A sociological study in selected works by Philip Roth, Cormac Mccarthy and Jonathan Franzen

Abstract

America witnessed several problems and social aspects to establish its own identity in the world. Identity becomes a problematic and questionable issue. The impact of war on individual and the community is also profound and problematic. Other issues such as earthquakes, the environmental pollution, abortion, racial discrimination, and drug addiction are also considered important issues that changed people lives the way war changed them. The dissertation studies these issues and their consequences on the society in selected novels by three of the American novelists who find themselves in a position to highlight these issues in their novels and enumerate people about them. The dissertation is divided into six chapters including the conclusion. The first chapter discusses the history of American society. The second chapter introduces literature review and the theoretical framework of the dissertation. The third chapter studies Philip Roth (1933). It studies social issues in Roth's two novels American Pastoral (1997) and Human Stain (2000). The fourth chapter deals with two novels by Cormac McCarthy (1933). It studies his two novels All the Pretty Horses (1992) and No Country for Old Men (2005). The fifth chapter is devoted to Jonathan Franzen (1955). It studies social issues in his two novels The Twenty-Seventh City (1988) and Strong Motion (1992). The sixth chapter is the conclusion that sums up the findings of the study.