Literature Perspectives On America By Louise Erdrich

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Literature Perspectives on America Through many creative forms of literature one can see how authors such as John Cheever, Louise Erdrich, and John Updike present a variety of views on American Life. It is through short stories like “The Swimmer”, “I’m a Mad Dog Biting Myself for Sympathy” and “A&P” that authors put forth examples of how the American Dream means different things to different people. American politician Bernie Sanders once said, “For many, the American dream has become a nightmare.” Thanks to these stories it is possible to see how the American Dream is viewed and how the idea of freedom in this country affect people from all sorts of backgrounds. It could be argued that each story shows a struggle either while being at the pinnacle of success in terms of reaching the American Dream or while attempting to feel a sense of freedom within such a promising country. This is seen through Neddy’s struggle to get his life together after being hyper focused on artificial possessions that the American Dream often romanticizes, through the Native American narrator in “I’m a Mad Dog Biting Myself for Sympathy” struggling to accommodate and resist his displeasure with society via reckless behavior, and the group of girls in the A&P store who are displeased with Lengel’s remark on their attire or lack thereof. While some stories are more relevant in today 's society I think they are all equally important, despite the amount of attention each topic gets in American society’s media. In “The Swimmer” the clever metaphor using Neddy’s slowly digressing swim journey on the “Lucinda River” compares to how his real life and his relationship with his wife Lucinda and his children goes downhill. It is clear that Neddy is living a la... ... middle of paper ... ...re just as worthy and hopeful to have freedom and wear whatever they want. I think all stories represent America today because there are minorities in terms of ethnicity, members of LGBTQ etc just like the “outcast” in “I’m a Mad Dog Biting Myself for Sympathy” who our society who are society does not treat equally. There are also people who have reached the American Dream and can feel the freedom everybody wished to possess, with higher affluence in America who are unhappy despite their tangible belongings- just like Neddy in “The Swimmer”. People all over America who are considered “first class citizens” also have reasons to argue that they are not completely free. Like in “A&P” the girls could argue that they are not free because they were reprimanded by the Lengel the manager. America is not completely free for anybody and these short stories proved just that.

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