Postmodernism Perspectives In A Visit From The Goon Squad By Jennifer Egan
When posting the characteristics of postmodernism, recall that postmodernists don't put their logic in a characterized box or classification. Their convictions and practices are close to home as opposed to being identifiable with a specific foundation or particular vested party. Jennifer Egan’s A Visit From the Goon Squad argues both in favor of and against the postmodern condition, illustrating that while in the postmodern perspective, everything is unforeseen and nothing is settled.
There are a few ramifications of going up against reality along these lines. Although modernity is a way of how people think is the proper form of action, it is usually based on people’s backgrounds and understandings to one another in a society. Despite both of these terms, Egan communicates her style of writing and argues both sides in which no form is either right or wrong. Egan stresses the importance on how to view modernity and how it is portrayed as a human being with a mind that sees the ideal things in life as “correct” because in the postmodern world people’s standards change due to living in different time periods.
The short story “Safari” displays how Rolph is trying to obtain and seek an ideal family with both a male and female figure in his life at the same time, as well with his sister, Charlie, by his side. “‘Women are cunts, ” his father says. ’ ‘That’s why. ’ Rolph gapes at him. His father is angry, a muscle jumping in his jaw, and without warning, Rolph is angry too: assailed by a deep, sickening rage that stirs in him very occasionally”. Rolph misunderstands what he wants because he wants to be viewed as “normal”. He wants the archetype of a modern family and that’s why he pushes his dad to marry his girlfriend so he can experience what it feels like to be in a traditional family. Rolph and his father show how their relationship is divided because Rolph is being sort of naive in a sense when it comes to having a perfect family. Rolph idolized his father, Lou, and accepts some of his personal ways but doesn’t understand why he can’t have what he wants right away because he is so young. Lou also expresses the way he feels towards women by calling Mindy a “cunt” and it shows Rolph how not being married is a part of his identity. Although this story is told in the past tense, as a reader you’re able to understand the huge disconnect in their family and how it affected Rolph and Charlie’s relationship with their dad. Charlie expresses how she feels through talking among other individuals around her age. Family values are the main focus that’s important to Lou’s children and he doesn’t see it as a father because he is very selfish and puts himself before his own kids. After the safari, Charlie says, “‘Maybe the dad will take care of them, ’ doubtfully. The other children are quiet, considering the question. ‘Lions tend to raise their cubs communally’ - a voice comes from the far end of the blind”.
Charlie is starting to go through realism and she is starting to understand what she is missing from her father and as well as her absent mother. Living in a modern family is a lot different than a joint traditional family. Marriage is something that is now breakable and it isn’t uncommon for a divorce as it would be back in the old days. Charlie having “doubt” in the lion to take care of his cubs is a reflection on how she is thinking about her father and how he is taking care of her and Rolph. The ideal modern family has given up so many traditional ways and as readers, we’re able to pick up that Rolph and Charlie like to live in a “perfect” world that they have seen at some point in their lifetime. They have been a part of a traditional family in the past and are used to it because of their parent’s former marriage. The environment in which people are raised predisposes them to a certain influenced perception, therefore hindering their ability to see the world at their own will.
Rolph and Charlie want modernity but can’t have it because they can’t change what kind of world they are raised in. On their trip, Rolph starts to grow up and realize that he can’t obtain a modern lifestyle because he can’t change who he is and how his family is. “She takes hold of his hands. As they move together, Rolph feels his self-consciousness miraculously fade, as if he is growing up right there on the dance floor, becoming a boy who dances with girls like his sister”. Rolph is the main character of emphasis because throughout the story he is the one that has the most trouble understanding why he couldn’t change his identity as a whole. As a result, the pressure got to rolph and cost him his life because he couldn’t handle the dirty truth and the fact that he will never be able to be viewed in a postmodern world. In postmodern culture, family structures are unbelievably changed and people have substantially more opportunity of a decision in parts of their lives which would have been generally obliged in the past ways of life, individual connections promotion family game plans. Charlie stops trying to live in a fairy tale and moves on with her life by growing up as well. “She’ll revert to her real name – Charlene - unlatching herself forever from the girl who danced with her brother in Africa. Charlene will cut her hair short and go to law school”.
The death of her brother really opens her eyes and shows Charlie that she has to live her life not based on what she wishes she had. Charlie has to make those decisions on her own as an adult but she ultimately moves on with her life and seems to have goals set up by going to law school. Charlie made it out and was the one that was mentally strong because she was older and had a different view about living in the present than Rolph did. Modernity is characterized as a state of social presence that is fundamentally extraordinary to every single past type of human experience, while modernization alludes to the transitional procedure of moving from traditional or basic communities to present day social orders. Rhea talks down of Alice and her appearance and says, “I can’t tell if she’s actually real, or if she’s stopped caring if she’s real or not. Or is not caring what makes a person real?”. Rhea talks about Alice in this story because Alice has blonde hair and does not have the style of a punk rocker.
Egan’s style of writing shows how structure can affect one’s perception of ideas and beliefs. Rhea is judging Alice’s identity and Alice shouldn’t care about what others think of her when everyone in this world should base what they do off of their own feelings and beliefs. Living in a postmodern world, people have distinct images and identities which draw different perspectives because, in this day and age, character is not guaranteed anymore, however an open inquiry. This feeling of isolation and unsteadiness is because of various components: postmodern methods of insight, and the states recently advancement and postmodernity. When Rhea and Lou have their serious talk about identity it really uplifts her spirits. “The freckles are the best part, Lou says. Some guy is going to go apes hit for those freckles. He’s going to kiss them one by one”. Egan is accepting postmodernity by giving the readers a different perspective on how to handle identities. People are additionally comprised of many, regularly clashing parts. As they move all through various settings, societies, and sets of thoughts, they think in an unexpected way and carry on diversely in connection to other people. They realize that there are diverse guidelines of lead in various settings, that they are developed and can build themselves distinctively in these diverse settings, and that they perform preferred in a few settings over in others.
