Normal Mailer's Narrative Style

Two men face off in what begins as a boxing match and ends in a gladiator fight to the death. Rival Griffith demolishes the perceived hero Paret with a hesitant ease. Normal Mailer uses diction and figurative language to dehumanize and emasculate the fighters as they express uncontrollable rage and animalistic vulnerability.
Mailer's first term referencing Paret's animality is used when describing his decreasing ability to win a fight. He writes that Paret had "started to take some bad maulings," as if Paret was prey and his predators were closing in on the kill. Mailer continues to use words attributed to wild animals when he illustrates Paret walking away from Griffith and "showing his hindquarters." Additionally, Mailer's word choice promotes