User:Erhernandez/sandbox: Difference between revisions

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is his desire to see Cherry again. He is determined to go back to Cherry that night and this resoluteness generates the necessary courage to keep on the winning track. In line with a Hipster’s philosophy, Rojack’s actions are sexually driven. For Rojack, Cherry embodies his vision of the jewelled kingdom. Therefore, Cherry represents liberation. However, Rojack is not yet liberated from his “society life.” The corruption of the police force shows that the influence of the Kelly family stretches further than Rojack initially had thought. In order to be freed from the Kelly family’s power, Rojack must pass two more stages of his odyssey in which he will have to turn to new talents to be victorious.

The next confrontation in the novel is the violent encounter between Rojack

and the black jazz-singer Shago Martin, an ex-boyfriend of Cherry’s. When Rojack and Cherry are quietly enjoying their breakfast, Shago comes stumbling in. The sight of Cherry and her new lover infuriates Shago and he immediately orders Rojack to leave. Rojack, however, resists.At first they engage in a battle with words, but the conflict quickly turns to physical violence when Shago feels that he is about to lose.

The confrontation between the protagonist and the black artist is the

most extensive passage in the novel thus far. The reason why Mailer assigns

this much importance to this conflict in ''Dream'' is twofold. First, as a consequence of the novel’s ascending narrative stages, Shago has to be the strongest enemy in Rojack’s odyssey at that point. Therefore, their conflict is the most intense and most powerfully described in the novel, up to this point. Secondly, Shago’s character echoes Mailer’s description of the Hip movement, the potent black man in contemporary society, and the source from which Mailer derived his ideas for “White Negro.” Moreover, the juxtaposition of Rojack and Shago is essential in understanding the protagonist’s genesis.

In “White Negro,” Mailer frequently refers to jazz-music as the music of

Hip. Jazz represents the same motion and unrehearsed action that is important

in the philosophy of the Hipster. The character of Shago equals motion and agility, impulsive action and streetwise wit. He is the sexually potent prince of Harlem and therefore a fearsome enemy. The inherent dynamism of Mailer’s philosophy is also reflected in the language of Hip, which, according to Mailer in ''Advertisements'', is “an artful language, tested and shaped by an intense experience”.{{sfn|Mailer|1959|p=348}} In his speech, Shago frequently uses words directly taken from the Hip lexicon, such as ''dig, cool, square, and cat''.

The language of Hip is also an important feature in the dichotomy between Rojack and Shago. In Shago’s opinion Rojack serves as a prime example of “square,” which in Hip functions as the total opposite of “hip”: “[I]f I got to lose, I got to lose to a square with heart, I mean he’s all that heart and no potatoes, just Ivy League ass. Harvard, I presume, Doctor Rojack”.{{sfn|Mailer|1965|p=187}} By using the word “square” to refer to his adversary, Shago makes it clear that he detests the fact that Rojack renounced his individuality in order to be successful. By losing his personality, Rojack becomes a familiar face in the pantheon of the rich and famous. Shago, on the other hand, holds onto his personality on the way to fame. Notwithstanding his fame, he re-

@@ Line 193: / Line 193: @@
 is his desire to see Cherry again. He is determined to go back to Cherry that night and this resoluteness generates the necessary courage to keep on the winning track. In line with a Hipster’s philosophy, Rojack’s actions are sexually driven. For Rojack, Cherry embodies his vision of the jewelled kingdom. Therefore, Cherry represents liberation. However, Rojack is not yet liberated from his “society life.” The corruption of the police force shows that the influence of the Kelly family stretches further than Rojack initially had thought. In order to be freed from the Kelly family’s power, Rojack must pass two more stages of his odyssey in which he will have to turn to new talents to be victorious.
 {{pg|355|356}}
+The next confrontation in the novel is the violent encounter between Rojack
+and the black jazz-singer Shago Martin, an ex-boyfriend of Cherry’s. When Rojack and Cherry are quietly enjoying their breakfast, Shago comes stumbling in. The sight of Cherry and her new lover infuriates Shago and he immediately orders Rojack to leave. Rojack, however, resists.At first they engage in a battle with words, but the conflict quickly turns to physical violence when Shago feels that he is about to lose.
+The confrontation between the protagonist and the black artist is the
+most extensive passage in the novel thus far. The reason why Mailer assigns
+this much importance to this conflict in ''Dream'' is twofold. First, as a consequence of the novel’s ascending narrative stages, Shago has to be the strongest enemy in Rojack’s odyssey at that point. Therefore, their conflict is the most intense and most powerfully described in the novel, up to this point. Secondly, Shago’s character echoes Mailer’s description of the Hip movement, the potent black man in contemporary society, and the source from which Mailer derived his ideas for “White Negro.” Moreover, the juxtaposition of Rojack and Shago is essential in understanding the protagonist’s genesis.
+In “White Negro,” Mailer frequently refers to jazz-music as the music of
+Hip. Jazz represents the same motion and unrehearsed action that is important
+in the philosophy of the Hipster. The character of Shago equals motion and agility, impulsive action and streetwise wit. He is the sexually potent prince of Harlem and therefore a fearsome enemy. The inherent dynamism of Mailer’s philosophy is also reflected in the language of Hip, which, according to Mailer in ''Advertisements'', is “an artful language, tested and shaped by an intense experience”.{{sfn|Mailer|1959|p=348}} In his speech, Shago frequently uses words directly taken from the Hip lexicon, such as ''dig, cool, square, and cat''.
+The language of Hip is also an important feature in the dichotomy between Rojack and Shago. In Shago’s opinion Rojack serves as a prime example of “square,” which in Hip functions as the total opposite of “hip”: “[I]f I got to lose, I got to lose to a square with heart, I mean he’s all that heart and no potatoes, just Ivy League ass. Harvard, I presume, Doctor Rojack”.{{sfn|Mailer|1965|p=187}} By using the word “square” to refer to his adversary, Shago makes it clear that he detests the fact that Rojack renounced his individuality in order to be successful. By losing his personality, Rojack becomes a familiar face in the pantheon of the rich and famous. Shago, on the other hand, holds onto his personality on the way to fame. Notwithstanding his fame, he re-
+{{pg|356|357}}