Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates

This book is so sad that after I read it I said "I don't like it". But after some time of thinking I realized that there are many lessons a person can take of it!

I want to feel things, really feel them,” explains Frank Wheeler in Richard Yates’s 1961 novel Revolutionary Road. This novel is for those who want to “really feel things,” too. Frank and April Wheeler are trapped—in the suburbs, in their marriage, and in an existence that leaves them feeling worse than unhappy. They feel nothing, except the desperate urge to escape the trap.

As a solution to their ailing marriage and the dull society they reluctantly belong to, April proposes that they pack up the kids and move to Paris. That way, Frank can “find himself” while April earns their living, giving them both a second chance at happiness in life. Despite early hesitation that the plan is “a bit unrealistic,” Frank soon agrees. The Paris plan serves as a nice distraction for a while, until reality steps in and complicates the scheme. As with any true tragedy, the Wheelers inevitably prove themselves unequal to the challenges they face, regardless of their romantic intentions to rise above it all.

Besides being able to identify with the characters’ flaws (both Frank and April are somehow equally detestable and sympathetic at the same time), readers, if being honest with themselves, will be able to recognize the doubt and regret that can result from making major life decisions. Frank, who is frustrated with his boring job and angered by April’s insistence that he isn’t a real “man,” finds himself seeking comfort and attention from another woman. This only leads to guilt and a deeper felling of loneliness for Frank.

April, fed up with being a housewife (who never wanted children in the first place), and unsatisfied with her marriage, desperately searches for a way to make a change. Both Frank and April struggle with selfishness, anger, and fluctuating passions, which ultimately complicate their Paris plan and their relationship.

Yates tackles all of the big issues, from financial trouble to mental instability, and he is not afraid to show the thoughts and feelings of his characters, even if it means showing those characters in an unfavorable light. Yates’s characters tell the truth, and so does Yates; the realism of Yates’s writing is jarring and powerful.

Revolutionary Road is a novel that readers are likely to think about long after they have finished reading

Original link to the book review:
http://classic-american-fiction.suite101.com/article.cfm/book_review_of_revolutionary_road

Book Review: Narcissus and Goldmund

A book I found randomly, so I didn't expect much of it. But no matter it's about different time and life is so different that it is now, in this book everyone can find parts of himself in the protagonists.

This book tells the story of two men who are at the complete opposite ends of the spectrum of life. Goldmund is a curious and always searching soul. Narcissus is an intellectual, reserved and accepting man.

With the help of Narcissus, Goldmund learns to accept his suppressed childhood and his personality - of being a wanderer and a lover.

Although Narcissus helps Goldmund gain the understanding of his childhood and the memories of his mother, Goldmund fails to be "productive." He simply wanders in search of her, sinning along the way. He does, at one point, learn to sculpt and draw, yet abandons this as easily as he abandons all of his lovers. Eventually, Goldmund returns to Narcissus. In his death bed, he asks Narcissus the ultimate question: "But how will you die when your time comes, Narcissus, since you have no mother? Without a mother, one cannot love. Without a mother, one cannot die." I believe that in saying this, Goldmund does not literally mean that Narcissus has no mother. Instead, I think he is trying to say that he has no passion. Without passion for something, anything at all, none of us can truly live. Narcissus was a thinker, but he seemed not to have felt anything. Therefore, if he never really lived how can he truly die?

This is an extremely important and relevant theme. Although we do not know whether either Goldmund or Narcissus had the "right" idea about life, we do know that we can learn from both. We also know that passion is within each and every one of us. This novel shows us the importance of following that passion while also having a steady balance in our lives. We can not be like Goldmund and wander aimlessly with no real responsibility or attachment. We also cannot live the life of Narcissus, being completely detached from emotional human contact and our own feelings. In his novel, "Narcissus and Goldmund", Herman Hesse shows us the great significance of following our passions, while also showing us the possible outcomes of an unbalanced lifestyle.

Original Link to the book review:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/981444/book_review_narcissus_and_goldmund.html?singlepage=true&cat=38