Year: 2017
Type: dissertation
Abstract: This dissertation identifies and analyses social, psychological and cultural conflicts between the individual and the human collectivity, depicted respectively, by Henry Junior, the main character of Charles Bukowski"s novel Ham on Rye (1982) and the American society.It is investigated how the hostile environments within the narrative produce traumas which result in a troubled development of the subject.Henry Junior, a German immigrant living in the United States of America (USA) during the inter-war period of the last century , has his personality constituted on the basis of two main confrontations: with the external world, represented by nation, class mates and his family; and with the "internal", resulted from the constant clashes, leading to the protagonist"s repulsion for himself.Utilizing sociological theories about mobility to approach the "external" and psychoanalytical for the "internal", this study attempts to answer how the aforementioned confrontations generate a character with a fragmented personality, which though initially harmful, make Henry Junior aware of his role in the world, impelling him to question how the American society articulates itself as a whole.The discovery of reading and writing, both fundamental in Henry Junior"s formation, are also discussed.Through a political-dialectic approach, it is ascertained how the interweaving between Ham on Rye"s protagonist"s personal issues and questions of history, class and group formation happens, giving us the opportunity to understand better the America socio-historical context during the inter-war period and how the Americans respond to collective demands at such time.
Author: Mariscal, André Affonso
Institution: Universidade de Brasília
Language: Portuguese
Subfield: History
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2760139093