Institutional Violence and the Individual: Social Inequality in Roth’s Later Novels

Abstract

This paper explores the pervasive theme of institutional violence and its intersection with individual identity and social inequality in Philip Roth’s later novels. Focusing on works such as American Pastoral (1997), The Human Stain (2000) and Indignation (2008). The study examines how Roth critiques the operations of powerful social institutions, such as education, politics and media and their often-destructive impact on individuals. Roth's protagonists, frequently middle-aged or aging white men, confront various forms of marginalization, scandal, or erasure as they navigate these systems. Through close textual analysis, the paper argues that Roth’s portrayal of institutional violence extends beyond physical or legal aggression to include symbolic and systemic forms of harm, such as reputational damage, racial profiling, bureaucratic indifference, and public shaming. It also tries to narrate within the broader American socio-political landscape revealing the writers’ critique of an increasingly polarised society and social inequality. The narratives by the writer expose the fragility of personal identity in the face of institutional authority, illustrating how individuals are rendered powerless, misrepresented, or condemned without recourse. Through his various characters in his novels, Roth dramatizes the costs of social inequality and institutional betrayal. The paper ultimately argues that Roth’s later fiction functions as a sustained critique of American liberalism’s failure to protect individual autonomy in an era of moral absolutism and bureaucratic overreach.