preview

Essay On Satire In The Loved One

Good Essays

Madison Millhouse
Dr. Fine
ENG 200H
16 October 2017
Heaven is not a place on earth
“Heaven on earth” is a phrase almost everyone has probably heard, but few, if not, none, have actually found it. This idea of an earthly heaven is represented by Evelyn Waugh satirically in his novel, “The Loved One.” Through this satire, Waugh pokes fun at the concepts and values of society developed through the rise of Hollywood. Waugh brings attention to the issue of society’s increasing superficially and attempt to create a perfect reality through his contrasts between Whispering Glades and the Catholic view of heaven.
The first contrast Waugh depicts involves how one enters either of the two domains to show the reader that Whispering Glades’ …show more content…

And not only does one need a fair amount of money to enter Whispering Glades, but one must also fit within the boundaries of the type of appearance accepted there. As Dennis talks to the Mortuary Hostess about arranging a funeral, she says, ‘“I presume the Loved One was Caucasian?” (40). And according to the hostess, the color of the Loved One’s skin is important because Whisper Glades is ‘“a restricted park. The Dreamer has made that rule for the sake of the Waiting Ones. In their time of trial they prefer to be with their own people”’ (40). Waugh uses such blunt language to capture the absurdity of the concept that people are different species based on skin color. If there were a place that deserved to be less segregated than others, it would be in death. And this point is precisely where Whispering Glades and heaven differ; all are welcome in heaven. And while heaven looks at how one behaves and who one is internally, Whispering Glades cares merely about the exterior of its occupants, an emphasis that comes from the modern day’s constant access to media.
The strong impact of appearance on society gets its roots from Hollywood and media in general as it develops a society with the preoccupation with how one seems rather than how one truly is. On a literal level, Hollywood uses different lighting, angles, cameras and

Get Access