In my book of short stories, Girl With Curious Hair by David Foster Wallace, I found that the stories discuss many controversial topic, such as drugs use, sexuality, alcoholism, self harm, depression and forbidden love, much of which I believe is a reflection of Wallace's own life. At first glance, his stories don't seem to have a deep profound meaning; they function more as stories that simply discuss things that happen. But the events that are happening in these stories are told in such great detail and with such beautiful language that that is where the "profound meaning" lays.
Often times the stories are ended abruptly or in a place where a new story could start. Just when you think there may be a solution to the character's problem or an answer to a question, Wallace ends the story. I think this is a product of Wallace's troubled psyche and long struggle with depression. However, in his writing, Wallace stresses the importance of living well for yourself but not at the expense of others' happiness. These themes have been true throughout the stories I've read so far and I'm eager to see if the hold true throughout the entire book.
In my book, Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk, the author emphasizes how masculine a community like the on in fight club is. With everyone being able to fight each other and leave countless scars on each others faces, they are all portrayed as tough guys. It is interesting to me that you think the characters in your book go through similar problems to David Foster Wallace. This is because the other of Fight Club is openly homosexual. It makes me wonder if the author wants to portray the idea of "being a man" and masculinity in a good way or in a negative way.
ReplyDeleteI believe that for his book, "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close", Jonothan Foer drew not from his own experiences to discuss dark topics, but instead the experiences of an entire nation. The terrorist attacks of 9/11 opened many American's eyes to the threats around us for the first time. This is especially true for people who were younger when the attacks occurred. That is why I believe that it is so fitting that he would talk about such a serious topic of death from the perspective of a child. While Oskar is an incredibly bright kid, he is still only a kid. He is unaware of what many things mean and is constantly trying to find answers. This really helps illustrate many Americans who did not know what to make of the tragedies that occurred. I am not trying to say that Jonathan Foer is trying to condescend to his readers by comparing them to children. I believe instead he was trying to capture the feelings of many Americans who, like Oskar trying to find the lock to a key after his father's death, were just trying to find some semblance of meaning in a horrific event.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this I researched all I could about my author Stephen Chbosky to see if his personal life outlines and influences his writing. In "Perks of Being a Wallflower" Charlie has been affected by past events that have resulted in depression and anxiety. He lost his Aunt in a car accident, he was molested, and he lost a friend to suicide and he is not even a freshman in high school. Chbosky also stresses the importance of living well for yourself and seeking your own happiness. But as I researched more and more, Chbosky has not dealt with depression.
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