Abstract

Philip Roth is considered as a master of fiction and lucid prose. His precise narration characterized by dark humor, while simultaneously being hard-hitting, is marked with a distinctive style that has been specific to him since Portnoy's Complaint. Roth's final novel, Nemesis, is a thematic departure from his customary works, which, while diverse in subject matter, are rather predictable in tone, usually caustic and filled with a sarcastic humor that revels in itself. Nemesis however, is a welcome exception to this rule. Despite the fact that the work is set against the backdrop of a polio pandemic, with themes of survival and the fear of death at the forefront, Roth's prose has a warmth and nuance to it. This makes Nemesis surprisingly honest and worth a closer look. The objective of this paper is to look at how the novel portrays the themes of trauma and disability and how Roth�s fictional pandemic can be juxtaposed with the current covid-19 pandemic, especially in the themes of public fear and distrust towards the establishment apart from various concerns is one aspect of concern that can be analysed through the lens of popular culture

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