American Pastoral

Main Characters and Their Development

• Seymour "Swede" Levov: The main character of the novel, a successful businessman and former athlete. His life begins to fall apart when his daughter Merry commits a terrorist act. Seymour tries to understand his daughter's actions and keep his family together, but faces deep personal and social crises.
• Merry Levov: Seymour and Dawn's daughter. As a teenager, she becomes a radical activist and commits a terrorist act by bombing a post office. She then goes into hiding and lives on the run. Her actions become the catalyst for the Levov family's destruction.
• Dawn Levov: Seymour's wife, a former beauty queen. After Merry's attack, she experiences deep depression and seeks solace in plastic surgery and changing her appearance. Her relationship with Seymour deteriorates significantly.
• Nathan Zuckerman: The writer and narrator of the story. He knew Seymour in his youth and learns about the tragedy that befell his family years later. Nathan explores Seymour's life and tries to understand how the ideal American Dream could turn into a nightmare.