4The diaphragm does not exactly represent what has been called his dream of a "classless, creedless
hedonism." It is true that Neil aims to break down the barriers of class and religious conventions, but
hedonism is not a purpose in itself for him, but rather a means by which he affirms his dissenting values.
Allen Guttman, The Jewish Writer in America: Assimilation and the Crisis of Identit