Philip Roth charges Sabbath’s Theater with a multi-faceted type of obscenity. At first, the borderline-psychopathic protagonist, Mickey Sabbath, seems like the archetype of sexual perversion and insatiability; and— what is worse— Sabbath is unfazed by his disgraced state. Yet, even through all his cringing qualities, Sabbath transcends his vices: Roth writes in a manner that prompts sympathy for him. For example, the reader gains insight into his internal hauntings— namely, the death of his brother, who left behind only his good taste in music, and of his mother, whose ghost plagues him. Sabbath then quips about the captivating diversity of skin color in Brazilian women. Given, Sabbath’s outright objectification of women is likely to spur controversy, but it is unlikely that his words …show more content…
Plato believed that the soul was divided into a pyramid consisting of three pieces. The topmost and smallest part is the logical side, composed of “nobler” or “higher” impulses that seek only truth. Furthermore, the topmost part also represent the most rational side of the being. The middle section is labeled as thymos, which can be described as the Greek word that stands for the human yearning for recognition or spirit. The bottom and largest section is the appetitive section composed of the physical desires of the soul. To Plato, this bottom part is the most problematic aspect of being human, and all lower pleasures such as sex and hunger fall under this category. The top two parts of the soul partake in moderating and even suppressing the appetitive component, a practice that reflects an individual’s judgement or logos. In The Republic, Plato contrives to dissuade the masses from pursuing the lower pleasures of the human soul and rather encourages the pursuit of truth and ideals (called