An anti-Semite gets glasses which he thinks make him look more Jewish. Pretty soon the rest of the world begins to agree with him. Not sure if Arthur Miller means that everyone in the 40s was constantly on the lookout for Jews, or if Newman's increasingly deferential and victimized behavior caused the change. Most likely the former; it's not a particularly subtle book.

There's a moment of clarity towards the end which is superb, followed by some rather believable mental fumbling as Newman comes to grip with what being a bigot really means. The wrap-up is satisfying, but rather more like a play than a novel: the character development is complete, but ultimately the narrative is unresolved. ( )

Even though Arthur Miller wrote this book in 1945, I think it holds a universal theme that is as relevant and true today as it was then. That both amazes and saddens me. Fantastic book that everyone should read, and then take words and reflect them back on themselves to see how they would act in the situation that Mr. Newman finds himself in. ( )