"The Book of Daniel"

Paper Summary:

This paper shows E.L. Doctorow's "The Book of Daniel" as the anti-post World War II American novel. It looks at how, unlike the other books of the time, "The Book of Daniel" does not focus on the freedom of man, the American dream and the beauty of life in the vast stretch of the American landscape. It shows how, instead, it deals with the horror of post World War II America, the hysteria and the real truth of those who sit behind the blue glow of televisions in white suburban America.

From the Paper:

"Much like Faulkners' The Sound and the Fury, The Book of Daniel jumps from the past to the present. There is a element of duality, of a strange frozen place in time that sets the stage for the novel. Doctorow wants the reader to experience the chaos of Daniel and the time. It is the sixties, there is a strong opposition to the war against Communism in Vietnam, and Daniel finds himself in between these two places in time. His parents are killed for being "Communists" but does the hysteria stop? It is a Novel of the social evils that existed in Paul and Rochelle generation and are mirrored in the generation of Daniel. The difference that exists is between the attitudes of these two generations is the ignorance. Daniel's parents are put to death in the wake of great American pride. It is this same patriotism that sends the young off to war in Vietnam, but this time the kids are not ready to go and die just for Patriotism."

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