Everyone is happy. Why shouldn’t they be? There is enough to eat, enough walls with family in them to keep everyone occupied, enough sports for others, and cars speeding to a hundred miles an hour for those who are adventurous. If someone is tired, there is always a fistful of pills that can guarantee a good night’s sleep. And most important of all there are no books to hurt anyone’s feeling or to poison anyone’s mind with conflicting thoughts. These are the hallmarks of the society in Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, where the primary purpose of life is hedonism, an uninhibited…
“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” The concept of “not the destination but the journey” is seen in this statement. In Frank Darabont’s film: “Shawshank Redemption” this proves to be true, likewise in Craig Silvey’s novel: “Jasper Jones”. Both of these texts challenge our understandings of what is success and how by adapting to the journey, one can find new qualities within ourselves.…
“On the Road” by Jack Kerouac, author during the Beats’ generation, is largely considered a novel that defined a generation. Despite this consideration, however, there are very many controversies linked to this book. Though many call the novel offensive, unexciting, and poorly written, Kerouac deserves the entirety of the acclamations he has received over the years as the result of his roman á clef.…
In a world where everything previously known disappeared into ash, anyone would meditate on death. The wife was one to resort to death for comfort, whereas the husband remained faithful to life. Though the husband adopted his wife’s attitude towards death by the end of his life, he still differs from the woman in that he maintained hope for mankind even though he was resigned about his own life. In writing The Road, Cormac McCarthy successfully illustrated the conflict between life and death, hope and…
Examples of journeys from the novel “The Color Purple” and the song “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” portray the protagonists making certain choices when they encounter hardships in their journey through life.…
Literature is an art form unlike any other, with a special ability to allow us to peer into the lives of others. In turn, we then are able to peer into the lives of these characters, revealing a more nuanced, complex portrait of human nature. The two books, Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison and Such a Long Journey by Rohinton Mistry both allow the reader to experience this complexity, by contrasting the characters reactions to the extraordinary and mundane events in their lives. By doing so, they both provide the same insight into human nature: the key to achieving one’s dreams is balance, and it is only by accepting the complexity of one’s own life, that one truly gets what they desire.…
The story of the Beat Generation novelist and poet, Jack Kerouac, who underwent a 63-day, self-imposed exile to battle drug abuse and demons of his past, while penning his novels.…
In Ray Bradbury’s novel, Fahrenheit 451, the protagonist, Guy Montag, realizes that though his world seems perfect, it is devoid of happiness. First, Montag sees that the people of the world do not interact well. Next, he becomes aware that his society does not respect the sanctity of life. Then, Montag notices that society does not reflect upon their actions. Finally, Montag realizes that his world is a horrible place because it is missing many aspects that equal a happy life.…
“Any Journey includes both realities and possibilities”, the three texts that we have studied in class, the film 'Pleasantville' by Gary Ross and the poems 'Road Not Taken' by Robert Frost and 'Journey to the Interior' by Margaret Atwood, support this idea as these texts include the protagonist having embarked on not only physical and interior journeys in reality but also imaginary. The journey is known to be imaginary for the audience, but for the characters of the text these journeys have led them to be in a different stage in life, not only physical but internally, evolving into different people or having what become completely different people due to these journeys.…
it's in human beings nature to feel personally lost at some point in life. individuals who find themselves lost may start to idolize another person. idolizing another person may help the individual find themselves on a personal level. The idol the individual chooses to admire may not always have good intentions towards every day life. The lacking of a personal identity and the adventure one may take to find it, is reflected in Jack Kerouacs novel, On the…
The novel The Road by Cormac McCarthy is set in a post-apocalyptic world lacking resources, food, and rules. It tells the journey of a man and his son to find lasting safety and of the adversity they face along the way. The boy in The Road understands the terror of living in a post-apocalyptic world, and at a young age he realizes that he must grow up in order to protect himself as well as his father. Throughout the novel, McCarthy gives the reader examples of how the boy exhibits his concern for strangers, his father, and himself.…
An author writes to be heard. Their communication is purposeful, and an author who is truly in touch with the art of fiction evokes emotions in the reader throughout their work. These moods, or tones, are not used simply for the sake of being used, but rather in the hopes of moving the reader to think and realize essential messages about life. In the case of John Steinbeck, the tones of his short novel Of Mice and Men can be said to be a triumphant hope accompanying dreams, along with a terrifying hesitancy and fear of obstacles and defeat. The reluctance to fail becomes evident from the start of the story, and endures as the piece develops. On occasion, the elation of conquest and success interrupts the more uneasy and dark tones of the piece, but as quickly as it appeared, the joy is replaced with setbacks and disappointment. Steinbeck’s use of drastic changes in mood is meant to reflect the unpredictable and unmanageable nature of life, revealing there to be different dimensions to it. That is his purpose.…
In the past year, I have read many books for pleasure. One of that I enjoyed most is The Color Purple by Alice Walker. Even though the protagonist, Celie, is mistreated by other characters, she is still optimistic. I feel like optimism is an important factor that motivates individuals to overcome the hardships and obstacles they are facing. Celie is an optimistic character because she does not let the negativity in life to prevent her from achieving what she wants.…
Having hope in difficult situations is definitely a very big theme in The Road. Everyday there awaits something new and dangerous for the man and the boy while traveling on the road. McCarthy shows us how much they need to survive with having to find food even when areas seem to be left barren. The man and the boy may not realize it but if still existing in this world they still have some hope that they may survive and find a better life somehow. They encounter many dangerous things some from mother nature and other people who are still existing as well.…
Jack Kerouac’s On the Road demonstrates the limitless mobility for white American men during the Long Fifties. He does this by including those of another race and ethnicity and illustrates their freedom or otherwise (lack of freedom) to demonstrate life of a Mexican migrant worker. It is unconventional that Sal finds comfort in the Mexican migrant worker lifestyle; although it appears to be a carefree and untroubled lifestyle, these Mexican migrant workers face hardships that prevent them from finding well-paying jobs. Instead, they are placed in hard laborious jobs that are dangerous and demeaning. Sal’s relationship with Terry in Bakersfield, California, evidently reveals Sal as an unreliable narrator who is unaware of the racial and classed…