rebellion
During the Fifties the United States was filled with confidence but at the same time insecurity. The United States emerged from WWII as a global superpower and a symbol for freedom. The United States saw its role in world affairs as the protector of free countries from communism. The fear of communism expansionism during the fifties was a major issue. Communism represented radical thinking and ideas, a shift away from conservatism thinking or a shift away from the center, to a shift towards the edge. During the Fifties the fear of communism spreading in America gave rise to movements such as McCarthyism and the House on un-American Activities (HUAC). These movements represented the feelings of Americans towards communism at the time, they represented fear and the way to contain their fears was to weed out the bad seeds. These movements created a shift towards the center again, towards conservatism. This trend towards the center or conservatism can be seen in all aspects of American life. Not only was conservatism evident in the Fifties, but also rebellion. The push to be conservative and persecute individualism was an immense undertaking that it created fear and out of that fear came rebell
The novel may not have much political context, but it fits well into the notion of conservatism and radicalism. Comparing the main characters of all the examples discussed we find pressures of conformity pushing them into the directions they have gone. Through the pressures each of the characters led some sort of rebellion in one way or another. The pressures of conformity during the fifties was brought on by the idea that we had to defeat communism and not let communism defeat us, especially at home. The troubles of the main character of the movie, Jim Stark, come from home. Jim blames his problems on his father in particular. Jim sees the American family as a strong father and obedient mother, but he does not see that in his family. Jim looks to his father for guidance but finds none from him and is frustrated. At the end Jim finally gets what he wants from his father, someone who is going to be strong. The movie is sending a message that family is very important in life. If the problems at home are not taken care of they can progressively get worse, just like in the case of Plato. The movie is definitely a shift towards conservatism and away from rebellion. The pressures to conform put a lot of stress on Jim's parents to appear normal, but in the process confused them. Jim's father was certainly not the typical father, very passive and was a pushover. Jim's mother was dominating and a bully. That fear of not being normal caused a lot of turmoil in the family and may have caused Jim's rebellious behavior. In Jack Kerouac's novel, "On the Road", he gives the accounts of Sal Paradise and his experiences while traveling on the road. Sal travels cross-country to San Francisco to meet a college buddy, but on his way he stops by Denver to meet his crazy friend, Dean. Sal idolizes Dean for his cowboy style, ease with women, and his joy for living. The two of them go on some exciting trips across America. The reason why Sal wanted to go out on the road was because he found conventional life to much pressure and that life was not for him. Sal took time out from college to travel a path less worn. The novel is completely on the edge, Kerouac writes about doing things that people would not even consider. Kerouac writes about following the individual's desires, doing whatever one wants to do, living life unconventionally. Kerouac's novel is a contrast to the movie and shares some common ideas with Vonnegut's novel. It contrasts the movie in that it shows individuals living unconventionally, that not everyone is meant to live like that. If we compare Vonnegut's novel to Kerouac's we find that they both share the same ideas that people should
Some common words found in the essay are:
Dean Sal, Activities HUAC, Paul Proteus, HUAC Executive, WWII America, Jim American, Rebel Cause, Fifties United, Jim Paul, Player Piano, shift towards, vonnegut's novel, towards conservatism, post wwii, player piano, shift towards conservatism, wwii america, normal conservative, fear communism, prejudice towards, extreme prejudice towards, extreme prejudice, post wwii america, shift towards center, movie rebel cause,
Approximate Word count = 1805
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
