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 naïve, 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
. . .
Some common words found in the essay are:
Bill Levit, Tommy DiMaria, War II, Grapes Wrath, cowboys sheepherders, tommy dimaria, tommy called,
Approximate Word count = 1293
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
