Much the same argument applies to elements of social criticism in The Naked and the Dead. The existence of such elements is obvious: the criticism of the army as an institution that informs every incident in the novel; the attack on totalitarianism that emerges from the discussions between General Cummings and his aide, Lieutenant Hearn; the grim portrait of American society developed through the I and R platoon, especially in the "Time Machine" biographies of eight enlisted men and two officers (Cummings and Hearn). Yet we must still ask how these features function in the novel as a whole.
Before we assess their function, however, we should first understand the nature of Mailer's social criticism. Far too often The Naked and the Dead is treated
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as the work of a "young liberal" whose critique of American society is substantially the same as that of Dos Passos , [James T.] Farrell, and [John] Steinbeck. Prior to World War II Mailer was, in his own words, a "progressive-liberal." And in 1948, after finishing The Naked and the Dead and traveling through Europe, Mailer did join the campaign for Henry Wallace. Nonetheless, The Naked and the Dead is not the work of a political liberal. In Advertisements for Myself Mailer suggests that his early short novel, "A Calculus at Heaven," makes "an interesting contrast to The Naked and the Dead, for it is an attempt of the imagination (aided and warped by books, movies, war correspondents, and the liberal mentality) to guess what war might really be like." That the novella was determined in part by "the liberal mentality" certainly makes it an interesting contrast to The Naked and the Dead, for we have his own word for it that when he wrote his first published novel Mailer was an anarchist, not a liberal. This difference helps to explain some common misreadings of the later work.
Standard critical procedure goes something like this: first, the critic assumes that The Naked and the Dead is a thesis novel and that its thesis resembles those expounded by writers such as Dos Passos , for Mailer's "sympathies" are also progressive; then the critic finds that the novel's action does not consistently support the presumed liberal thesis and so either points out Mailer's failures of execution or begins to talk about trusting the tale and not the teller. This procedure involves at least two fallacies: (a) that The Naked and the Dead is a thesis novel and (b) that Mailer uses the book to advance liberal values and a liberal social critique. I will return to these problems after considering the novel's action, where I hope to show that what seems inconsistent or weak to the reader who takes Mailer's liberalism for granted is nothing of the sort if we approach the novel without this presupposition. Here I would simply stress that Mailer did not write his novel to do the work of a sociologist.
Mailer's social vision does emerge during the novel, especially in those sections which trace the men's backgrounds, but his characters are not "examples" in a sociological tract. Consider the "Time Machine" sections. If The Naked and the Dead were really a thesis novel, these biographies would function as evidence in Mailer's "argument" concerning the American social scene; however, I think Barry Leeds
suggests the real relation between the biographies and the rest of the novel: Thus, while The Time Machine is used to portray the home of a Midwestern businessman, the slums of Boston, or Harvard Yard, it is the presence on Anopopei of men who have experienced these places, which justifies Mailer's detailed treatment of them, and obviates the possibility of their introduction seeming stilted. Every element of American society dealt with becomes integral to the novel as a whole, not merely because it seems to fit into a re-creation of that society, but because it is drawn from the life of a character in whom the reader has come to believe.
Additionally, O’Brien returns to the theme of the influence of others when describing Cross’s experiences. O’Brien touches upon the ideal by utilizing Jimmy Cross as a prime example. According to the passage, Cross was never destined to be a commanding officer in the U.S. military. Cross essentially joined the commanding officer program as a result of his friends peer pressuring him to enroll and for a few credits without acknowledging the repercussions of his actions in pursuing the war. Jimmy Cross now resents his ill decision as he endures Hell in Vietnam, especially after taking responsibility over Kiowa’s death. This ideal is significant and prominent as it reflects the basis and justification for many soldiers who enlisted in the army, which is due to the influence of others. This is a recurring ideal, which is evident in “On the Rainy River” where O’Brien is ultimately persuaded into pursuing the war as a result of a mirage portraying his loved ones cheering him to enlist in the war.
Through this essay, we have depicted three characters of “The Ugly American” and highlighted the Special Operations imperatives displayed by such characters. We saw how characters such as Ambassador Sears displayed negatively the use of such action and contrasted them against those of MacWhite. I also included a politically independent character, Atkins, who provided us with imperatives who are more personally embedded in his character. The SO imperatives provide us with the guidance to succeed through their application. Through the novel we saw multiple examples of the benefits and consequences of their application, and lack of. Clearly understanding their purpose and application is paramount for the success of our forces.
In the note “Evils Imminent,” Erik Larson writes “Beneath the gore and smoke and loam, this book is about the evanescence of life, and why some men choose to fill their brief allotment of time engaging the impossible, others in the manufacture of sorrow” [xi]. The purpose of this novel is to compare and contrast the book's main characters, Daniel Burnham and Henry H. Holmes. The characters have contrasting personalities and feelings, but a few similar motives to a certain extent.
Timothy Findley Creates a fictional world through his novels, where readers can relate to the situations and characters. The protagonists that Findley creates are often similar and connected to the hardships that they eventually encounter and defeat or that which they are defeated by. Findley takes his readers back in time to the First World War, displaying his knowledge of history and research, where the hardships of a young soldier’s battles internally and externally are brought to the reader’s attention in his historical-fiction novel The Wars. Findley writes about the reality and absurdity of the First World War, and takes the reader’s on a journey through the active reading process to find what is “sane” and “Insane” throughout the duration of the novel. Following the journey of the protagonist, Robert Ross as he enlists in the Canadian Army after the death of his sister Rowena, and undoubtedly is the turning point of the text and ideally where Findley initiates the active reading process, and where the contents placed in the story by Findley, are analyzed and opinionated based on the reader’s perception and subjectivity of truth. Essayist Anne Reynolds writes “ Findley manages, through technical prowess, to combine Hemingway-like choices of clear moment searing horror and truth at the battlefront with scenes depicting the effects of war on the families and lovers of the soldiers.” (Reynolds, 4) According to Reynolds Findley has been able to display the absurdity and affect that not only the First World War has caused but the ludicrousness war in general has caused the families of soldiers, and society as a whole. Using the literary theory of deconstruction many aspects and scenarios in The Wars can be analyzed, as Fin...
Imagine being in an ongoing battle where friends and others are dying. All that is heard are bullets being shot, it smells like gas is near, and hearts race as the times go by. This is similar to what war is like. In the novel All Quiet on the Western Front, the narrator, Paul Baumer, and his friends encounter the ideals of suffering, death, pain, and despair. There is a huge change in these men; at the beginning of feel the same way about it. During the war the men experience many feelings, especially the loss of loved ones. These feelings are shown through their first experience at training camp, during the actual battles, and in the hospital. Training camp was the first actuality of what war was going to be like for the men. They thought that it would be fun, and they could take pride in defending their country. Their teacher, Kantorek, told them that they should all enroll in the war. Because of this, almost all of the men in the class enrolled. It was in training camp that they met their cruel corporal, Himelstoss.&nbs most by him. They have to lie down in the mud and practice shooting and jumping up. Also, these three men must remake Himelstoss’ bed fourteen times, until it is perfect. Himelstoss puts the young men through so much horror that they yearn for their revenge. Himelstoss is humiliated when he goes to tell on Tjaden, and Tjaden only receives an easy punishment. Training camp is as death and destruction. Training camp is just a glimpse of what war really is. The men do not gain full knowledge of war until they go to the front line. The front line is the most brutal part of the war. The front line is the place in which the battles are fought. Battles can only be described in one word- chaos. Men are running around trying to protect themselves while shooting is in the trench with an unknown man from the other side. This battle begins with shells bursting as they hit the ground and machine guns that rattle as they are being fired. In order to ensure his survival, Paul must kill the other man. First, Paul stabs the man, but he struggles for his life. He dies shortly after, and Paul discovers who he has killed. The man is Gerald Duval, a printer.&n Having to deal with killing others is one of the horrors of war. The men who are killed and the people who kill them could have been friends, if only they were on the same side. The other important battle leaves both Paul and Kropp with injuries.
Thesis: In this anti-war novel, Vonnegut, showed the negative sides of war using characterization, symbolism, plot, point of view, and motif. In the first chapter alone the author shows many signs of his writing being an anti-war story. One of the first signs is used with characterization of other characters. This was effective considering he showed the effects of war on the veterans. For example, O’Hare couldn’t drink after the war and I believe Vonnegut made a point to express the effects to add to the anti-war theme. This is also shown in the point of view by him being able to express his experiences. The author also showed by his characterization that war changed him from a young boy to a man that had seen horrific
O’Brien’s unique verisimilitude writing style fills the novel with deep meaning and emotion. Analyzing the novel through a psychological lens only adds to its allure. Understanding why characters act the way they do helps bring this novel to life. The reader begins to empathize with the characters. Every day, the soldiers’ lives hang in the balance. How these soldiers react to life-threatening situations will inspire the reader. Life has an expiration date. Reading about people who are held captive by their minds and who die in the name of war, will inspire the reader to live everyday as if they are currently in the
The Novum presented in Starship Troopers is the rule of the Veterans and the resulting primacy of the military. This Novum sets the novel up as a utopic pandering to a readership demographic that the author himself is a member of. This is a normative sci-fi construction. Starship Troopers deviates in that the true target readership is the young man who has not yet been given a chance to join up. He is meant to gain a favorable understanding of the military man by sharing in his dream. The dream then - the world created – is the persuasive device.
It has not only been a trend, but almost a necessity, for novelists who depict wars to depict humanity. Wars are largely, if not totally, alienating; it alienates humans from who they are—or at least whom they think they are—to fighting machines programmed exclusively for mass destruction and ruthless killing. Romantic love and strong sentiment seem to be incompatible with the nature of wars and are rarely found in wars as well. However, in Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier shows us the reshaping of humanity and personality of the male protagonist Inman during the war; he conveys an idea of rebirth in the war—a process of gradually discovering and finally adopting a new, more introspective self-identity; and this journey to rebirth is led by love, courage, and the desire for freedom.
“As he entered the box his eyes met Miss Welland’s, and he saw that she had instantly understood his motive, though the family dignity which both considered so high a virtue would not permit her to tell him so. The persons of their world lived in an atmosphere of faint implications and pale delicacies, and the fact that he and she understood each other without a word seemed to the young man to bring them nearer than any explanation would have done.” (Wharton 16) This statement vividly illustrates the power of the unsaid within New York society during the 1870’s, the time in which The Age of Innocence was set. At that time, there existed a powerful set of rules, regulations, and codes pertaining to one’s conduct that were most often unspoken and, therefore, were never “formally” outlined. However, this did not in any way lessen the degree to which these standards were adhered to, and, thereby, upheld as if they were carved in the same stone as the Ten Commandments. Because New York Society did not have much need for religion, other than for rites of passage, the rules of society were to them like rules of their religion. As a woman who was raised in this society, Edith Wharton was able to illustrate with great clarity the influence that the unsaid had when it came to knowing how one should behave if society is to look on them favourably. She further goes on to express the perils of a life lived within these particular codes.
The first time I read anything written by Norman Mailer-it was an excerpt from the Vietnam-era Armies of the Night-I remember two things coming to my mind. The first thing that popped into my head: what an arrogant, self-righteous jerk this Mailer guy is! What kind of egotistical writer places himself in his own novel? What new-age Narcissus finds the tragic flaw of every individual he encounters? What brand of windbag slices to bits the dignity of one of the most important movements in American history, the Vietnam War protests? A child of the Enlightenment, it twisted my stomach to watch the workings of our American democracy tackled and torn to shreds by Mailer's writing. But the second thing I remember thinking? You know . . . he is kind of right. Not all Vietnam protesters were the idealistic, selfless icons American society made them out to be. Not every military guard was a heartless, conservative monkey. Not every principle and ideal of the Enlightenment's picture of "democracy" was put into practice by the United States. Confused at my latter revelation, I quietly gnawed on my double-edged conclusion. Maybe there is something to this Mailer guy, my brain murmured, and his apparently outrageous, yet often correct, opinions.
“Fear is the tax that conscience pays to guilt”(George Sewell). In The Things They Carried, soldiers carry more than just guns, knives, and weapons. They also carry intangible things such as fear and memories, and guilt which is the main focus of the story. War has a huge impact on characters in this novel because war changes the way you think, act and relate to other people. Three characters that experience change from war are Mary Anne Bell, Norman Bowker and Lieutenant Jimmy Cross.
The kind of sociopolitical, socioeconomic, and sociocultural criticism that Vonnegut was making about "the America of his time" is of liberalism. Predominantly in the 1960s, the ideas of civil equality and liberty along with help from a mixed economy and social justice was the basic principle of liberalism at work. With the war in Vietnam social movements like the civil rights, women movements, counterculture movement, and LGBTQ ( lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning individuals/identities) movements show how the government would become more proactive in the lives of the people. The idea of equality for all reigned over America, Vonnegut's interpretation of this equality seems like a type of warning. "Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else. All this equality was due to the 211th, 212th, and 213th Amendments to the Constitution, and to the unceasing vigilance of agents of the United States Handicapper General." (Vonnegut 1) These initial lines that begin the story are reminiscent of a figurative jab to the politician makers during that time. Bluntly calling out the Constitution and "vigilance of agents", Vonnegut's "Harrison Bergeron" is an extreme
According to Jerome J. McGann “for every work of art is the product of an interaction between the artist, on the one hand, and a variety of social determinants on the other, even the simplest textual problem establishing a work’s linguistic correctness-can involve other problems that are quite literally, insoluble”. ((Rice Philip&Waugh Patrcia, Modern Literature Theory, Bloomsbury Academic, (ed) 2011, p 294).
Although the concept is off-limits and offensive in culture today, he defends this significant part of American history throughout his book. The impression given to us of the White Negro by Mailer can help us look at it as a form of blackface that has found its was in American society. Although artists like Al Bernard and Bert Williams were performers of physical blackface on stage in the 20th century, the hipster has shown to become a form of non-physical blackface. A type of blackface that isn’t ridiculed or criticized by society, but accepted or sometimes even ignored as a grand section of American Popular