Mortal

"Old age is not a battle; old age is a massacre." Philip Roth's late masterpiece, which describes the grief, anger and helplessness of the ordinary world, has been highly recommended by many authoritative European and American book review media. The title "Mortal" comes from a medieval morality play that tells the story of a "mortal"'s deathbed experience when he is summoned by death. Roth's "Mortal" is a story about loss and regret, illness and death. The protagonist of the novel was once the creative director of an advertising company in New York. He had three failed marriages, two sons who hated him and a daughter who loved him. He also has a good brother who always takes care of him, and his healthy body even makes him jealous. From witnessing his first death at the beach in the summer of his childhood, to his vigorous career success in adulthood, several marriages and family separations, to his old age when he watched his contemporaries wither away and suffered from repeated illnesses, loneliness and powerlessness became the themes of his life. This is the life of the "mortal" described by Roth, which is frank, profound, and of universal significance.