American Pastoral Guilt and Blame Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #1

No one gets through unmarked by brooding, grief, confusion, and loss. (1.46)

Zuckerman is basically trying to humanize the Swede by imagining his pain. He's saying that if he is human, he must suffer and he must feel guilty about something.

Quote #2

"The Swede has suffered a shock." (1.47)

Since this is a Philip Roth book, there's a good chance there's a healthy dose of guilt mixed up with this shock that Zuckerman is (almost sadistically) trying to uncover.

Quote #3

I am thinking of the Swede's great fall and of how he must have imagined that it was founded on some failure of his own responsibility. […] It doesn't matter if he was the cause of anything. He makes himself responsible anyway. (3.121)

Doesn't it sound fun to be the hero in a Zuckerman story? But really, this is after Zuckerman learns of the bombing. Wouldn't this be true of many parents in a similar situation?