Aunt+Evelyn

**Summary** Aunt Evelyn, Bess's sister and Phil's Aunt, is a secondary character in The Plot Against America with striking looks and an effusive personality that wins many over, and pushses many away, including Hermon. Evelyn marries Rabbi Berglesdorf, a vocal supporter of Lindbergh, and her political views are lead by the Rabbi's, lead by Lindbergh's. They all know the severity to the Jews of Lindbergh becoming president, but to Evelyn, all that seems to matter is fame and money. Her marriage allows her the fame that she seems to desire so much including a trip to the White House and a dance with Mr. von Ribbenthrop. Her vanity and desire to be famous is implied in "she made no effort to disguise how important that exchange had been to her and perhaps the president of the United States" (pg. 212). Evelyn creates a boundry by sending Sandy to Kentucky for the Just Folks program, in which his political and religious views change drastically: Lindbergh seems like an okay individual and eating pork is okay too. Roth describes her as triumphant because she always seems to be competeing with Philip's family and wins by transforming Sandy into a Lidbergh supporter. Little did she know that marrying the Rabbi would soon transform her life into shambles. When Lindbergh dissapears, Evelyn goes insane thinking that there are people after her and decides to live in the basement of Phil's house.
 * Aunt Evelyn **

 **Analysis** Evelyn seems to bring the way that the non-Jewish America is feeling. She is the one who is Lidbergh crazy and even holds some Jews in contempt if they are "afraid of their own shadow" (pg. 86). When Lindbergh dissapears, she goes crazy, just like the riots all over the country. Even in the very end, she is dependant on Phil and the Roth's, just like America is dependant on FDR. Evelyn can also be seen as another adult who presents conflict to Phil's life and shows that adults are not all knowing. "Never in my life had I so harshly judged any adult - not my parents, not even Alvin or Uncle Monty - nor had I understood till then how the shameless vanity of utter fools can so strongly determine the fate of others." (pg. 213) Evelyn is the adult that is seen more and more as unstable, climaxing when she shows up at the Roth's house "an ogress suddenly, made as ugly and vulnerable-looking by disaster as by her own theatricality." (pg. 338) Evelyn can be seen as the extreme example of how young Phil's opinion of adults sprials downwards.