User:Erhernandez/sandbox: Difference between revisions

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the Hipster as the elite of the psychopaths, “the wise primitive in a giant jungle” .{{sfn|Mailer|1959|p=343}} Rojack himself notes during the conflict: “The feeling of joy came up in me again the way the lyric of a song might remind a man on the edge of insanity that soon he will be insane again and there is a world there more interesting than his own” (185–86).{{sfn|Mailer|1965|p=185-186}} This more interesting world can be accessed only by violence, which is why Rojack finally instigates the physical conflict; “I took a step toward him. I did not know what I was going to do, but it felt right to take that step,” after which Shago feels threatened and starts pushing the hero-protagonist around, but Rojack reacts with the speed of lightning (185).{{sfn|Mailer|1965|p=185}} “The pressure back of my neck let go of itself and I was a brain full of blood, the light went red, it was red.” Rojack senses that “[m]y rage took over,” his body governs his actions; “I was out of control, violence seemed to shake itself free from him each time I smashed him back to the floor and shake itself into me”.{{sfn|Mailer|1965|p=192-193}} According to the philosophy of Hip outlined in ''Advertisements'', violence is a necessary cleansing characteristic for the Negro

to grow and reach salvation and be able to feel real love: “the necessity to purge his violence, for if he cannot empty his hatred then he cannot love”.{{sfn|Mailer|1959|p=347}}

In the end, Rojack defeats Shago by kicking him down the stairs and back on the street. Rojack has absorbed Shago’s power—or, as Cherry remarks to Shago, “you’re not white, you’re just losing your black”.{{sfn|Mailer|1965|p=191}} Shago’s powers pass over to Rojack. As a token of her love and trust in Rojack, and as an illustration of Rojack’s newly acquired powers, Cherry hands over Shago’s umbrella to Rojack. It is clear that Rojack accumulates the final necessary characteristics in this penultimate confrontation to be enabled to defeat his last and foremost powerful adversary.

In the final confrontation of the novel, Rojack has to face his father-in law, Barney Oswald Kelly. In the unravelling of the novel’s plot, this encounter is the final ordeal the protagonist has to face before reaching personal salvation. The rich and powerful Kelly is the strongest and foremost intelligent enemy Rojack has encountered thus far. In contrast with Shago or Romeo, Kelly deliberately postpones the actual physical encounter. Mailer makes clear that Kelly is situated in a totally different league of evil—Kelly is the novel’s Devil, the physical embodiment of upper evil in American society. Indeed, Kelly’s life story reveals him as the prime example of the corrupt American nouveau riche, bereft even of the smallest hint of morality. However, this digression from the actual encounter between the two characters is not only a tool to complete the disturbing image of Barney

Kelly, but can also be considered an attempt on behalf of Kelly to gain Rojack’s

confidence in order to make the protagonist confess the murder of his daughter Deborah. From early on in the conversation, Kelly stresses the fact that Rojack has to attend Deborah’s funeral.

Kelly uses the topic of the funeral to probe into the actual facts about Deborah’s sudden death. When Kelly has finished unearthing the specifics of his past life, Kelly asks Rojack, “There’s one reason why you won’t go to the funeral, isn’t there? . . . It’s because you did kill Deborah?” Rojack replies affirmatively,

but launches a counterattack by confronting Kelly with his failure as a father. Subsequently, Rojack senses that “finally I had blundered through a barrier,” opening up the possibilities for real confrontation. Kelly seems furious.{{sfn|Mailer|1965|p=253}}

The real physical confrontation, however, is situated on the terrace of Kelly’s

apartment. A little voice inside the protagonist’s head urges him to walk the

parapet as a test of his courage, and Kelly tries to use this situation to have his

===Citations===

@@ Line 218: / Line 218: @@
 the Hipster as the elite of the psychopaths, “the wise primitive in a giant jungle” .{{sfn|Mailer|1959|p=343}} Rojack himself notes during the conflict: “The feeling of joy came up in me again the way the lyric of a song might remind a man on the edge of insanity that soon he will be insane again and there is a world there more interesting than his own” (185–86).{{sfn|Mailer|1965|p=185-186}} This more interesting world can be accessed only by violence, which is why Rojack finally instigates the physical conflict; “I took a step toward him. I did not know what I was going to do, but it felt right to take that step,” after which Shago feels threatened and starts pushing the hero-protagonist around, but Rojack reacts with the speed of lightning (185).{{sfn|Mailer|1965|p=185}} “The pressure back of my neck let go of itself and I was a brain full of blood, the light went red, it was red.” Rojack senses that “[m]y rage took over,” his body governs his actions; “I was out of control, violence seemed to shake itself free from him each time I smashed him back to the floor and shake itself into me”.{{sfn|Mailer|1965|p=192-193}} According to the philosophy of Hip outlined in ''Advertisements'', violence is a necessary cleansing characteristic for the Negro
 {{pg|357|358}}
+to grow and reach salvation and be able to feel real love: “the necessity to purge his violence, for if he cannot empty his hatred then he cannot love”.{{sfn|Mailer|1959|p=347}}
+In the end, Rojack defeats Shago by kicking him down the stairs and back on the street. Rojack has absorbed Shago’s power—or, as Cherry remarks to Shago, “you’re not white, you’re just losing your black”.{{sfn|Mailer|1965|p=191}} Shago’s powers pass over to Rojack. As a token of her love and trust in Rojack, and as an illustration of Rojack’s newly acquired powers, Cherry hands over Shago’s umbrella to Rojack. It is clear that Rojack accumulates the final necessary characteristics in this penultimate confrontation to be enabled to defeat his last and foremost powerful adversary.
+In the final confrontation of the novel, Rojack has to face his father-in law, Barney Oswald Kelly. In the unravelling of the novel’s plot, this encounter is the final ordeal the protagonist has to face before reaching personal salvation. The rich and powerful Kelly is the strongest and foremost intelligent enemy Rojack has encountered thus far. In contrast with Shago or Romeo, Kelly deliberately postpones the actual physical encounter. Mailer makes clear that Kelly is situated in a totally different league of evil—Kelly is the novel’s Devil, the physical embodiment of upper evil in American society. Indeed, Kelly’s life story reveals him as the prime example of the corrupt American nouveau riche, bereft even of the smallest hint of morality. However, this digression from the actual encounter between the two characters is not only a tool to complete the disturbing image of Barney
+Kelly, but can also be considered an attempt on behalf of Kelly to gain Rojack’s
+confidence in order to make the protagonist confess the murder of his daughter Deborah. From early on in the conversation, Kelly stresses the fact that Rojack has to attend Deborah’s funeral.
+Kelly uses the topic of the funeral to probe into the actual facts about Deborah’s sudden death. When Kelly has finished unearthing the specifics of his past life, Kelly asks Rojack, “There’s one reason why you won’t go to the funeral, isn’t there? . . . It’s because you did kill Deborah?” Rojack replies affirmatively,
+but launches a counterattack by confronting Kelly with his failure as a father. Subsequently, Rojack senses that “finally I had blundered through a barrier,” opening up the possibilities for real confrontation. Kelly seems furious.{{sfn|Mailer|1965|p=253}}
+The real physical confrontation, however, is situated on the terrace of Kelly’s
+apartment. A little voice inside the protagonist’s head urges him to walk the
+parapet as a test of his courage, and Kelly tries to use this situation to have his
+{{pg|358|359}}
 ===Citations===