Jains are Normal

I just finished reading American Pastoral, by Phillip Roth and though I enjoyed the book, one think annoyed me about it. In the book, Merry converts to Jainism. Roth portrays Jainism in the most ridiculous way possible. We are not a cult. Yes, we take non-violence seriously. However, most of us live in houses and eat food. Only monks attempt to avoid all violence, and abandon all material posessions. The mohapati ( a face covering) is only worn symbolically during specific religious ceremonies. Jains generally consider living in filth sinful, since it makes it easier to inadvertently cause violence. Sanlakhana , taking one's life by ceasing all eating, is only taken with the permission of a monk, and permission is only given when one has terminal disease. Although Jains often undergo strenuous pennance, we avoid any actions that will cause long lasting harm. Although all life is sacred, human life is held especially sacred since one can only make spiritual progress as a human. Jainism is a normal religion and most Jains are normal people.