Search for the Meaning of Life
Will Barrett is the main character in Walker Percy's The Last Gentleman. In addition to finding meaning and purpose to his life, Will must try to make some sense and understand why his father committed suicide in order to resolve his ongoing grief. Suicide survivors experience dramatic shock and trauma and are often left with questions such as why their loved one killed themselves, and what could have been done to prevent the suicide. Unfortunately, the survivors usually cannot find answers to these questions and only end up harming themselves. They end up staying in the shadow of that tragedy for more than one person should. At the tender age of nineteen, Will not only has the usual identity search of a young man, but he also has a special and time-consuming burden to overcome the heightened feelings of guilt, shame, and rejection caused by his father's suicide. In the end, Jamie and Sutter Vaught, as adopted family, help Will find meaning in life and resolution with his father's suicide. Suicide may be the least forgivable sin of all human betrayals; Ed Barrett selfishly committed suicide, leaving himself dead and unable to answer his son's questions. The straw that broke the camels b
Will is determined that he will find in Sutter the father who chooses not to die but to live. After Jamie's death, Sutter mentioned he will be free to complete his suicide stating, "If I do outlive Jamie...it will not be by more than two hours" (Percy 389). Therefore, after Jamie dies, a suspicious Will asks Sutter Vaught where he is going and tells him to wait. To detract Sutter, Will asks "What happened back there?" (Percy 407). Sutter responds "Do you have to know what I think before you know what you think?" (Percy 407). Will tells him he does not have to know what Sutter thinks. It's clear to see that Will is not the same person at this point. In the past, Will "had to know everything before he could do anything" (Percy 4). Through his determination and increased confidence, Will weakens Sutter's resistance. As Sutter gets in his car, Will again tells him to wait. " 'Dr. Vaught, I need you. I, Will Barrett-' and he actually pointed to himself lest there be a mistake, '-need you and want you to come back. I need you more than Jamie needed you, Jamie had Val too'" (Percy 409). Unlike Will's unsuccessful appeal for his father to stay, this appeal is authoritative because Will finally has begun to identify himself. A moment passes between the two, and as Sutter takes off in his Edsel, a final question occurs to Will. "Strength flowed like oil into his muscles and he ran with great joyous ten-foot antelope bounds" (Percy 409). Ever since his father's death, Will felt he didn't matter to anyone, but Will now realizes he has influence over Sutter. Whenever Will says wait the man waits. Unlike Ed Barrett, Sutter waits. Attracting Will's attention, he soon begins to discern both the similarities and differences between Sutter and his father, Ed Barrett. Both Sutter and Ed Barrett had authoritative positions and both have suicidal dispositions. However, unlike Will's father, Sutter is willing to talk about suicide. Ed Barrett's lack of communication results in despair and death, whereas with Sutter talking to Will allows for growth, understanding, and connection. In the end this becomes especially apparent with the deathbed scene and its aftermath. ack for Mr. Barrett was when his honor collapsed amidst its moral ambiguities. In the end he was a man of morals but his world had completely failed to stand at the moral attention he demanded. What he wanted was for all gentlemen to accept the burden of being noble and honest people and for there to be a distinction between a gentleman and others. Walker Percy's Ed Barrett states on the night of the suicide, "They've won" (Percy 330). The fornicators, bribers, the hypocrites, they were all the enemies of Mr. Ed Barrett but they refused to fight him. They refused to fight him because they were no
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1883
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)
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