Philip Roth’s Everyman

When someone wakes up in the morning what do they typically do? Make plans for the day, take a shower and get the day started, or even call up a few of their pals to see if anything is going on that night. Everyone nowadays are so caught up in themselves that they forget to do the basic things in life.
They’re so involved with looking good, being caught up with the latest news, and making sure that they’re good and if they are why does anyone else matter. The intention of this essay is to argue that the Arthur wants to show his readers and listeners a way in which they should learn to live their life before it is too late to make a change. He shows this through the presence of a fool which is everyman, allowing everyman to bring a friend of his choice along the trip, and the response he receives and gives before and on his journey.
The beginning of the play starts off with a conversation between God and Death. God is displeased with the way everyday individuals are living their lives and continue to not serve and worship him properly and respectfully. Some people even have the idea that there is no heaven nor hell and that whatever happens after death happens. Everyman is a prime example of who God is speaking on, there is no coincidence that the name of this person is “Everyman” it has a deeper meaning to it than just a name. It represents every man or every person on earth and how in the end they are all equally wrong.

Everyone seems to be living for themselves, their pleasure, whatever makes them feel good inside and out. One of the main things that have made many people fall into being apart of everyman is the need of money in their life, people will do anything to be rich, to have an abundant amount of money that you do anything with and not worry about going into debt the next day. This ties in with the reading from source one from line twenty-six.
Once everyman is confronted by death he tries to buy his way out. This is a problem that people with money tend to face often, they think just because they have money they have the power to cheat the system and get away with any and everything that will potentially drag them down to the bottom of the social pyramid. Death goes on to decline the offer because he knows once a person dies they’re no longer able to have or take their belongings with them.
Everyman is distraught with what he’s hearing and begins to shout and cry out prayers. This shows that everyone must eventually die and when the time comes they can’t scream and shout out prayers asking for help because it will do them no good. They had all the time while they were alive to do things that were pleasing to God, instead, they went about their day being self-centered and money hunger shutting out the main source of life.
When death gave everyman the opportunity to bring someone along with him to meet God it came off like it was a test or a game to be taken on. As stated from source two “the plot of everyman obviously consist of a test of friendship”.