Less Than Zero Analysis

In ‘The Story of Tom Brennan’, the protagonist confronts a traumatic incident which compels him to undergo a physical relocation and sudden emotional change. The transition Tom predominantly faces is sudden as moving into the town of Coghill where he has to deal with social alienation and the horrific trauma inflicted through past events including Daniel’s anger and selfishness which hinders his physical and mentally growth and development. Tom experiences flashbacks of the ‘usual’ Australia Day with his family showing the complete paradox with what is now their reality and horror juxtaposed towards his flashback of the tragic accident of his older brother Daniel: “Running towards the car. Running into the headlights. Running into the silence of death.” The anaphora and repetition of ‘running’ highlights his emotional and physical devastation which emphasises the initial stages of the novel and negative connotations of ‘death’ assumes the setting. As a result of the crisis, Tom responds rather opposing towards transferring to a new setting of Coghill. Depressing motifs are frequently implied throughout the novel to express the feeling of despair and sadness: “There aren’t words to say how black and empty pain felt. It was deeper than the

Viewing her mothers’ breast as a resource of nourishment, Hogan’s reference to her mothers’ breasts reveals the burden and responsibility her mother carried while caring for her family. Both Hogan’s mother and father reveal not only their role in the family, but the difficulty in fulfilling their family obligations. Through just a glance of their life, Hogan demonstrates the difficulties through a thorough description of her parents and the visible affects that took place in the family. Though Shteyngart takes a different angle in his text “Sixty-Nine Cents”, he likewise shares the hardships of an immigrant life. In love with the idea of America, Shteyngart’s family moved and opened new opportunities. “Even my parents, however, as uncritically in love with America as only immigrants can be, could not resist the iconic pull of Florida, the call of the beach and the Mouse.” (Shteyngart 54). Seizing a long-established American experience, Shteyngart is pulled into an eye-opening encounter that allows him a moment of reflection. of a former life. “The Yugoslav motel was an unquestioned paradise, a lucky coda to a set of difficult lives.” (Shteyngart 54). Remembering his former life, Shteyngart delicately describes a rundown motel as paradise and quickly connects his fortunate end as an alternative. He also takes a moment to recognize his growing fear of the old life always looming just around the corner and still so

| Tom wants his old life back prior to the accident and he sees the accident as the end of his life as he knew it. He loses his sense of identity and sense of family in particular.Feels guilty and ashamed about the irrevocable consequences his brother’s irresponsibility had for other people and their familiesRetreats into a depressed state which feels empty and black.

We arrived outside Tyler’s house. He still lived in the beautiful, Victorian style house that he had bought with Troye shortly before my mysterious conception – I wondered if it had Wi-Fi. Parked outside was my drug bus, ready to go back into business. Too bad it will never see another unshaven addict again (or at least I hoped not). It was sky blue and had been stained by years of rust and neglect. It reminded me of myself. Despite that, it looked as if someone had fixed it up nicely.

What do you get when you mix drugs, a man named Fuckhead, and drama? A Denis Johnson story. Drama is a prominent and key aspect that appears in all of Johnson’s work. Johnson’s work demonstrates various uses of multiple techniques and ideas that young writers can understand and apply to their own work.

In a world that cares little for the wellbeing of each individual, it is impossible to survive out in the open. Wealth protect some from society’s demands while others seek refuge in family bonds. The main difference between the Author and the Other Wes Moore is the bubble that they matured in. For the Author, his mother’s love and hard work afforded him an expensive bubble of physical isolation and a regimented lifestyle. For the Other Wes, the sanctuary was of his own making; one of honor bound by ties of drug money and blood.The defining moments for each Wes Moore are when their bubbles are created and when they become a prison.

Tom Walker sat at his bedside feeling rather melancholy for he had not much to do but be chided at by his notorious witch of a wife. They both lived in their humble abode of an apartment in the middle of a city but they had a sublime view that overlooked the scenery of the domicile's dumpsters. They lived poorly, just barely getting by to afford a couple gallons of gas. Tom grew a hatred for almost everyone around and had only a handful of “friends”, he believed that money was the most valuable and important thing in his life.

Before the addict ends up on the street, that is, he occupies (at times for years) a liminal space in the world, communicating with people from the other side of the wall, separated from human feeling by a sort of invisible film.” (Lee)

the setting and the details of the murder of the Clutter family in previous chapters of the book, the question of motive will be directly addressed. Actually, Capote’s detailed portrayal of the killers’ psyches, their childhood experiences, and their interactions with one another and individuals key to the story, lead the reader to believe that “the answer” is not a simple one, but rather multi-layered, complex and contradictory.

In “Townie: A Memoir” by Andre Dubus III, the unfortunate trials and tribulations of a violent and poverty-stricken childhood is described. With the strain of divorced parents and frequent moves, Dubus vividly describes his experiences of exposure to various environments of drugs, bullies, and sex. Like his father, Dubus embraces a passion for creative writing as a form of therapy. The gravity of Dubus’s childhood was vital to his growth because of its often fight-afflicted and fatherless times.

Capote’s ability to elevate a seemingly normal Midwest American family’s life to epic proportions is powerful in that it captures in time, quite vividly, the final moments of each inhabitant of the Clutter household. Each of the Clutters are unquestionably innocent. Herb’s legendary mild manners, successful enterprises, and public presence (Herb’s intolerance of stimulants or alcohol is a part of Holcomb lore) strike a chord of sympathy with the reader. His rigidity, self-confidence, wealth, and “first-rate health condition” are all traits in which many would be envious of. Mr. Clutter, although unexceptional, becomes a paragon of morality. Nancy, talented and intelligent, shifts from being the sweetheart of Holcomb to

A wealthy man consistently donates money to multiple charities and therefore considers himself a giving person. After just auctioning off an $800 painting he takes to walking the busy streets of Gainesville. While reflecting on his generous behavior, he spots a homeless man some ways away from him. Hoping to avoid the man, he hastily crosses the street to avoid the dirty beggar. Looking over his shoulder he thinks I’m sick of these druggies, and continues on with his day. This is how Flannery O’Connor portrays the “holier than thou” concepts shown throughout her writing. Through the year’s individuals develop experiences that they carry on with them for the rest of their lives. Flannery O’Connor’s strongest experiences were rooted through her

The use of counter culture and ideology can provide unique perspectives on the issues faced by everyone, even those who do not acknowledge it. Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh portrays a drug addict who rejects any conventions of normalcy in the pursuit of an alternate reality. American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis does the same through the depiction of a rich and greedy Wall Street tycoon. This essay will closely analyze the themes of illusion and reality in Trainspotting and American Psycho. The relationship between the fantasy world and the “real” world in these texts are closely linked and aid the narrative in a criticism of social and structural issues. The texts are often criticized as glorifying drug use and violence however through analyzing the effect of narrative, drug use and culture on the characters reality and illusions will argue that the elements of drug use and violence help in the deconstruction of greed and popular culture in the texts.

“The other guys were joking around, talking about their vacation plans. One of them was going on a hiking trip to Switzerland. Another was cruising the Caribbean for a month. They were juvenile delinquents, like me, but they were rich juvenile delinquents. Their daddies were executives, or ambassadors, or celebrities. I was a nobody, from a family of nobodies.” (Riordan 22).

Jack Smith a 17 years old teen from (Ontario, Canada) is invited to stay with his cousin Mary Loose-Doe from (Water city, N.Y). Accompanying him in his trip is his other cousin 21 year old Bill Jones, both boys are foreign to the United States and the city life as they derive from a small settlement. Mary shows the boys a good time, taking them out to party’s offering them marijuana and alcohol. The boys are later introduced to Mary’s boyfriend 21 year old Pete Poorchoice. Pete is a High school droop out and veteran of two reformatories.