W.D.Wetherell, The Man Who Loved Levittown

A detailed Summary of W.D.Wetherell, The Man Who Loved Levittown

How Tommy DiMaria is used to represent the distinction between the cowboys and sheepherders.

The first thought associated with the word "cowboy" is that: this is a real man, virile, strong, brave, and dexterous. We imagine a clatter of horses hoofs, wind blowing into his ears, and a lasso in his muscular hands. This word definitely has a romantic tinge; some action is hidden inside it. What about "a sheepherder"? Our imagination depicts flat land occupied by a huge flock of sheep, a doleful man with a long crook in his hand. There is no action at all and only a couple of words can be used: boring and very prosaic.

We are about to enter Levittown, the land that has became an apple of discord, which means so much for the cowboys and doesn't have any special meaning for the sheepherders.

The setting of the novel carries us back to the late forties. Wetherell invokes the economic uncertainty of the immediate post war period. Tommy DiMaria, the World War II vet was one of the bunches of young men, who were "just trying to get started", who were "just naive, as just crazy hopeful." All they had were a couple of good hands, belief in luck, and an eagerness to provide good care for their families. They had a dream of th

The cowboys and the sheepherders are two generations with two different mentalities. The whole life is the unending chain of generations: one came after another and the "fathers and sons" problem is eternal. These two quarreling camps can never be reconciled, because of the difference of priorities. Levittown becomes a springboard for the conflict of mentalities. Tommy will never understand the sheepherders and they will never understand him. To him, they will always be a bunch of mean, impudent intruders and to them he will be a stubborn obstacle, a fossil, which should be removed. He is the last warrior trying to defend the last stronghold of the cowboys. The other cowboys left the race; they couldn't stand temptation of the huge profit. We can't blame them, because nobody is perfect. Tommy DiMaria never gives up. He is ready to find a new dream, but he already realized that his time has passed. He "had a dream in a wrong place."

The sheepherders kept pressuring him to move. They tested his resolve to stay with screams and threats. His garbage was spilled, his mail stolen, they even arranged to have his house reassessed. Finally one neighbor purposely ran over his dog. DiMaria believes that the cowboys would never allow themselves to do such things. But, once he played by the alien's rules, when he painted a giant swastika on his Jewish neighbor's house. The sheepherders were enemies for him and they didn't deserve to win.

Just out of curiosity it would be interesting to know what that old farmer with Chevy, the live embodiment of The Grapes of Wrath, would call Tommy and all those who forced him out of there. It was his land before Tommy called it his own. Tommy recalled the old farmer not accidentally; he intuitively felt that history had been repeated. Now Tommy is exactly like him, saying good-bye and cursing this place once and for all. "I hope it poisons you!" that farmer sa

Some common words found in the essay are:
Bill Levit, Tommy DiMaria, War II, Grapes Wrath, tommy dimaria, cowboys sheepherders, tommy called,

Approximate Word count = 1293
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English