow, 120). The message that the two writers want to pass through is that religion is vital in someone’s life. Judaism was criticized because it was a strong religious movement. It had many followers, and from the many efforts that were made kill them, they still survived. They bring out Judaism as a strong religious movement, one with clear intentions. Those in support of their writings share a common knowledge that Jews are not enemies. Human beings are all equal, according to Roth (Roth, 102), and Jews are also human beings. Phillip Roth and Saul Bellow concentrated on the strengths of the Jewish people. In both books, Judaism is tied to Christianity. The two religions have a connection that seems to exist between them. Works Cited Ehrlich, Carl S. Judaism. New York, NY: Rosen Pub, 2010. Print. Bellow, Saul. A Silver Dish. New York: Albondocani Press, 1979. Print. Roth, Philip. The Conversion of the Jews. Napa, CA: Tales for Travellers, 1985. Print. Read More