Analysis Of Jennifer Egan's 'A Visit From The Goon Squad'

In the novel A Visit from the Goon Squad, by Jennifer Egan, characters are faced with their own goon they have to confront. These goons cause their lives to be drastically altered and they end up with outcomes they would never have imagined. Within the chapter, “The Gold Cure”, it suggests that individuals have a firm desire for their past. Contrary to this, the chapter “Good-bye, My Love” suggests that individuals desire a life they don’t possess.

In “The Gold Cure”, Bennie desperately scrambles for a solution in order to be revived with his desire of youthfulness after realizing he’s getting old. Firstly, Bennie uses a tactic he found in a book in order to enhance his sexual ability, “he’d begun this regimen two months ago, after reading
Bennie believes that the reason his sexual potency has declined is because of his family problems, as “he wasn’t quite sure when or quite why this had happened: The divorce from Stephanie? The battle over Christopher?” (Egan 21). Since he’s using gold to attempt at resolving his issues with his sexual life, this also reveals that he’s intending to use the gold in order to solve his complications with his family as well. The gold flakes are his drug that he presumes will ultimately elevate him from the great void he’s been plummeted into. Moreover, Bennie undoubtedly misses the life he used to acquire since “he was watching Chris scale the undulating lawn toward his former house. . . As Chris neared the house he blurred a little, or maybe it was Bennie’s eyes watering. He found it excruciating, watching his son’s long journey to the front door” (Egan 35). Considering Bennie had a deeply heartbreaking moment while observing his son walking away, it shows how affected he is from losing his wife, child and his old life. He’s upset since in the past, he’d make that same walk with his son to the door and be welcomed into his own home, but now the idea seems so foreign and distant from him. Additionally, Bennie craves the relationship his family used to have, as he describes “the baby he and Stephanie had nuzzled and kissed—now this
Firstly, Sasha’s uncle, Ted, was the only solid relationship she had formed as a child since her parents were always battling like wild dogs but eventually later in life, “he wanted nothing to do with Sasha. She was lost” (Egan 214). Considering the one person who was always there to save her has a child abandoned her, Sasha was left feeling hopeless about ever forming serious relationships. In addition, while Ted is in Naples, he tells Sasha “You’ve got friends all over the place, but I never actually see them” (Egan 230). By saying this, it shows that Ted is rather suspicions of Sasha’s claims about having many friends. Ted’s implying that Sasha may be lying about having all of these healthy relationships with individuals just so it seems like she’s doing alright. Sasha claims that she has friends because she wishes she could form solid friendships and since she isn’t capable of doing so, she lies. Likewise, Sasha talks about her significant other and how “he’d left her there, in Hong Kong, in the tall white building; she’d lingered in the apartment until its owner had asked her to leave” (Egan 223). Sasha was desperately trying to hold onto her boyfriend, Wade, in order to turn her life around and to achieve her goal of forming a serious relationship. Despite her efforts, Wade ends