Junior Project Draft
The impact of literature on a person is noticeable, it is great on an assembly,
and it is huge on a country. Literature is an art form that has such a profound
impact that it has the power to change the action and occurrences of a time
period. Yet literature is still influenced itself by the historical time period
in which it is written. Ultimately, literature is a reflection of a particular
time and yet maintains the ability to shape the future. American literature
has morphed tremendously through out the years due to prominent historical
events. Historical events and stylistic innovations have helped craft what
critics distinguish as distinct literary periods. Each literary period has
its own general style and themes that change to adapt to the changing American
audiences, since the people have been affected by the time period from which
they lived and the historical events that shaped the mood of each era. As
a relatively new country America has a somewhat different literary history
than that of other comparable nations, and its history is continuous-ranging
from early romanticism to late modern novels.
Romanticism is one of the first noted American literary periods. Critics describe
it as a period characterized by natural law. Romantic writers, such as Henry
David Thoreau, observed nature and the way the natural world worked in order
to abstract laws by which human kind could follow. Further more Thoreau's
book, Walden, is the analysis of human society in contrast to natural laws.
Thoreau's syntax and style bolster the image of a typical romantic writer.
His sentences are of varied lengths, generally flowing, and metaphorical,
or philosophical- he is conscious of consciousness itself. For example, Thoreau
writes: "…I mean that they should not play life, or study it merely,
while the community supports them at this expensive game, but earnestly live
it from beginning to end" (Thoreau 33). This is one of his more lucid
excerpts, and states that he advocates living deliberately. He goes on to
say, "Let us spend one day as deliberately as Nature, and not be thrown
off the track by every nutshell and mosquitoes' wing that falls on the rails"
(Thoreau 63). It is clear that he is devoted to nature as an example to live
by. He uses nature and animals, such as mosquito's wings, in contrast to human
made things, like the rail road, to emphasize the stark contrast between the
natural and the artificial. At this time in American history there were still
Native Americans living in the East yet there were also railroads. There was
this huge contrast between living styles. Also there was a changing American
mood; the pace of life was increasing due to the development of the railroad,
which indecently led to further westward expansion. Of course Thoreau was
not speaking literally when discussing mosquito's wings falling on rail roads,
but rather he was speaking metaphorically. Metaphorically he is saying that
it is important to live simply and enjoy the necessary things instead of worrying
about miniscule and ridiculous things. His writing shows the relevance of
our lives to the simplicity of nature. Still the emphasis of profound respect
for nature is prominent in Thoreau's work, in describing Walden Pond he says,
"It is a mirror which no stone can crack, whose quicksilver will never
wear off, whose gilding Nature continually repairs…" (Thoreau 123).
This reverence toward nature is highly characteristic of the era. Thoreau
also uses copious amounts of description and imagery, which may also be an
element of the Romanic period.
Besides such a strong affinity to nature romantic writers often idealized
the characters in their books, or even themselves. This is evident in other
works by Thoreau's contemporaries, Walt Whitman wrote an extended poem entitled
Song of Myself, which, by the title, is undoubtedly self-glorifying. According
to critic Edel Leon, "Thoreau made his life a sylvan legend, that of
man alone, in communion with nature" (Leon 1). Even in later years Thoreau
and other romantic writers have been idealized, take for example Martin Luther
King Jr. and how he was inspired by Thoreau's words. This legendary attitude
is appropriate for the era in American history as well. America was a fairly
new country that was still in the midst of defining itself, especially as
culturally distinct from that of its mother country, Britain. With the booming
cotton industry and the primary questions of the benefits of agrarian life
verses industrial life, the arts were flourishing, and the artists were defining
their own place-hopefully one as comparable to that of England's writers.
Even Edel Leon, a critic of Thoreau's writing, states that Thoreau was "bent
on self-improvement" (Leon 14). These basic questions at the heart of
the baby country also influenced writers to seek improvement in their movement,
and themselves. Perhaps theses controversies promoted the philosophical nature
of the romantic era. With all the change and defining beginning years of an
independent America of course the arts were affected, for how can any author
write and not be affected by the time for which they come? Perhaps all authors'
work reflects the social currents of their time, however it is this philosophical
quandary and commentary on the way one lives that is prominent in the Romantic
era.
The next noted literary era is the Realistic era, which was affected by the
civil war. After the America's very beginning came its adjustment period,
which inevitably confronted such controversial issues as: slavery, westward
migration, and immigration. The literature found for 1860 to 1910 is very
different from that of the romantic period. What critics call realism is characterized
by more tangible characters. In contrast to the idealized characters and writers
of earlier years realistic books portrayed heroes as every day people. For
example in Mark Twain's book, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck Finn
is a poor white boy with little education that befriends a slave. He is the
protagonist and becomes the hero. Yet his friend Tom Sawyer is the more educated
of the boys and is portrayed in a negative light, since he is forever playing
mean pranks on Jim, the slave. Huck Finn can be considered a hero since he
confronts the morality of the issue of slavery and as he states, "humbles
himself to a nigger" (Twain 67). Not only is realism characterized by
everyday heroes, it is characterized by everyday actions. People are portrayed
eating, bathing, and doing domestic tasks. There are numerous times when Huck
Finn is describing how or what they ate while they were rafting down the Mississippi
river. For example, "… The first thing we done was to bait one of
the big hooks with a skinned rabbit and set it…" (Twain 60). While
there was mention of food and preparation in Thoreau's Walden, the emphasis
was on the significance behind the deliberate actions. While in Huckleberry
Finn the inclusion of scenes with food is to portray a realistic life. The
preparation of food is not a lesson or a law in how to live one's life but
rather a mere statement that real people, even people in books, eat. These
descriptions achieve the task of portraying class and portraying a realistic
picture of how one lives.
Not only is realism characterized by common heroes and accounts of every day
actions, but it can also be described by a separate style from the romantics.
Realists, such as Mark Twain, used different stylistic devices such as dialogue
and, more specifically, dialect to create a tone that really related to the
mood of the era. For example, Jim speaks differently that Huck and Huck differently
than Judge Thatcher. In writing Jim's speech, Twain made the grammar suit
the verbal use of the language of a slave. Jim's speech was written how it
would sound, "Doan' talk to me 'bout yo' pints. I reck'n I knows sense
when I sees it…" (Twain 82). Where as Huck's dialogue is not quite
so verbal, but still not proper, "But I tell you you don't get the point"
(Twain 82). Further more Judge Thatcher is most proper out of the three, "Why,
my boy, you are all out of breath" (Twain 25).The realistic dialogue
was characteristic of Twain and of the realistic era. It adds to the description
of class and life style. We know, through the dialogue, that Huck is not educated
and that Jim is even less educated; their education separates them into different
classes, so does their race -which is at the principle conflict of the book.
Over all, Huckleberry Finn had a lighter more satirical tone than that of
Walden. Twain used satire to comment on American Society, while Thoreau used
nature. The whole concept of a poor white boy running away with a slave is
humorous and draws attention to the issues at hand, primarily slavery. Also,
on a more specific scale the attitudes and actions of the characters satirize
American society as well. Tom Sawyer's desire to make a game out of freeing
Jim by elaborately making a plan to free him from a tool shed is humorous,
and used to make a statement, that the American people are perhaps ignorant
to the importance of slavery and freedom. Also the feuding families that Huck
ran into during his journey were indeed a humorous anecdote, yet they also
served to comment on the ridiculousness of fighting and the legacies of pointless
quarrels. The use of humor and satire through common characters was a different
style from that of idealized and metaphorical romantics.
Not only does the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn reflect the realistic period,
but it also mirrors the historical era. After 1860 and until 1910 the reconstruction
era had begun after the civil war. With this drastic change and the question
of what place freedmen would have in society came a change in literature to
address it. The Thirteenth and Fourteenth amendments were passed and changed
the political reality of the country. Immigration was also being addressed
with the Chinese Exclusion Act. And lastly the concept of a closing western
frontier was prominent. Huck Finn embodies the desire to escape from civilization
and return to a more natural world, which reflects the romanticized vision
of the frontier- perhaps Realism is still slightly related to the Romantic
style. Historically these events could possibly have shaped the literary period.
Realists were writing about adventures and western lands. They were writing
about real issues and controversies, like the place blacks would assume in
society, and also the discrimination and fear of change and people that are
different from the majority.
During the same time period the U.S. saw an influx in immigration and the
growth of the city. Soon came the Gilded Age and with that came industry.
The flourishing steel industries, rail roads, and numerous factories, all
aided the growth of migration to the city. This migration and the new cities
brought out the worst in people. With this changing demographic and way of
life, more industrial than agrarian, came the Naturalist movement. Writers,
such as Stephen Crane and Upton Sinclair, began to realistically and brutally
describe the life of the inner cities and industries. While the previous literary
eras influenced naturalism, it was very separate from them. Like the great
realists, naturalists portrayed life on a more regular and day to day point
of view. Yet naturalism went step further, naturalist authors tried to expose
the dark side to human nature and psychology. In Crane's book, Maggie: a girl
of the Streets, the protagonist, Maggie, is both a guilty and victimized character.
She is a poor immigrant living in the slums of New York. This is unlike both
romanticism and realism, which both often times have heroes.
Much like Twain's books, and other realists, Crane used a copious amount of
dialogue especially that was related to speech patterns of immigrants. Perhaps
the difference between the realist period and naturalist period was the group
focused on. Each ear had a different audience, so, the styles and prominent
themes changed. Naturalists, like Crane focused on factories and immigrants,
while realists focused on slaves and small town folks. The dialogues used
to portray immigrants are as follows: "Maggie's gone teh deh devil,"
(Crane 30) and "who would tink such a bad girl could grow up in our fambly?"
(Crane 31). The heavy accents and short simplistic sentences portrayed the
life and education of people from the cities at the time, especially immigrants.
Besides the dialogue Crane's book seemed to incorporate intense detail, often
relating to the color red, and few symbols. While individual things were not
symbols, characters could be symbols. For example Pete was the image of "wealth
and prosperity was in his clothes. She imagined a future rose-tinted, because
of its distance from all that she previously experienced" (Crane 35).
Even though Pete could at times be considered a symbol of prosperity in a
dark time he was no hero. Pete was a victim of the time just like Maggie,
forced to work in factories and have his humanity degraded, he was striving
for a life he couldn't get, and try to pretend his life was good. He was also
a guilty character since he ended up dumping Maggie for an old girlfriend
after her mother had disowned her and ultimately pushed her into prostitution.
Naturalist books had no heroes and were often depressing since they showcased
human fallacy. This was achieved through imagery and dialogue that related
the character's true motives to the audience. Sinclair's book, The Jungle,
exposed the meat packing industry, and later influenced the passage of the
meat inspection act. Thus the literature of the time period had the power
to change the time period, even politically.
The desire to check the power of industrial America as seen through out the
meat inspection act and other regulations made by Roosevelt at the time can
also be seen in the literature. The reason many naturalists wrote was to expose
the human condition and how it was affected by harsh conditions. The constant
occurrence of dirt, death, and blood in Maggie: a Girl of the Streets are
all clues to the harsh conditions of the time. When Maggie's brother, Tommie,
dies he is carried away in a "… white, insignificant coffin…"
(Crane 15). Later in the novel, Maggie dies, and while it does evoke some
feeling from her mother and other family members, it is not the amount that
would be expected. The lack of intensity and focus on death tells the reader
to think of it as common place. Also the constant description of dirt and
grim that fills the streets, and the tenement houses portrays yet an other
hardship of the time. This focus on horrible life and its continuing cycle
along with the style of short, descriptive, and often graphic, details define
the naturalist period.
Later in the 1920's came the early moderns. In a time of economic prosperity
and technological innovation authors such as, F. Scott Fitzgerald who were
ridiculing material success. Early modern authors were critiquing the society
and social life of the new era. To the lost generation of the post World War
I era American society was disillusioning, obsessed with consumerism, and
dehumanizing. Fitzgerald's book, The Great Gatsby, is a perfect example of
the time and addresses the problems of the era through his diction. Jay Gatsby
spends his whole life trying to make something of himself socially in order
to win the love of his life and is ultimately disillusioned and finds that
a wealthy life is cruel- he dies in the end.
Specifically, Fitzgerald's diction is highly educated and some what ironic
which fuels the emphasis of money, luxury, and disillusionment. For example
he describes Mr. Wolfsheim as "…Regarding me with two fine growths
of hair which luxuriated in either nostril" (Fitzgerald 17). The fact
that he is describing nose hairs as luxurious is obviously ironic, and his
choice of the word luxuriated creates a high diction, and perhaps sarcastic
tone. Still, the novel is ironic on a greater level, which adds to the disillusionment
of the time, and thus characterized early American literature. The plot development
in the book is ironic in that once Gatsby returns from war he ought to be
a hero, yet it is not enough to win back is old girlfriend, Daisy.
Fitzgerald is accused, as many writers are, of writing their own lives into
their fiction. According to Charles Shain, his marriage to Zelda Fitzgerald
was turbulent and where his "best fiction came [from]" (Shain 8).
Furthermore, Fitzgerald's own life was ironic and indeed disillusioning. If
he wanted to become a famous and serious author it did not become a reality
until he had died, according to one critic (Shain 1). While his books were
popular among his contemporaries, he would not be accepted into the ranks
of ambitious American writers until his death. Yet, his turbulent relationship
and ironic life gave him material to write about and influenced his style,
so that hid books related to the people of the time.
The excess of irony and wit, along with lavish anecdotal descriptions is typical
of Fitzgerald's writing, and possibly a key characteristic of the early modern
time period. The irony of the writing reflects the greater irony of the time.
While the roaring twenties was outwardly a prosperous time, inwardly it was
creating numerous tensions. The development of the flapper and vamp challenged
moral standards of previous decades, while technology made people fear change
and innovation. Even further is growth of xenophobia which led to the surge
in membership of the Ku Klux Klan. Economically America was more prosperous
than ever, but socially norms were being challenged and tensions were mounting.
This finally led to the disintegration of the American dream, which also happens
to coincide with the themes of many early modern books, such as The Great
Gatsby.
At the same time the emergence of the American drama took to heart the theme
of the American dream. America had not yet had its own dramas. Eugene O'Neill
was one of the first writers to Americanize dramatic theater; still there
were other notable authors, such as: Thornton Wilder and Lillian Hellman.
Yet Eugene O'Neill stands out in prominence. His play, The Hairy Ape, is an
example, not only of his style, but of the time period historically and literally.
The Hairy Ape turns back to previous themes that are more closely related
to naturalism; however it may be seen as a combination of the effect of industrialization
and the American dream. Yank, the main character sums up the theme when he
says, "I'm a busted Ingersoll, dat's what. Steel was me, and I owned
de woild. Now I ain't steel, and de woild owns me. Aw, hell! I can't see-it's
all dark, get me? It's all wrong!" (O'Neill 32). He is reflecting on
the fact that he felt like he belonged to the world and the American dream
of belonging and being successful until he realized that he wasn't just his
work. It is as if he was owned by steel and thus symbolically industry and
economic growth. Yet he never saw any of the benefits, he was poor, and always
condemned to the lower class. This play is symbolic of the era since it combines
the workers strife, the illusion of the American dream, and idiosyncratic
speech. Naturalists portrayed the exploitation of the common human being by
industrialization and economic growth. The deterioration and irony of the
American dream is shown in the early dramas, such as The Great Gatsby. Lastly,
the emergence of idiosyncratic speech was seen as early as the realist period
and Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Eugene O'Neill was brilliant
in that he brought all three aspect from earlier periods together and then
into a new style, the play.
O'Neill's style consists of clamoring interruptions and layered dialogue.
The workers constantly shout at each other. For example:
VOICES-Gif me trink dere, you!
'Ave a wet!
Salute!
Gesundheit!
Skoal!
This kind of loud clamor and various voices is used frequently throughout
the play. It creates an escalating tone and busy energy, which plays in to
the mood and theme. It is proof of the fact that it is hard to think, to be
an individual, and to be heard. Yank is constantly trying to think, and is
portrayed as Ronen's "Thinker," yet he is never able to. This type
of speech further emphasizes the inability to escape, perhaps to escape work,
becoming a machine, or even industrialization. Since there are no character
names it is difficult to be distinguished as an individual. Still the play
is also characterized by long monologues. Perhaps this is an attempt at becoming
an individual in a world seen as on large machine. This pandemonious clamor
and then long monologue style is particular to O'Neill. While it may not entirely
define the Early American dramas entirely it is part of their collective description.
The theme in The Hairy Ape is logically related to the time period. The play
came out in the 1920's, just like The Great Gatsby, and addresses the need
to be an individual. This is logical because right after World War I there
were many returning soldiers who were trying to define their place in society
after the war. They were left in poverty and with little or no recognition
of their service. Also, during the war our industry grew and our economy flourished
because of the war time demands. Workers felt united behind a cause, but when
it was over they searched everywhere for some meaning behind their place.
Of course class was an issue during and after the war. War can only temporarily
mask class struggles. The play The Hair Ape highlights the class difference
between the wealth class, who seem to have a sense of belonging, and the poor
working class, who have no sense of belonging and who are made to believe
they belong by the wealthy class, perhaps to control the masses.
Similarly the play Our Town, by Thornton Wilder, also focuses on the American
dream, but perhaps it focuses on a slightly different facet. The main theme
is that of growing up and living in small town America, getting married, and
having a family. This is part of the American dream to still be successful,
but in a different view of success. According to the fourth course in Elements
of Literature Wilder wants to "… to make us appreciate and even
wonder at this 'dailiness'" (Holt yr 1989, 518). There is also the theme
of the essence of time. These themes are made to make the audience reflect
upon the past in relation to the present, much like Eugene O'Neill's work.
This effort to analyze American life is at the heart of American literature
however, the effort to analyze American life with respects to historical evolution
is perhaps what defines the early American dramas.
The use of a stage manager as a character was one of Wilder's innovative ideas.
The stage manager helps to show the strange folds of time. The play will be
going on in what the audience perceives as the present and then the stage
manager might stop the scene and say something like, "I've married over
two hundred couples in my day" (Holt, 1989, 544). Or possibly soothing
like, "This time nine years have gone by, friends-summer, 1913"
(Holt, 1989, 547). Something like this had never been seen before. There were
no other plays that had stage managers who would stop the action to relate
facts, or tell you the time period. By using character like the stage manager
Wilder was able to control time in his play and make an interesting statement.
Ultimately he makes the statement in the end, through Emily, that time and
life are precious and that people don't value every little moment in life.
Besides the Stage manager as a character who could stop the time to fast-forward
or rewind at his own will, the play is also distinct in that it is only three
acts. It has a very clear beginning middle and end, which is perhaps a stylistic
device specific to Thornton Wilder. Still it shows the playwright's innovation.
Early American drama was precedented by the classics; however, the playwrights
of early American drama all took stylistic liberties within their work. Wilder
created the stage manager as a character and used a three act format. While
O'Neil had many acts but used idiosyncratic speech, along with the contrast
of long monologues.
Further more Lillian Hellman took stylistic and thematic risks in her play
The Children's Hour. Much like Our Town, The Children's Hour has a simplistic
style. There are really only two settings, the school, and the living room
of Mrs. Tilford's house. It too only has three acts. Unlike Our Town the stage
is not bare; there are many pieces of furniture. Apart from the stage direction
and over all structure of the play, Hellman took a huge risk with the theme
of her play. The play addresses homosexuality and lying. On a side note, or
perhaps effect, shows economic failure when the school is closed because of
the lesbian scandal.
Historically, the economic failure of the school may have related to the Great
Depression. Also the overall mood of failure and depression due to money and
also reputation, be it based on sexuality or money, relates to the common
mood of the time. People were disgraced by their failures and their reputations
were ruined when the stock market crashed and most people lost everything.
While Hellman's play doesn't directly address these issues they are perhaps
an outside influence of the mood of the play. Karen and Martha are never mentioned
to have trouble with money because of the stock market crash, but they are
mentioned as having to close down the school since their reputation was soiled.
The depression of the two school masters is matched by that of people from
the contemporary time who lost everything and whose reputations were also
discredited.
All three early American dramas are quite different. While they do address
the desire for success and belonging they all have very different specific
themes and plots. Still stylistically they all take risks and make an effort
at describing the American stage as something very different from the classic
dramas of previous centuries. The three act play may be considered a signal
of early American drama but it doesn't define it. The use of idiomatic speech
may also be a signal, the use of different characters that control the play
itself may also be a signal of the period, but what defines Early American
drama is the risks the playwrights took. The fact that they were playing around
with the ideas of different styles rather than just different characters and
plots; the idea of using symbolic props and either very few of them or even
many of them are what makes early American drama, early American drama.
After the emergence of American drama came the period that critics consider
later moderns. Books written in this period are from right after World War
II up through the late fifties, and the Cold War. Yet again there are still
many different varieties of books that were written in this time period and
their specific styles can not solely categorize and define the period. However,
the themes and similarities between books of this period is what strings them
together and thus may be the key element in defining the letters of the late
modern period. One common theme in this period is the search for the self
and acceptance of that person, whatever that may entitle. Both On The Road,
by Jack Kerouac, and Wise Blood, by Flannery O'Connor address some portion
of this greater theme.
On The Road, written in 1957, portrays youth in America at the time and the
need to explore. The protagonist, Sal, not only explores the American country
side but he also explores his own consciousness and other controversial topics
such as, sex and drugs. Sal leaves his hometown and his academic life to hitchhike
across America, and he does it just to do it. The whole book is a series of
events that have no rigid plot development other than the common theme of
just letting life take you were it will, and that life will inevitably teach
you something. Even though the book doesn't seem to have a strict plot, and
the events are never played all the way through, it seems to be a coming of
age story for an older generation. The reoccurring fact that nothing was steadfast
in Sal's or Dean's lives was obvious when they would just pick up and leave
town. For example, Sal says, "… And zoom went the car and we were
off again for California" (Kerouac 129). The next thing mentioned is
this: "…-It's the too-huge world vaulting us, and it's good-by.
But we lean forward to the next crazy venture beneath the skies" (Kerouac
130). Sal's reflection sums up the spirit of his traveling, nomadic years.
Sal tried to follow Dean Moriarty in the hopes that he could learn about life
from him. He saw in Dean conflicting attitudes and a vivacious spirit. Yet
in the end of the novel Sal has come to learn that he learned most about life
from experiencing it himself and not from Dean's support. Sal's last line
is, "…I even think of Old Dean Moriarty the father we never found,
I think of Dean Moriarty" (Kerouac 254). This last comment by the narrator
shows the hopes that Dean would have been a leader and like a father, one
who guides and helps their sons define who they are as men. Yet Dean was in
some ways a leader, but he was still finding himself. The over all message
of the book is that no one else but oneself can define who they are.
Besides the theme, the style of this book is very unique. It is a full length
book but yet has no coherent plot that ties all the events together. Since
there is no one plot line or tangible storyline it creates the feeling of
a more abstract meaning. In that way this book is more like prose poetry.
The only thing that ties the stories together is the constant desire and need
to move, to experience life differently. Besides the overall structure of
the book the diction vacillates between common speech from third person yet
on a personal conversational level to poetic and descriptive narration by
Sal. For example, "…because the only people for me are the mad ones,
the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything
all at the same time…but burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles
exploding like spiders across the stars…" (Kerouac 9). Yet there
are other portions of the book that are written in common diction like, "Even
my aunt listened to him with a curious half-ear…" (Kerouac 100).
Even the diction was not a constant in the book. There is no strict story
line nor is there a constant style in diction, but perhaps this is what makes
the book interesting. Everything is uncertain, which plays into the larger
theme of self discovery.
Not only does the concept of uncertainty and just letting life do with you
what it will apply to the book but it applies to the time period that Kerouac
was writing in. Kerouac wrote On the Road in 1957. That is over ten years
since the end of World War II but the effects were still lasting. There was
a baby boom after World War II that gave rise to a generation of displaced
youth. This generation lived through the cold war and was living in fear.
Not only were they living in fear but they were still trying to define themselves
in American society. Their parents had fought in the war or served their country
in some way and they were left with no place in society in comparison to their
parents. Many didn't have living parents and were further displaced and disillusioned.
America was known as the affluent society, yet its youth had no sense of belong
or self. In the midst of new roads and cars, and other technologies, and the
growth of suburban America were these young adults with the desire to travel
ad see what America was. Thus Kerouac's book comes into play. With the emergence
of new roads and many interstate highways the concept of hitchhiking across
the country was plausible. Before there hadn't been as many roads or highways,
or people on them for that matter and the whole pretense of Sal's story wouldn't
have been possible. Also the growth of the suburbs and the towns allowed Sal
to delve deeply into the heart of America. He went from state to state and
settled in large cities, but mostly he saw small towns and suburbs. He saw
the different landscape of America, from farm land to cosmopolitan areas.
Also the affects of the Cold war can be seen in the book. The carefree mentality
and looseness with life, for example sleeping with any one, doing drugs, uprooting
constantly, may have come from the mentality that the world would end soon
from nuclear war. Though it is never mentioned directly in the book it is
possible that this mentality shadows the actions of the characters especially
since an author is always influenced by the time from which they come.
Flannery O'Connor was also obviously influenced by her time period in writing
Wise Blood. O'Connor was born in Georgia and was an only child in a Catholic
family. Her book focuses on Christian faith and is thus appropriate to her
upbringing. It also takes place in the south which is where she is from. O'Connor
even describes it as a comic novel about Christianity. However, it maybe hard
to see it as a comic piece through all its grotesqueness. It may be comic
in that it employs the use of irony but directly it is a fairly dark novel.
Hazel Motes, the protagonist, goes back to Tennessee to perhaps find his faith,
much like Sal traveling the road to find himself. Not only is the book relevant
to her own life but it is to the time period as well. Hazel Motes returns
home after four years of service in the army and his family is all dead. Furthermore
he is a displaced member of the youth generation after World War II. He is
trying to define himself and his faith. Perhaps he is prompted by the fact
that his grandfather was a preacher and he had intended to be one before he
left. However, the war must have changed his faith since when he comes back
he can't find himself believing in Jesus and tries to work out the rational
behind faith. When Hazel Motes is preaching he says, " 'I preach there
are all kinds of truth , your truth and somebody else's, but behind all of
them, there's only one truth and that is that there's not truth" (O'Connor
84). Hazel Motes had lost his faith at this point, if he ever started with
any, and shows how desperate he is for others to see his disillusionment.
He even goes to the point of searching and hunting down a blind preacher who
he met even though he doesn't believe in Jesus and repenting. Perhaps Hazel
has faith but not in Jesus and if he does it is only in that there is no conventional
faith.
Besides the commonality of the displaced youth both late modern novels address
sexuality. While Sal is freely sleeping with women across the country, Hazel
sees sex in a negative light. He goes to visit a prostitute in the hopes of
feeling better but is never really content. Later on in the book Sabbath Hawks
is sexually attracted to Hazel even though she is younger than him and perhaps
uses that attraction to get away from her father. Neither of the characters
from either of these books feels regret for their sexual actions nor do they
occur freely. However to Hazel they may have some other meaning that could
be tied to faith and sin. Hazel Motes seems to sin in order to defy his taught
need to repent. This defiance is an aspect of the disillusioned youth culture.
Sal defied his conventional life of academia while Hazel defies faith and
repentance.
This defiance to what their parents knew and valued along with the sense of
not belonging seems to be the key element in later modern literature. During
a time of apparent social rest the literature and authors of the time knew
better. The effects of World War II and the Cold War had created an undercurrent
of discontent and the need to fix that feeling. The youth of the 1950's like
the characters of these books were trying to define themselves in the face
of a postwar era when many prominent issues were hidden from sight. This era
historically would lead into the turbulent social years of the 1960's. One
may relate the literature that portrayed the undercurrent of the 50's to the
mood that sprang up in the 60's. The conflict portrayed in late modern books
gave way to the protest of the 60's and thus impacted the future.
The evolution of American Letters is ongoing due to the inevitability of a
changing American audience. While these novels may be used to portray the
essential aspects of each time period, the time periods have affected the
literature to the same extent. The essential aspects of every literary period
have morphed considerably, from the time of the Romantics to the Late Moderns.
Yet all the periods have made some attempt to evaluate human society, beginning
with the Romantic era, which is defined by extracting laws from nature. Realism
can be seen as the attempt of showing everyday life and the common man as
a plausible hero. Naturalism is the time that was most affected by the industrial
revolution and portrayed the effects of industrial life on the society and
its psyche. Furthermore, the early moderns addressed the effects of money
and the dissolving of the American dream after World War I. While at the same
time American drama attempted to examine the same thing. Early American Drama
can be described as a time in American Letters where innovation was strived
for and any creative idea was tried. Lastly, Later Moderns addressed the necessity
of finding oneself among the dislocation and unfufillment of dreams that over
shadowed the 1950's. The real question to be asked is perhaps what our own
contemporary literary time period will be described as. Can one effectively
and unbiased evaluate the major influences that affect our writers today?
Our literature in America is affected by the War in Iraq, and the present
administration; it may even have hints of resistance to the censorship we
encounter, but would we be able to clearly define it as being so affected?
We attempt to clearly define the past even though there are a myriad of different
opinions, styles, and influencing events. Perhaps the real conflict is being
objective, and the prominent question is, can any one person be truly objective?
