The Plot Against America

by

Philip Roth

The Plot Against America: Chapter 6 Summary & Analysis

Summary
Analysis
On May 22nd of 1942, the Roths receive a letter from Metropolitan Life informing them that under the OAA’s new Homestead 42 act, their family will be relocated to rural Danville, Kentucky in September. The letter states that just as the Homestead Act of 1862 provided “exciting new opportunities” to Americans willing to venture westward, Homestead 42 gives “emerging American families” the opportunity to move west. The letter congratulates the Roths on being chosen out of a number of worthy candidates.
Despite the OAA’s deceptive language of “new opportunities” and “emerging” families, their latest program is a transparent ploy to move Jewish families out of their neighborhoods. Their aim is seemingly to weaken both Jewish communities and constituencies while isolating Jews amongst Gentiles.
Themes
Jewish Identity vs. Assimilation Theme Icon
Isolationism vs. Solidarity Theme Icon
Historical Fact vs. Emotional Truth Theme Icon
Family and Home Theme Icon
When Herman tells Sandy, Philip, and Bess the news, Bess becomes panicked. She knows that in the town of Danville, whose population is 6,700, there will be no other Jews. Herman, however, is calm and resigned—he says that many other families are being relocated and that Kentucky will perhaps be better for them than Montana, Kansas, or Oklahoma. Herman tries to highlight the positives, but Bess is irate. She knows how alienated she felt as a child, and she points out how hard she has worked to make sure that her children go to school with other Jewish children and feel grounded in a Jewish community. She is mad that this is how she’s being repaid for all her hard work.
Bess, who grew up as the only Jewish girl in a Gentile neighborhood, has worked hard all her life to make sure that her children have the support of a Jewish community—now, she feels all that is being taken away from her, and she is right. Herman is resigned to their fate, but Bess refuses to believe that her life is about to change in such a way.
Themes
Jewish Identity vs. Assimilation Theme Icon
Isolationism vs. Solidarity Theme Icon
Historical Fact vs. Emotional Truth Theme Icon
Family and Home Theme Icon
Herman tells the boys that they can ask him any questions they want or express any concerns they have. Sandy, though, is delighted about the move—Danville is just 14 miles from the Mawhinneys’ farm. Philip is frightened—he knows that Herman sealed their family’s fate the second he ordered Aunt Evelyn to leave and never come back. He is determined to never leave his beautiful neighborhood.
Philip rightly sees the Roths’ “selection” for participation Homestead 42 as yet another method of Bengelsdorf’s underhanded revenge. He knows that in spite of Sandy’s joy, something deeply nefarious is happening to his family.
Themes
Jewish Identity vs. Assimilation Theme Icon
Isolationism vs. Solidarity Theme Icon
Historical Fact vs. Emotional Truth Theme Icon
Family and Home Theme Icon
After dinner, Herman and Bess talk about the upsetting news. Bess remains fixated on the idea of being the only Jewish family in town. She has no interest in befriending “Gentile women” who will be nice to her face but harbor anti-Semitic thoughts behind her back. She declares that the government cannot force them to move—the government cannot make Jews do something just because of their religion. Sandy mocks Bess for her paranoia and then gets up and heads to the bedroom. Abandoned by Alvin, disappointed in Sandy, and frightened by his father’s impotence and his mother’s panic, Philip feels he is the only one who can protect his family.
Bess’s anger and fear arouse nothing but contempt in Sandy and little more than pity in Herman. Philip is the only one who feels galvanized by the sight of his brave, fearless mother breaking down, and he resolves to do whatever he can to help his family escape their fate.
Themes
Jewish Identity vs. Assimilation Theme Icon
Isolationism vs. Solidarity Theme Icon
Historical Fact vs. Emotional Truth Theme Icon
Family and Home Theme Icon
Quotes
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The next day after school, Philip gets on the downtown bus and goes to Aunt Evelyn’s office. Philip heads inside and tells the receptionist who he is. In no time, Aunt Evelyn comes down the hall and wraps Philip up in hugs and kisses. Philip tells her about going to see footage of at the White House dinner at the Newsreel, and Evelyn begins describing the event in great detail. Philip congratulates himself on tricking Evelyn into believing that he has come here to hear all about the dinner. 
Philip knows that Aunt Evelyn is not the woman he once knew—and because of this, he is able to play into her vanity and wind his way into her good graces.
Themes
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Philip spots a signed picture of the President and Mrs. Lindbergh together in the Oval Office, as well as one of Evelyn shaking Lindbergh’s hand. Philip realizes that Evelyn’s “shameless vanity”—and the vanity of those just like her—is determining the fate of millions. Philip asks Evelyn if she met von Ribbentrop—she nods and coyly states that she even danced with him. Evelyn shows Philip more pictures from the event, pointing out the glamorous evening bag, festoon necklace, and large engagement ring she wore to the dinner. Evelyn, wrapped up in excitement, hugs Philip close again. When she releases Philip, he asks her if she knows he’s moving to Kentucky. She says she does. Philip says he doesn’t want to go.
Philip is disgusted by Evelyn’s shamelessness. Even at his young age, he can see very transparently that she has chosen to sell out her community and her family in exchange for glitz and glamour, and he is perturbed that she could be so blind to the true consequences of what she’s doing.
Themes
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Isolationism vs. Solidarity Theme Icon
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Aunt Evelyn’s demeanor changes sharply. She asks Philip who has sent him to see her, and he tells her that no one has. Evelyn coldly tells Philip that there’s nothing to be afraid of in Kentucky. Philip asks if Seldon and Mrs. Wishnow can go instead, and Evelyn again asks if someone has put him up to visiting her. Philip insists that he came alone to ask for Evelyn to send the Wishnows instead of Philip and his own family. Aunt Evelyn points out a large map showing all the relocations that are planned. She explains that she has no control over the plans—but that even if she did, she’d still insist on the Roths leaving “the ghetto.” 
Aunt Evelyn is deeply paranoid—but, unlike Bess, she’s not afraid of bad things befalling Jews, but of her own power and influence being repossessed. Evelyn knows that her power rests on being able to convince Jews in her community and in her own family, too, that the OAA has their best interest at heart—and that any other belief is just ghettoized, small-minded paranoia.
Themes
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Isolationism vs. Solidarity Theme Icon
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Evelyn reaches into her desk and comes around to where Philip is sitting. Philip senses a manic expression on Evelyn’s face as she tells him to be brave and go along with the move—she insists he can’t grow up to be frightened like his parents. She hands him a package and explains that it contains a chocolate—she has brought it for him from the White House dinner. She gives him one for Sandy, too, then asks what Seldon’s last name is. Philip tells her. Evelyn asks if Seldon is his best friend. Philip, paralyzed by fear, says that he is. Philip takes the chocolates home and disposes of them, throwing them over the orphanage fence. A few days later, the Wishnows receive a letter stating that they have been chosen for an exciting opportunity out west.
This passage once again encapsulates the breadth of Aunt Evelyn’s newfound power—and Philip’s determination to resist it at all costs. While Philip throws away the chocolates she gives him, seeing them as a symbol of traitorous behavior, he is rejecting her power over him. However, as Aunt Evelyn secures the Wishnows’ relocation within days, it becomes clear that Philip is one of the few people immune to her influence.
Themes
Jewish Identity vs. Assimilation Theme Icon
Isolationism vs. Solidarity Theme Icon
Historical Fact vs. Emotional Truth Theme Icon
Family and Home Theme Icon
At the end of May, Herman and Bess host a small group of concerned Jewish MetLife agents and their wives. Mrs. Wishnow drops Philip, Sandy, and Seldon off at a movie theater in the next town over. The group of adults—most of whom have grown up in the same place and long subscribed to the same values—invite a local rabbi to sit with them as they discuss what is going on in America. The adults are people Philip has known all his life—they are Jews whose Jewishness is a natural part of who they are. None of Philip’s parents’ friends or neighbors have any desire to deny or change who they are, no matter the consequences.
In this passage, Roth suggests that there is still hope. As long as there are communities of Jews willing to stand in solidarity with one another and remember the values they’ve been taught—and the identity which forms the basis of their being—the threat of anti-Semitism will be staunchly, steadfastly opposed.
Themes
Jewish Identity vs. Assimilation Theme Icon
Isolationism vs. Solidarity Theme Icon
Historical Fact vs. Emotional Truth Theme Icon
Sitting in the movie with Seldon, Philip dreads the move to Kentucky even more intensely—he knows that Seldon will likely be his only companion. Confronted with the prospect of isolation with Seldon, Philip feels compelled to rebel. Over the last several weeks, he has been stealing from Seldon each time Bess makes Philip play with him. He is taking Seldon’s clothing and stowing it in a cardboard suitcase in the cellar. One recent afternoon, Philip found he’d gathered enough items to dress up as Seldon—but after doing so and looking at himself in the mirror in the cellar, he felt like a freak. Philip quickly took the clothes off, stuffed them back into the suitcase, and added in the $19.50 left from the money Alvin gave him. Even Philip doesn’t know exactly why he’s packed the suitcase. 
Even as Philip claims to loathe Seldon and wish to get as far away from him as possible, there is a part of him that remains fascinated by and drawn to the boy. Just as Philip followed Christians with Earl to learn more about the people he had begun to perceive as enemies, he now seeks to learn something from the hated Seldon, too.
Themes
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Seldon is perplexed and distressed by the loss of his clothing. Bess, who has heard what’s happening from Mrs. Wishnow but who is clueless as to what’s going on, suggests that Philip give Seldon some clothes to replace the ones he’s mysteriously lost. Philip tells his mother he doesn’t want Seldon walking around in his clothes, but Bess is so upset by Philip’s selfishness that he gives in and offers up an outfit to Seldon—on the condition Seldon leave him alone.
Philip claims to be fed up with Seldon, but in reality, there is a part of him that seems to draw strength from Seldon’s presence. Philip has tried to send Seldon away, and it hasn’t worked—but there is something about his fascination with Seldon that toes the delicate line between hate and affection.
Themes
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Isolationism vs. Solidarity Theme Icon
When Philip, Sandy, and Seldon return home from the movies, they enjoy leftover deli sandwiches from the meeting and listen to the radio. For a moment, their lives feel intact and they feel comforted by the familiar rituals of their childhood. But as Philip sits with Seldon and watch him eats, he grows increasingly apprehensive about what will happen when their two families move to Kentucky.
Philip sees Seldon in this scene for the first time not as an enemy or an outsider, but as a comrade—as someone who will soon be his only partner and companion in a new, unprecedented world.
Themes
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Isolationism vs. Solidarity Theme Icon
That night at nine, Walter Winchell comes on the radio. Herman has been perturbed for weeks by Winchell’s failure to report on Homestead 42 and recently went so far as to write a letter begging the host to discuss the matter—but Bess, fearful that the letter would be intercepted and send to the FBI, discouraged Herman from mailing it. Herman reacted to what he perceived as Bess’s ongoing paranoia by declaring that he would not run away or hide within his own country—Bess, however, retorted that the country now belongs to Lindbergh and the goyim. Sandy told Philip, alone in their room that night, that their parents are “paranoid ghetto Jews.”
The Roths’ ongoing conversations about the reality of the threats of anti-Semitic government emissaries and agencies are frustrating for all of them. Herman wants to express himself and defend his rights, while Bess wishes that Herman would help their family to be less conspicuous. Sandy discounts the whole thing as hogwash and calls his parents “paranoid ghetto Jews,” which betrays his own internalized anti-Semitism. Meanwhile, Philip is stuck at the center of it all, and he’s too young to do anything but watch his family descend into chaos and animosity. In this way, the OAA’s agenda to break up Jewish families is working.
Themes
Jewish Identity vs. Assimilation Theme Icon
Isolationism vs. Solidarity Theme Icon
Historical Fact vs. Emotional Truth Theme Icon
Family and Home Theme Icon
Quotes
As Winchell comes on the radio the night of the adults’ meeting, Philip gets into bed. He doesn’t want to hear any more of the anxious talk. The night is warm, though, and Philip can’t sleep—he hears every word of Winchell’s broadcast. Winchell begins discussing Homestead 42 at last. He suggests that Homestead 42 Jews might end up in concentration camps—and states that at the very least the Lindbergh administration is actively working to separate and alienate American Jews, placing them in peril in far-flung regions where their neighbors might very well turn against them overnight. Winchell concludes the first segment of his broadcast by stating that he believes Lindbergh has agreed to Homestead 42 in exchange for a negotiation with Hitler stating that the Führer will spare England from invasion. 
The always-controversial Winchell makes some serious, bold statements on his broadcast—statements which implicate Lindbergh in a plot with the Nazis to enact Third Reich-esque “solutions” to Judaism in America. Winchell’s claims may seem extremist or paranoid to some—but to the Roths, who have witnessed firsthand the deepening presence of anti-Semitism in their daily lives, the statements provide relief and validation.
Themes
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Isolationism vs. Solidarity Theme Icon
Historical Fact vs. Emotional Truth Theme Icon
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As an advertisement comes on, Philip hears Sandy begin screaming at the radio, calling Winchell a liar and excoriating Herman for listening to Winchell’s nonsense. Sandy insists he lived in Kentucky and that there’s nothing to be afraid of—yet still, he says, “you people believe him.” Herman reprimands Sandy for acting as if he’s not Jewish as well, threatening to drive him to Penn Station and send him away on the next train Kentucky if he continues talking that way.
Even when confronted with Winchell’s broadcast, which excavates and lays bare the very real fears of countless Jews across America, Sandy remains determined to deny anything that threatens Lindbergh’s legitimacy. The fact that he now refers to his family as “you people” indicates that he wants to distance himself from his parents and other Jews.
Themes
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Isolationism vs. Solidarity Theme Icon
Historical Fact vs. Emotional Truth Theme Icon
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Quotes
The Roths’ phone begins ringing off the hook—Bess and Herman answer calls from their concerned neighbors, all of whom want to discuss the Winchell broadcast. Having overheard their calls—and Herman and Bess’s private debriefing afterward—Philip makes what he feels is a sound, even-headed decision. He wants to run away from home. He descends to the cellar, opens up the suitcase, and changes into some of Seldon’s clothes. He feels determined to resist the “disaster” which has swept up his friends and family. The last thing Philip grabs before leaving the house is his stamp album—but shortly after he steps out of the house and starts down the street toward the horse-filled orphanage grounds, his memory goes blank.
Philip is profoundly affected by all the turmoil in his household. Frightened of what’s to come and desperate to avoid having to bear witness to things as they deteriorate further, Philip gathers his most precious things and runs away—but soon encounters an unforeseen wrinkle in his plan.
Themes
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Philip wakes up the next morning in the nearby Beth Israel Hospital—his parents are standing over him. His head hurts, and his doctor tells him that he likely has a concussion: he was kicked by a horse while walking through the orphanage grounds. Bess tells him that Seldon heard Philip sneaking out of the house and followed him down the street and onto the land owned by the orphanage. Seldon watched as a startled horse, running from Philip, kicked Philip in the head. Seldon immediately ran home for help. Bess tells Philip that Seldon saved his life. While helping to save Philip, Seldon also discovered that Philip was the culprit behind his missing clothes.
Philip’s escape plan has gone horribly wrong. The uncanniness of being derailed by a kick from a horse echoes the unbelievable, surreal nature of everything else that’s happening in Philip’s life. The failed escape attempt is so bizarre—and has failed so spectacularly—that Philip even manages to escape punishment for the additional oddity of having stolen Seldon’s clothes.
Themes
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Philip is devastated and ashamed—but even worse than the shame of being discovered is the pain he feels when he realizes that his stamp collection is gone. When Philip tells Bess that he took them with him to run away—and that they weren’t with the suitcase when it was found—Bess goes out into the woods behind the orphanages and searches for them. She cannot find them, and Philip is inconsolable. He has visions of a mob of orphans tearing the stamp album apart, hating it because it isn’t theirs—because nothing is theirs. After putting the money she found in Philip’s pants into a savings account for him, Bess makes one more trip to the grounds to comb them for any remnant of the stamp album.
In spite of Philip’s naughtiness in trying to run away, his mother is infinitely sympathetic to the loss of his stamp collection. Bess perhaps sees the symbolic loss for what it is: the loss of Philip’s innocence, the destruction of his idyllic American childhood, and the decisive moment in which he realizes that just as the orphans have nothing, a fate of destitution and loneliness could easily become his own.
Themes
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Historical Fact vs. Emotional Truth Theme Icon
Family and Home Theme Icon
Quotes