The Goon and The Wizened Youth: True Villains Revealed
The Journey of Time through A Visit from the Goon Squad and By Night in Chile
The journey trope functions in A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan and By Night in Chile by Roberto Bolaño to reveal how time becomes the underlining antagonist that continuously torments the characters throughout their lives. Time – as represented in these two novels – has its own palpable energy that takes on the metaphysical embodiment of the ‘goon’ and the ‘wizened youth’. Both these characters take the members of their respective novels on a journey of realisation, regret, and remorse and introduces the readers to the concept that time is the only truth and it is not always kind. In A Visit from
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Bosco first introduces time as the goon, when he says in ‘A to B’ “Times a goon, right? Isn’t that the expression?” (Egan 134). Martin Molling describes A Visit from the Goon Squad as an “inexorable ruthlessness of the progression of time” (2016 52) which corroborates the generalised context Dictionary.com makes that a goon is a “hired hoodlum or thug” (2016). Through these examples it becomes clear that Bosco referring to time in this instance as ‘a goon’ suggests that time – as a vicious entity – is seeking to torment these characters exclusively. The characters in A Visit from the Goon Squad are miserable, pitiful creatures who’s journey through time sees them constantly being beaten and held back, unable to reach the greatness they envisioned for themselves. In ‘Pure Language’ Bennie says to Scotty “Time’s a goon, right? You gonna let that goon push you around?” to which Scotty dejectedly replies “The goon won.” Egan’s personification of time makes it the true villain of the novel and thus it seeks out its own journey. If ‘time’ is respectively its own character, it’s reason for existence is to ruin the lives of as many people as possible. Time is the perfect villain, for it cannot be stopped or slowed down and can reach everyone in existence
The concept of journey is represented in both “The Conciliation” by Benjamin Duterrau and “The National Picture” by Geoff Parr. Both texts represent journey in a different way but still use a variety of techniques such as symbolisation, setting, mood and costume in order to convey this to the viewer. “The National Picture” also uses elements of “The Conciliation” in a way that conveys the concept of journey in the piece.
The story is an eye-opening look into the thoughts and feelings of an unnamed man who saw too much of his society and started asking questions. In the story, his quest begins when he hops on a motorcycle with his young son, Chris, a sharp but slightly confused boy. While Chris thinks that the trip is meant only to be a vacation on the back roads of America, his father knows that he is really taking this trip for himself. It is meant to be a period in which he can think about and piece together the events of his early life, a time in which he started to wonder about the faults of society, eventually driving himself insane. Their journey leads them through highways, roads, one lane country passes, and finally into beautiful pastures and mountains. It was during these extended rides and rest stops in nature that we see what this story is really about.
The structure of the story is centered around the apparatus of "iterative-durative time", a technique in which the author follows a loose linear chronlogy, with each part covering approximately twenty years, while only about one or two of those years are described in any detail. The effect easily lulls the reader into a perception of the passing time.
These timeless tales relate a message that readers throughout the ages can understand and relate to. While each of these tales is not exactly alike, they do share a common core of events. Some event and or character flaw necessitates a journey of some kind, whether it is an actual physical journey or a metaphorical one. The hardships and obstacles encountered on said journey lead to spiritual growth and build character. Rarely does a person find himself unchanged once the journey is over.
...opin, Kate. "The Story of an Hour." In Literature and Its Writers: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Ann Charters and Samuel Charters, Eds. Boston: Bedford Books, 1997. 158-159.
It is important to note how each individual story is similar and different, because it allows us to understand how the emotions in the book affect us. ‘The Interlopers’ and ‘Story of an Hour’ are two of my favorite short stories. They are both very different, and have their own unique style. They are, also, somewhat similar. This is because the authors of the book are both similar and different, both in their backgrounds and personalities. In this essay I will be comparing and contrasting both short stories from my own point of view.
Pike, David L., and Ana Acosta. "Chapter 10 "The Story Of An Hour"" Literature: A World of Writing. New York: Longman, 2009. 442-44. Print.
“The Interlopers” is rather lengthy, from a third person point of view, while The Story of an Hour is brief and somewhat concise, but also from third person. Because of its length, “The Interlopers” contains a substantial amount of detail about the environment and characters. It allows for more background about the events of the story. Because of “The Story of an Hour”’s length, it only provides the names of the characters, and not too much about them. Regardless of that, both “The Interlopers” and “The Story of an Hour” provide enough insight to inform the reader of the characters and events.
A journey can be defined as going from one place to another. Michael, in Andre Alexi’s “Kuala Lumpur”, goes on a journey though his father’s wake to find understanding and acceptance of the death. Sarosh, in Rohinton Mistry’s “Squatter”, goes on a journey to assimilate into Canadian society by trying to overcome the need for squatting on the toilet. Both experience a progressive sense of exile which manifests in a physical manner amongst peers and in a mental manner in the form of personal conflict. The exile felt by both of the characters can be defined by the ways in which ethnic isolation, confusion of identity, and the use of the carnivalesque are implemented in the formation of the journeys they take.
Jennifer Egan’s novel, A Visit from the Goon Squad, includes thirteen separate short stories that are intertwined in non-chronological order into one exceptional narrative. A Visit from the Goon Squad takes place over a span of five decades, beginning with the punk scene of the 1970s and ending in the ominous future. Egan writes with a form that manipulates time to her advantage, allowing her to show the complex relationships between characters. Time can be seen as a “goon” in the novel that reminds the reader that life advances, times change, and of the mortality that everyone will eventually face. The novel’s theme is centered around the progression of time, memories, music, and redemption. Through the chapters, “Found Objects,” “The Gold Cure,” “You (Plural),” and “Pure Language,” the reader can see how Egan organized the novel around the connections between characters and how the progression of time affects each of the characters. Each separate story functions as a medium to show the interconnectedness of society and to display the novel’s overall theme (Pols).
McGlothlin, Erin. "No Time like the Present: Narrative and Time in Art Spiegelman's "Maus"." Narrative 11.2 (2003): 177-198. JSTOR . Web. 20 Mar. 2011.
Growing up in the city we experience more than those who did not. We are accustomed to seeing things other people would not be used to. One thing we are accustomed to be violence, more specifically gang violence. Gangs are a group of people who join together because of a common interest. Gangs are that have been around for ages. Dating back to the mafia in the roaring 20s all the way to present day gangs like the Bloods and Crips. It’s hard to imagine if gangs will ever cease to exist. They are too big and too strong for all of them to disappear one day.
This essay will focus on the relationship between time and human. The book cleverly portrays the characters individually and how they present time through age. Moccondo was distinguished out of the World. In Moccodo, there were some characters that showed how time changed their lives, such as Ursula, Colonel Auroliano Buindia, and Jose Arcadio Buindia. They tried to join the world, but there were some barriers that changed life of them by passing time. The characters were living in a simple life style, but their lives were changed since they got difficulty. In One Hundred Years of Solitude, time has different effects on all the characters due to the different reactions of the characters to the events. This essay will examine
Time is one of the basic components of life that one does not often stop to dwell upon. Each second marks a transition in an individual’s life, but it is rare for someone to consider the true magic of this small measure of history. In Tom’s Midnight Garden, Philippa Pearce examines the concept of time in a truly unique manner as she tells the story of a child who comes to terms with time in an extraordinary manner. As Pearce crafts this beautiful yet simply written novel, she intertwines both a moving plot and universal ideas in order to reveal more than meets the eye in terms of the power of time. The novel revolves around a young boy by the name of Tom Long who, in an adverse situation is shipped away from his home to live with his childless Uncle and Aunt for the summer. While Tom is disgruntled by the notion, he comes to adjust his views when he discovers a magical garden that opens his eyes to new experiences and feelings. With the discovery of this mysterious world in the garden, Tom is forced to decipher the power of time, companionship, and imagination and through this journey, he evolves from the childish, inconsiderate young boy he once was into one with a more mature and sensitive outlook on his own life and the world as a whole.
Chopin, Kate. “The Story of an Hour.” Backpack Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. Eds. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 3rd ed. New York: Pearson, 2010. 261-263. Print.