Post by Dr. Nemmers on Jun 10, 2024 17:31:29 GMT
As we've been learning, World War II had a profound and seismic influence on American soldiers, citizens, and artists alike. Norman Mailer's first (and best known) book is The Naked in the Dead, a long, heavy war novel situated a Pacific island during the U. S. advance toward Japan. Mailer himself was a veteran-- though not really of the combat variety-- as he spent time as a typist, wire linesman, and cook while stationed in the Philippines.
To give a brief overview, though the U. S. declared victory both in Europe and Asia, the five-year experience of war left many Americans feeling shell-shocked, disillusioned, and aghast at what had transpired. Even more, while the U. S. homeland was almost entirely intact, the vast majority of the "developed world" was in shambles, and some 75-80 million people (almost 3% of the entire human population!) had been killed in the conflict. Finally, the twin horrors of the Holocaust and the atomic bomb offered a terrible glimpse into human nature and what tremendous evil people were capable of.
Anyway, how do we see this interplay with regard to our protagonist, "Mike Lovett?"
To give a brief overview, though the U. S. declared victory both in Europe and Asia, the five-year experience of war left many Americans feeling shell-shocked, disillusioned, and aghast at what had transpired. Even more, while the U. S. homeland was almost entirely intact, the vast majority of the "developed world" was in shambles, and some 75-80 million people (almost 3% of the entire human population!) had been killed in the conflict. Finally, the twin horrors of the Holocaust and the atomic bomb offered a terrible glimpse into human nature and what tremendous evil people were capable of.
Anyway, how do we see this interplay with regard to our protagonist, "Mike Lovett?"
