John Wheelwright Research Paper

When taking an English major course during his college years, John Wheelwright is introduced to the author Thomas Hardy. Thomas Hardy is said to be obvious in his works and a man who believes everything has terrible consequences. John ends up finding a quote by Thomas Hardy: Nothing bears out in practice what it promises incipiently. This quote means that sometimes what we have high expectations for just tends to let us down. As one sees, John relates to this quote in many forms, the three most important ones being: self-identity, finding faith and honesty and morality in American Politics. Johnny’s search for self-identity came in many forms, but one of them was finding out who his father was. When experiencing lust, Johnny believes that

Right when Reverend Lewis Merrill reveals himself to be the father, John says, “The

An example would be John F. Kennedy. When he was first introduced to John, Johnny liked him, he found him to be honest and as Owen said, “Wouldn’t it be nice to have a president whom people under thirty won’t laugh at (Irving pg.339)?” Though it seemed as if John finally found someone in the politics who’s worthy to be president, that changes once Johnny and Owen realize that John F. Kennedy was flawed just like every other human being. It is the fact that John F. Kennedy is said to be having an affair with the ever famous, Marilyn Monroe that makes Kennedy no longer seem as a hero in his eyes. However, this does not compare to the utter distaste Johnny has for President Reagan. Johnny, himself, says, “Today, the fact that President Kennedy enjoyed carnal knowledge of Marilyn Monroe and ‘countless others’ – even during his presidency – seems only moderately improper, and even stylish, in comparison to the willful secrecy and deception, and the unlawful policies, so broadly practiced by the entire Reagan administration (Irving pg. 376).” It is painfully clear that Johnny does not hold any respect for the American government, especially President Reagan and whoever supports him. Johnny, who as a young boy believed in his country, now dislikes the country altogether, throwing out sarcastic comments like, “I don’t