The Human Stain

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2000

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

How does Roth’s choice to have an unreliable narrator connect with the main thematic concerns of the novel?

Discuss the role of self-invention and constructed identity in the characters of Coleman Silk, Faunia Farley, and another character of your choice.

Consider the narrative timeline of the novel. For example, events are described in Chapter 2, before Nathan the narrator learns about these events in Chapter 5. How would the novel change if the timeline were linear? How would the themes and their significance change, if at all?