Satiric versus Nostalgic
Dumpsters and dumps serve as outposts for people to relieve themselves of
their unwanted goods. Although generally viewed by humanity as dirty, smelly
places, where one throws away wastes, there exists a number of people who
find dumpsters and dumps appealing and quite resourceful places. In Lars Eighner's
"Dumpster Diving" and Wallace Strenger's "The Town Dump," both authors believe
that many useful things can come from dumpsters, and each feels sad towards
people who waste perfectly good items. Although obviously similar in content,
the writers of "Dumpster Diving" and "The Town Dump" exhibit a difference
of tone through their attitudes towards subject matter.
Eighner has a satirical and sarcastic attitude towards "Dumpster Diving." In the beginning his work, he notes, "I prefer the word scavenging and use the word scrounging when I mean to be obscure." Here, he refers to the process of going through dumpsters, advocating a sense of amusement in a mockingly tone. Then he continues by actually naming himself a "scavenger," admitting that he likes the name. Similarly, Eighner satirically describes college students in regards to their wastes. He implements how these rich students throw away perfectly good food and fruit after midterm or the semester, and cast their naughty items away before "Daddy" comes to visit. These students are ignorant and lazy, but their wasted items do aid Eighner in many ways. Thus, the ignorance of the students and his word usage support his satirical tone.
On the other hand, Stegner's nostalgic tone towards "The Town Dump" of his childhood contrasts the attitude of Eighner. When reflecting upon his former hometown, Stegner states that the dump had "more poetry and excitement in it than the people did." This description, as well as others, illustrates the fondness he feels towards the dump. His desire to take wasted things and repair, or cherish them creates a heartwarming tone. Also, unlike Eighner, Stegner collects these items, even though he knows they will be discarded within a matter of months. Consequently, Stegner's attitude towards objects found at the dump permeates a wistful tone towards the dump.
The tone of the two works by Eighner and Stegner set these similar works apart from each other. However, both exhibit a larger human truth. They agree that items found in dumps can tell stories and histories about groups of people. Today historians study artifacts found from the prehistoric era to find out why the Ice Age occurred. Similarly, if humans a thousand years from now want to study the effects of the present-day, then they only have to look in their garbage cans. All these examples lead to the idea that "we are what we leave behind."
NM 11-18-01
