A special space for IB seniors in CARMONA'S classes
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Thurber and Culture
2nd blog topic:
What clues (ignoring the named places and proper references) does Thurber give to shape the culture he is portraying? How would you describe the “culture” that Thurber describes? American? Regional? Middle?
I would definitely describe the culture that Thurber portrays as Regional. All throughout the novel, Thurber thoroughly describes the multiple personalities and characteristics of the characters from his neighborhood; which gives the reader a sense of an old "leave-it-to-beaver" type of town where everyone knows each other. Thurber gives a sense of cultural connection in the novel, where the reader can understand the environment and basically envision the character he is describing. An example of this is in "The Day the Dam Broke." Thurber talks about the occasion as though he knows what everyone in the town was doing at the moment that the dam broke (the woman who climbed up "These Are My Jewels" statue, his Aunt Edith Taylor in the movie theater, Mr. Mallory who was running from the sound of skates, etc) and he describes each of the characters in such a way that the reader can visualize and understand them. (Dan Panasenko)
I agree with what Dan said, that Thurber is portraying this culture as regional. He shows this mostly through the way his family members interact and the way they react with other people in the town. One "clue" Thurber shows is that a large part of his family live in one house, and the pets that live there are just as much part of the family as anyone else. He is showing that, for the culture of this region, people are all very closely knit and having many family members - and pets that might as well count as family members - in one house is the norm. Another "clue" is that Thurber is able to name many people in the town, who we might think of as random, which shows that everyone there probably knows each other and the community is very tight. As for how his family interacts with others, an example is when Thurber's mother throws her shoe through the neighbor's window without any serious repurcussions, which shows that the culture of the town is such that most neighbors are good friends and can get away with most antics.
Get Ready! Get Ready! The Worr-uld is coming to an end!... Haha Just Kidding, Please Don't Throw me out the theater!
I would like to start with the fact that the setting to "My Life and Hard Times" does resembles a middle west kinda of small town background where everyone in town essential knows each other. Additionally, Columbus at the time is nothing close to a metropolis identifying more closely with a large farm in the country then suburbia. The lifestyle is quite simple; justifying an early 1900's life away from grand cities such as New York on the east coast.
Opinions and PERCEPTION differ(Thurber can be seen through various eyes; as the following part suggests.)
On a more personal tone closer to family, I strongly see connections between Thurber's family and a loud Italian family. Even though the male figures do not seem that of charismatic power they do present stubborn and load reaction to situations. Furthermore I can see how an Italian Villa can be closely related to Thurber's home full of wild and quirky faces that show an uncanny stupidity, but at the same time they warm our hearts with their peril.
I would say that Thurber really plays up the regional aspect of the novel. The setting seems to have that small town feeling where everybody knows everyone else, and this leads to some of the comedic situations. Particularly in the story of the Afternoon of the Great Run, the whole town is in on this panic of the dam breaking, and this situation is only possible in that kind of smaller, midwest town. In a large city like New York City, the great run would probably never have a chance of occurring because there are simply too many people that don't notice each other.
Referring to Thurber's portrayal of family, I agree with the Get-Ready Man in that it seems like a loud Italian family, or in my experiences, a loud Hmong family. This summer, when visiting with my boyfriend's family, he has an enormous extended family here in Sacramento, with the too talkative grandfather and mischievous cousins. I really thought that identified with Thurber's portrayal of his family and all of their weird nuances and quirks, giving us a feeling as if we know the characters in real life.
Focusing more on what culture Thurber describes in his story. Thurber uses the clues he gives to shape a picture of a very typical Middle American town of the early 1900’s. An example of this is the way Thurber describes all of his neighbors. He does not just have a cursory portrait of these people’s lives but seems to have a deep understanding of their roots and backgrounds which he conveys to the reader. Such knowledge is typical Middle American culture which emphasizes knowing ones neighbors and being on decent terms with them. Another cultural touch point that is seen in Thurber’s stories is that of close family ties. This of course is seen in the story “The Night the Bed Fell” where many of his relatives are living in one house. More importantly he doesn’t note so many members of his family being there as an odd occurrence, showing primarily that his family is very tight knit.
I would describe Thurber's 'culture' of his hometown as an easily confused extended family. The easily confused is apparent in the multiple accounts within his family. For the extended family comment, the entire town seems rather close-knit, as mentioned earlier, because there seems to be little hesitation when speaking about anyone. For instance, in the closing of the Great Run chapter, Thurber says that “a few persons, like Dr. Mallory, who will shut up like a clam if you mention... the Great Run.” Being that this remark is made 20 years after the fact, the people of the town must have retained close relationships, for Thurber to know for certain that people do still react to the memory of the afternoon.
The reference to Dr. Mallory is telling as well because on that afternoon he is portrayed as an elderly or aging man, yet Thurber has taking the time 20 years later to go see him and speak at length with him. Also he is familiar enough to use a metaphor that is less that professional to describe his reaction, showing that either elders of the community are given little respect or that Thurber holds himself to be on nearly equal footing with the Doctor, almost as if they are well liked relatives.
By saying that more than one person will clam up at the reminder shows that even if he is not as familiar with others from that long ago he still speaks with them. Which seems almost like a family reunion, even those you are not fond of conversations are still held in passing and certain esteem is held for them. Just like that person you know is distantly related to you but you can not quite remember their name or how.
I agree that Thurber's outlook on his hometown's culture gives a very regional feel, and also that he portrays it to be the typical middle-America town thats rooted in its old idosyncrasies. Coming from middle-America myself, i can understand his feelings toward this kind of lifestyle.
In chapter 8 where Thurber discusses his university days, he mentions a classmate who takes up journalism. Haskins, along with most of the student population, was an agricultural student. This is obviously the stereotypical major for a small town where everybody knows each other. Haskins tries to integrate the modern day by taking up journalism, which is typically associated as a contemporary study. However, Haskins fails terribly and makes for a crappy journalist, cementing Thurber's view of his hometown as the typical old-fashion, close-knit small town that is set in it's ways.
I think Thurber was trying to portray a middle American culture in his book. Although many of the neighbors know each other and know each other's wierdnesses, not everybody is so closely knit together. An example of this would be when Thurber was called to the draft over and over. No matter how many times he came through or how many days he worked with the doctors, no one knew his name or noticed that he truly did not belong as a doctor. Then when he got tired of being a doctor and came back as another draftee none of the doctors noticed. However, Thurber definetly created a feeling of a small town in middle America where everyone tries to look out for each other and help whenever they can.
Based on the responses of the people before me, I immediately noticed the geographic focus on the culture of the story. However, as I read the question, my mind automatically focused on the time period and how the culture of the "time" in which it was made was connected to the relationships and events that exist within Thurber's story. Looking back at the discussions which have taken place in class, many would agree that it is the SITUATIONAL aspect of the story which drives the plot rather than the gender aspect. And, as I've said before, I believe that it is the old-fashioned style and cultural aspects of 1930's America which is made apparent by Thurber in almost every aspect of his book. This is including, but not limited to: gender roles, racial status of differing people(black maids, white employers, etc.), and the situation of the protagonist's household. Before the time of high-tech electronics and more efficient means to stay connected despite long distances, families shared a tendency to stay close to one another, and I believe that Thurber follows with this tradition quite effectively. -Marco
I agree with the overall concept brought up in the posts above regarding the Thurber’s portrayal small town life as a backdrop for his humorous tales. This is evident in the degree of chaos that occurs in Columbus and the fact that it seems to involve all the residents, as demonstrated in the Day the Dam Broke (as aforementioned), the fact that The Get Ready Man could enter a production at the King Lear theater and add to the climax of the scene, the way that Thurber’s family lost the poor old Reo to the fierce grip of the street car, etc. As Selena mentioned, large city life tends to lend itself to impersonal existence, which is certainly not the case with all the interactions between Thurber and the town. Also I felt in particular that the policemen of “The Night the Ghost Got In” created this feeling that Thurber truly was living in a small, Middle West town: they were all entirely unprofessional, and managed to ironically cause more chaos and destruction then an ambitious burglar would have. Also, it seemed as if they were perhaps desperate for a bit of excitement and action, as “a Ford sedan full of them, two on motorcycles, and a patrol wagon with about eight in it with a few reporters” (35) arrived just to fend off a burglar and remained for a long duration of time, determined to snatch such a rare opportunity to assert justice.
In addition, Thurber writes in a fashion that generates the perception that his childhood was rooted deep in Middle West life. In particular, I noticed that he managed to capture the inflections, patterns of speech of the regional accent, and unusual words that have perhaps faded out of modern English. For example, one of the policemen within “The Night the Ghost Got In” stated, “‘No sign o’nuthin… This guy,’ he explained to the others, jerking a thumb at me, ‘was nekked. The lady seems historical.’” (page 38) The use of modified language to convey an accent also tends to heighten the humor within Thurber’s work, and in this case the uneducated diction of the policemen compliments and enhances their chaotic and unprofessional services. The grandfather, with his ways deeply entrenched in the ways of the past, also speaks with a peculiar accent. For example, “I knew ‘twould… I allus told ye to git a Pope-Toledo” (20); “Back, ye cowardly dogs… Back t’ the lines, ye goddam lily-livered cattle!” (38); “What was the idee of all them cops tarryhootin’ round the house las night?” (39); and “Git that goddam buggy back in the road!” (76).
However, from a broader perspective, I feel that Thurber’s anecdotes more than anything portray a culture of the past, one that has been buried with time. The tight knit community seemed to preserve a sense of simplicity and innocence, and a constant feeling of the past is created through the frequent references to the civil war (mainly through grandpa), but also through the various superstitions of the family (such as grandma’s belief that electricity leaked out of empty sockets). Thus, I felt that Thurber truly created a snap shot of the simple life of the past more so than simply a tale rooted in the Middle West.
I would agree that the culture that Thurber displays in his collection of short stories is chiefly regional. Certain events and the background that he comes from are heavily influenced by the region that he lives in. For example, the night that he is performing in a play and the get-ready-man is shouting about the end of the world and how everyone must prepare is a 'clue' that the town that he lives in is eccentric and full of odd characters. Additionally the town that he lives in is so obscure that the name itself makes the reader envision a small town with typical middle American types of families walking down the street carrying on their daily business. This middle American feel coincides with the regional feel especially as Thurber lived in a small town in Ohio. My perception of Ohio is a state of patriotic Americans of a wide range of classes. Thus the middle-American culture that is present in Thurber's stories can be considered regional. If Thurber were to base his stories in the state of California, there might not be a feel of the middle-American culture as California is known for being diverse and liberal. The fact that Thurber stages his stories in Ohio only lends to the middle-American culture.
I agree that the way Thurber wrote his story portrayed its culture as regional. Everybody knew each other and they had a very large and loud family. For example in the chapter 'the car we had to push' Thurber portraits the culture as regional by having everyone know the model of the cars and the Get Ready Man, "The boys I went to school with used to be able to identify every car as it passed by: Thomas Flyer, Firestone-Columbus, Stevens Duryea, Rambler, Winton, White Steamer, etc. I never could. The only car I was really interested in was one that the Get-Ready Man, as we called him, rode around town in: a big Red Devil with a door in the back. The Get-Ready Man was a lank unkempt elderly gentleman with wild eyes and a deep voice who used to go about shouting at people through a megaphone to prepare for the end of the world"(12).
Thurber's portrayal of neighborly relations is one of the major clues to the culture in which he lived as a child and teenager. His living environment seemed like a hybrid of middle-American small town culture and suburban life, with the easily-angered man from Peoria and his wife as perfect examples. Thurber's family didn't seem to be well acquainted with the man and wife in the next house, as one would expect from stereotypical middle-American "everybody knows everybody and everybody's business" neighbors. However, as Selena said, the Afternoon of the Great Run goes to show that the small town feel isn't entirely absent and a person on the street who decides to start running isn't treated as another anonymous pedestrian but rather the flood oracle.
I think the disconnect between modern America and 1900's America is perhaps the greatest cultural gap in all of history. Mass media had not developed, communities were inwardly-centered, and schoolchildren could not do their homework via weblogs on the Internet like they do now (right now). So perhaps it's hard to truly understand what Thurber is trying to get at, culturally.
Thurber definitely reflects a kind of community driven culture in his novel. Short of the War (which was a tremendous cultural development in its own right), and a few glancing references to celebrities (Lionel Barrymore shakes a lot, apparently), every anecdote in the novel revolves around family and community. With a less interconnected nation (without advanced communications technology or superhighways), the number of people with which any person can interact with on a daily basis is greatly reduced. This turns culture inward, creating cultural depth within a community (but perhaps at the cost of its breadth). The city does appear to be able to unite (in fear) during the Afternoon of the Great Run. Additionally, the live entertainment in the theater is an aspect of local community, which contrasts to a broadcasted mass media that modern America is used to. Thurber's culture is local, accessible, and driven by the interactions with those around him.
I believe that Thurber portrays a very regional, close family type of feel in his novel through his consistent use of many anecdotes. In the first chapter, Thurber introduces many minor characters that we find out to be living in the same household and through the unfolding of events you kind of get the feeling of a close bond between the family members.
On page four it is written "He (referring to Briggs Beall), tested me the first night- which I had suspected he would- by holding his breath after regular breathing had convinced him I was asleep. I was not asleep, however, and called to him" This quote shows a strong connection that the family members have for one another and depicts their close relationship.
In other anecdotes, it seems Thurber can easily point out many characters by name and does not reference other people in the novel as strangers, but as people that he is familiar with.
Therefore, I believe that Thurber portrays a regional culture in his novel.
I would definitely describe the culture that Thurber portrays as Regional. All throughout the novel, Thurber thoroughly describes the multiple personalities and characteristics of the characters from his neighborhood; which gives the reader a sense of an old "leave-it-to-beaver" type of town where everyone knows each other. Thurber gives a sense of cultural connection in the novel, where the reader can understand the environment and basically envision the character he is describing. An example of this is in "The Day the Dam Broke." Thurber talks about the occasion as though he knows what everyone in the town was doing at the moment that the dam broke (the woman who climbed up "These Are My Jewels" statue, his Aunt Edith Taylor in the movie theater, Mr. Mallory who was running from the sound of skates, etc) and he describes each of the characters in such a way that the reader can visualize and understand them. (Dan Panasenko)
ReplyDeleteI agree with what Dan said, that Thurber is portraying this culture as regional. He shows this mostly through the way his family members interact and the way they react with other people in the town. One "clue" Thurber shows is that a large part of his family live in one house, and the pets that live there are just as much part of the family as anyone else. He is showing that, for the culture of this region, people are all very closely knit and having many family members - and pets that might as well count as family members - in one house is the norm. Another "clue" is that Thurber is able to name many people in the town, who we might think of as random, which shows that everyone there probably knows each other and the community is very tight. As for how his family interacts with others, an example is when Thurber's mother throws her shoe through the neighbor's window without any serious repurcussions, which shows that the culture of the town is such that most neighbors are good friends and can get away with most antics.
ReplyDeleteGet Ready! Get Ready! The Worr-uld is coming to an end!... Haha Just Kidding, Please Don't Throw me out the theater!
ReplyDeleteI would like to start with the fact that the setting to "My Life and Hard Times" does resembles a middle west kinda of small town background where everyone in town essential knows each other. Additionally, Columbus at the time is nothing close to a metropolis identifying more closely with a large farm in the country then suburbia. The lifestyle is quite simple; justifying an early 1900's life away from grand cities such as New York on the east coast.
Opinions and PERCEPTION differ(Thurber can be seen through various eyes; as the following part suggests.)
On a more personal tone closer to family, I strongly see connections between Thurber's family and a loud Italian family. Even though the male figures do not seem that of charismatic power they do present stubborn and load reaction to situations. Furthermore I can see how an Italian Villa can be closely related to Thurber's home full of wild and quirky faces that show an uncanny stupidity, but at the same time they warm our hearts with their peril.
Get Ready! for the end.
I would say that Thurber really plays up the regional aspect of the novel. The setting seems to have that small town feeling where everybody knows everyone else, and this leads to some of the comedic situations. Particularly in the story of the Afternoon of the Great Run, the whole town is in on this panic of the dam breaking, and this situation is only possible in that kind of smaller, midwest town. In a large city like New York City, the great run would probably never have a chance of occurring because there are simply too many people that don't notice each other.
ReplyDeleteReferring to Thurber's portrayal of family, I agree with the Get-Ready Man in that it seems like a loud Italian family, or in my experiences, a loud Hmong family. This summer, when visiting with my boyfriend's family, he has an enormous extended family here in Sacramento, with the too talkative grandfather and mischievous cousins. I really thought that identified with Thurber's portrayal of his family and all of their weird nuances and quirks, giving us a feeling as if we know the characters in real life.
Focusing more on what culture Thurber describes in his story. Thurber uses the clues he gives to shape a picture of a very typical Middle American town of the early 1900’s. An example of this is the way Thurber describes all of his neighbors. He does not just have a cursory portrait of these people’s lives but seems to have a deep understanding of their roots and backgrounds which he conveys to the reader. Such knowledge is typical Middle American culture which emphasizes knowing ones neighbors and being on decent terms with them. Another cultural touch point that is seen in Thurber’s stories is that of close family ties. This of course is seen in the story “The Night the Bed Fell” where many of his relatives are living in one house. More importantly he doesn’t note so many members of his family being there as an odd occurrence, showing primarily that his family is very tight knit.
ReplyDeleteI would describe Thurber's 'culture' of his hometown as an easily confused extended family. The easily confused is apparent in the multiple accounts within his family. For the extended family comment, the entire town seems rather close-knit, as mentioned earlier, because there seems to be little hesitation when speaking about anyone. For instance, in the closing of the Great Run chapter, Thurber says that “a few persons, like Dr. Mallory, who will shut up like a clam if you mention... the Great Run.” Being that this remark is made 20 years after the fact, the people of the town must have retained close relationships, for Thurber to know for certain that people do still react to the memory of the afternoon.
ReplyDeleteThe reference to Dr. Mallory is telling as well because on that afternoon he is portrayed as an elderly or aging man, yet Thurber has taking the time 20 years later to go see him and speak at length with him. Also he is familiar enough to use a metaphor that is less that professional to describe his reaction, showing that either elders of the community are given little respect or that Thurber holds himself to be on nearly equal footing with the Doctor, almost as if they are well liked relatives.
By saying that more than one person will clam up at the reminder shows that even if he is not as familiar with others from that long ago he still speaks with them. Which seems almost like a family reunion, even those you are not fond of conversations are still held in passing and certain esteem is held for them. Just like that person you know is distantly related to you but you can not quite remember their name or how.
Selena...I had to laugh at you Hmong ref. Remind me and I'll give you an Italian Thanksgiving with a German visitor story!
ReplyDelete--CARMONA
"you" should be "your"
ReplyDeleteI agree that Thurber's outlook on his hometown's culture gives a very regional feel, and also that he portrays it to be the typical middle-America town thats rooted in its old idosyncrasies. Coming from middle-America myself, i can understand his feelings toward this kind of lifestyle.
ReplyDeleteIn chapter 8 where Thurber discusses his university days, he mentions a classmate who takes up journalism. Haskins, along with most of the student population, was an agricultural student. This is obviously the stereotypical major for a small town where everybody knows each other. Haskins tries to integrate the modern day by taking up journalism, which is typically associated as a contemporary study. However, Haskins fails terribly and makes for a crappy journalist, cementing Thurber's view of his hometown as the typical old-fashion, close-knit small town that is set in it's ways.
I think Thurber was trying to portray a middle American culture in his book. Although many of the neighbors know each other and know each other's wierdnesses, not everybody is so closely knit together. An example of this would be when Thurber was called to the draft over and over. No matter how many times he came through or how many days he worked with the doctors, no one knew his name or noticed that he truly did not belong as a doctor. Then when he got tired of being a doctor and came back as another draftee none of the doctors noticed. However, Thurber definetly created a feeling of a small town in middle America where everyone tries to look out for each other and help whenever they can.
ReplyDeleteBased on the responses of the people before me, I immediately noticed the geographic focus on the culture of the story. However, as I read the question, my mind automatically focused on the time period and how the culture of the "time" in which it was made was connected to the relationships and events that exist within Thurber's story. Looking back at the discussions which have taken place in class, many would agree that it is the SITUATIONAL aspect of the story which drives the plot rather than the gender aspect. And, as I've said before, I believe that it is the old-fashioned style and cultural aspects of 1930's America which is made apparent by Thurber in almost every aspect of his book. This is including, but not limited to: gender roles, racial status of differing people(black maids, white employers, etc.), and the situation of the protagonist's household. Before the time of high-tech electronics and more efficient means to stay connected despite long distances, families shared a tendency to stay close to one another, and I believe that Thurber follows with this tradition quite effectively.
ReplyDelete-Marco
I agree with the overall concept brought up in the posts above regarding the Thurber’s portrayal small town life as a backdrop for his humorous tales. This is evident in the degree of chaos that occurs in Columbus and the fact that it seems to involve all the residents, as demonstrated in the Day the Dam Broke (as aforementioned), the fact that The Get Ready Man could enter a production at the King Lear theater and add to the climax of the scene, the way that Thurber’s family lost the poor old Reo to the fierce grip of the street car, etc. As Selena mentioned, large city life tends to lend itself to impersonal existence, which is certainly not the case with all the interactions between Thurber and the town. Also I felt in particular that the policemen of “The Night the Ghost Got In” created this feeling that Thurber truly was living in a small, Middle West town: they were all entirely unprofessional, and managed to ironically cause more chaos and destruction then an ambitious burglar would have. Also, it seemed as if they were perhaps desperate for a bit of excitement and action, as “a Ford sedan full of them, two on motorcycles, and a patrol wagon with about eight in it with a few reporters” (35) arrived just to fend off a burglar and remained for a long duration of time, determined to snatch such a rare opportunity to assert justice.
ReplyDeleteIn addition, Thurber writes in a fashion that generates the perception that his childhood was rooted deep in Middle West life. In particular, I noticed that he managed to capture the inflections, patterns of speech of the regional accent, and unusual words that have perhaps faded out of modern English. For example, one of the policemen within “The Night the Ghost Got In” stated, “‘No sign o’nuthin… This guy,’ he explained to the others, jerking a thumb at me, ‘was nekked. The lady seems historical.’” (page 38) The use of modified language to convey an accent also tends to heighten the humor within Thurber’s work, and in this case the uneducated diction of the policemen compliments and enhances their chaotic and unprofessional services. The grandfather, with his ways deeply entrenched in the ways of the past, also speaks with a peculiar accent. For example, “I knew ‘twould… I allus told ye to git a Pope-Toledo” (20); “Back, ye cowardly dogs… Back t’ the lines, ye goddam lily-livered cattle!” (38); “What was the idee of all them cops tarryhootin’ round the house las night?” (39); and “Git that goddam buggy back in the road!” (76).
However, from a broader perspective, I feel that Thurber’s anecdotes more than anything portray a culture of the past, one that has been buried with time. The tight knit community seemed to preserve a sense of simplicity and innocence, and a constant feeling of the past is created through the frequent references to the civil war (mainly through grandpa), but also through the various superstitions of the family (such as grandma’s belief that electricity leaked out of empty sockets). Thus, I felt that Thurber truly created a snap shot of the simple life of the past more so than simply a tale rooted in the Middle West.
I would agree that the culture that Thurber displays in his collection of short stories is chiefly regional. Certain events and the background that he comes from are heavily influenced by the region that he lives in. For example, the night that he is performing in a play and the get-ready-man is shouting about the end of the world and how everyone must prepare is a 'clue' that the town that he lives in is eccentric and full of odd characters. Additionally the town that he lives in is so obscure that the name itself makes the reader envision a small town with typical middle American types of families walking down the street carrying on their daily business.
ReplyDeleteThis middle American feel coincides with the regional feel especially as Thurber lived in a small town in Ohio. My perception of Ohio is a state of patriotic Americans of a wide range of classes. Thus the middle-American culture that is present in Thurber's stories can be considered regional. If Thurber were to base his stories in the state of California, there might not be a feel of the middle-American culture as California is known for being diverse and liberal. The fact that Thurber stages his stories in Ohio only lends to the middle-American culture.
I agree that the way Thurber wrote his story portrayed its culture as regional. Everybody knew each other and they had a very large and loud family. For example in the chapter 'the car we had to push' Thurber portraits the culture as regional by having everyone know the model of the cars and the Get Ready Man, "The boys I went to school with used to be able to identify every car as it passed by: Thomas Flyer, Firestone-Columbus, Stevens Duryea, Rambler, Winton, White Steamer, etc. I never could. The only car I was really interested in was one that the Get-Ready Man, as we called him, rode around town in: a big Red Devil with a door in the back. The Get-Ready Man was a lank unkempt elderly gentleman with wild eyes and a deep voice who used to go about shouting at people through a megaphone to prepare for the end of the world"(12).
ReplyDeleteThurber's portrayal of neighborly relations is one of the major clues to the culture in which he lived as a child and teenager. His living environment seemed like a hybrid of middle-American small town culture and suburban life, with the easily-angered man from Peoria and his wife as perfect examples. Thurber's family didn't seem to be well acquainted with the man and wife in the next house, as one would expect from stereotypical middle-American "everybody knows everybody and everybody's business" neighbors. However, as Selena said, the Afternoon of the Great Run goes to show that the small town feel isn't entirely absent and a person on the street who decides to start running isn't treated as another anonymous pedestrian but rather the flood oracle.
ReplyDeleteI think the disconnect between modern America and 1900's America is perhaps the greatest cultural gap in all of history. Mass media had not developed, communities were inwardly-centered, and schoolchildren could not do their homework via weblogs on the Internet like they do now (right now). So perhaps it's hard to truly understand what Thurber is trying to get at, culturally.
ReplyDeleteThurber definitely reflects a kind of community driven culture in his novel. Short of the War (which was a tremendous cultural development in its own right), and a few glancing references to celebrities (Lionel Barrymore shakes a lot, apparently), every anecdote in the novel revolves around family and community. With a less interconnected nation (without advanced communications technology or superhighways), the number of people with which any person can interact with on a daily basis is greatly reduced. This turns culture inward, creating cultural depth within a community (but perhaps at the cost of its breadth). The city does appear to be able to unite (in fear) during the Afternoon of the Great Run. Additionally, the live entertainment in the theater is an aspect of local community, which contrasts to a broadcasted mass media that modern America is used to. Thurber's culture is local, accessible, and driven by the interactions with those around him.
I believe that Thurber portrays a very regional, close family type of feel in his novel through his consistent use of many anecdotes. In the first chapter, Thurber introduces many minor characters that we find out to be living in the same household and through the unfolding of events you kind of get the feeling of a close bond between the family members.
ReplyDeleteOn page four it is written "He (referring to Briggs Beall), tested me the first night- which I had suspected he would- by holding his breath after regular breathing had convinced him I was asleep. I was not asleep, however, and called to him" This quote shows a strong connection that the family members have for one another and depicts their close relationship.
In other anecdotes, it seems Thurber can easily point out many characters by name and does not reference other people in the novel as strangers, but as people that he is familiar with.
Therefore, I believe that Thurber portrays a regional culture in his novel.