ipl-logo

Does Moira's Struggle In On The Beach By Nevil Shute

794 Words4 Pages

The 1950s was a cesspool of war, violence, and internal turmoil. In the United States alone, issues regarding civil rights, the Korean War, and the Cold War seized precedence over the establishment peace within the country. An author able to recognize these issues established the pen name Nevil Shute. After emigrating to Melbourne, Australia in 1950, Shute analyzes the horrific issues that take place in the world, and later incorporates them into his novel, “On the Beach”. In his novel, the author incorporates the occurrences of Moira’s internal struggles. the government of Melbourne’s attempts to locate life, and the destruction of national superpowers. Therefore, enabling Nevil Shute to express his loathe of the animalistic violence and internal-destruction within the society of the 1950s. …show more content…

Shute expresses this idea through the characters in his novel. Moira Davidson, an important character, dramatically changes in values between her initial and conclusive appearances. Furthermore, Nevil Shute writes Moira to represent society as a whole; she faces the evils of temptation, alcohol, and hysteria. With information from Wendy Wall, an associate professor of history at Binghamton University and the author of “Inventing the ‘American Way’”, depicting the fears of individuals in the United States:
“In the late 1940s and early 1950s, American fears of internal communist subversion reached a nearly hysterical pitch. Government loyalty boards investigated millions of federal employees, asking what books and magazines they read, what unions and civic organizations they belonged to, and whether they went to church.” (Wall

Show More
Related
1201 Words | 5 Pages

The award winning novel Southland, by Nina Revoyr, clearly describes life in Southern California during the mid 1900’s. In this novel, Revoyr distinctly outlines the controversy between love, race, and murder. The apparent issues in Southland begin to show themselves through the narrative set in Los Angeles. Revoyr was born in Japan and moved to Los Angeles when she was very young. Born a white American, Revoyr was racially excluded by the white children and had a hard time fitting in.

Read More
980 Words | 4 Pages

In Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, the character of Clarisse McClellan represents a strong contrast to the societal norms of the dystopian society in which she lives. Clarisse's desires are in direct conflict with the values of the society in which she lives, as she seeks knowledge and meaningful human connections, while the government seeks to suppress individuality and free-thinking. In this essay, we will explore the character of Clarisse and how her desires conflict with the norms of the society in Fahrenheit 451. Clarisse is introduced early on in the novel as a young woman who is very different from the other characters we meet.

Read More
964 Words | 4 Pages

She works together a story that encapsulates both the large span of American history in depth by dissecting the social, political, and cultural developments throughout. Jill Lepore’s writing is accessible for casual readers and those with a deeper understanding of history, which resulted from the clarity that is showcased in her writing style. A major achievement that Lepore accomplishes is bringing inclusivity into her book by incorporating diverse perspectives, such as the perspectives of marginalized groups; Native Americans, African Americans, women, etc. Topics that are underrepresented in traditional accounts of history are highlighted by Lepore by discussing their contributions and experiences.

Read More
980 Words | 4 Pages

During the 1950’s McCarthyism was a widespread problem reflected in the Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, in hope to warn and prevent mass hysteria developing in the United States. The population of the United States became excessively paranoid at the thought of communists in their country. Paranoia among the citizens did nothing but worsen the current situation of the country at the time, since everyone was accusing everyone else of being a communist. Similar amounts of paranoia during the Salem witch hunts caused

Read More
982 Words | 4 Pages

Sam Roberts in the article “A Decade of Fear” argues that McCarthyism turned Americans against each other. Robert supports his claim by illustrating fear, describing betrayal, and comparing it to other U.S. internal conflicts. The author’s purpose is to point out a vulnerable period in American history in order to demonstrate that Americans felt prey McCarthy’s negative propaganda. The author writes in a cynical tone for an educated audience. I strongly agree with Robert’s claim.

Read More
1094 Words | 5 Pages

Sam Roberts in the article A Decade of Fear argues that McCarthyism turned Americans against each other. Roberts supports his claim by illustrating fear, describing betrayal, and comparing it to other United States internal conflicts. The author’s purpose is to point out a vulnerable period of American history in order to demonstrate that Americans felt prey to McCarthy’s negative propaganda. The author writes in a cynical tone for an educated audience. I strongly agree with Robert’s claim.

Read More
493 Words | 2 Pages

Are you a bad person if you conform to a dystopian society, without knowing it is wrong? Clarisse McClellan embraces her curious personality, which makes her a rebel. Mildred Montages benighted personality makes her a conventional society member. The curious personality of Clarisse and benighted personality of Mildred show that different people have different experiences in the same society. Clarisse McClellan’s curious personality makes her rebellious in the dystopian society.

Read More
693 Words | 3 Pages

With more widespread access to magazines, news, movies, and other “luxuries”, the containment of individuality and shared opinions of those not in the upper status became increasingly hard. In short, the political leaders of this time tried too hard to control population, cultural assimilation, and force of growth of industry. He uses the historical facts about important public figures of the time such as Theodore Roosevelt, W.E.B Du Bois, and the Rockefellers while explaining and aligning the movements themes and events in relation to the rebels and the Progressives during the particular period of the era he was outlining. He uses these characters of time

Read More
535 Words | 3 Pages

Just as the yellow wallpaper symbolizes gender inequality, escaping from the this cage of discrimination and oppression on women springs the rising of feminism. At the end of another story, the narrator is able to grasp an understanding of Sonny’s values and struggles, along with a salvation of his own. For all this time a seemingly rebellious and depressive figure of Sonny is illustrated, a soul of freedom and his values are conveyed in the music. Contrastingly, despite of a stable life of being a middle-class high school teacher, the narrator is trapped in Harlem both physically and mentally. Unlike Sonny, escaping from the neighbourhood of “boiling sea” that’s filled with people of rage and depression rarely seems an idea that occurs to the narrator ’s mind.

Read More
2266 Words | 10 Pages

Robert Drewe’s 1996 novel The Drowner is, among other things, a representation of Western Australian lifestyle, culture and identity in the late 19th century. At the time, Australia was still a young nation; an “underdog” among Western countries. However, numerous gold rushes brought wealth and prosperity to the nation, attracting millions of immigrants from mainly European countries. Australia’s national identity developed into one centred around the values of hard work, perseverance and mateship—values which are still central to our identity today.

Read More
375 Words | 2 Pages

Twelve Angry men by Reginald Rose, and On the Waterfront, by film director Elisa Kazan are both texts that provide us with insight of the political issues in the 1950s American society. Both texts highlight the act of courage in protagonists, and explore themes such as probity within the major characters. In On the Waterfront Father Barry urges Terry to do what’s right, Edie gives Terry the courage to stand up against Johnny Friendly, Edie says to Terry “ Let your conscience tell you what to do”. We see the love and support from Edie and Father Barry giving the bravery to stand up for what he believes is right.

Read More
990 Words | 4 Pages

2) This extract is found in “The White Album” written by Joan Didion, who is the creator of many significant different literature pieces, both novels and essays. “The White Album” was published in 1979, and is the first and longest essay in the book. In this essay Joan Didion essentially uses a women as a connecting thread to describe what was happening in America at that time. I believe that the woman may even be herself to a certain extent, trying to externalize all her thoughts. What is perceived from the essay is that Didion was submerged into the focus of some big events that were happening in that year, not only as a journalist but also as a bystander and a normal Californian.

Read More
633 Words | 3 Pages

The United States Constitution states that the country values liberty, life, and happiness for all of its citizens. These three values shape the ideal American experience. Most view it as living freely, where all men, women, and races are created equal, and where oppression of genders and races does not exist. In the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, however, Zora Neale Hurston challenges the traditional view of this experience by illustrating how gender roles and racism change it, manifesting that it is not close to what the average citizen goes through, especially if he or she is black.

Read More
1555 Words | 7 Pages

Part 3: How does this author and his or her novel impact the culture of America? American culture began to change during the 1920’s due to certain conditions and the uprising of new ideas. It was a time of great social change, new ideas, techniques and ways of life were modified to adjust to the depression of World War I. Numerous war veterans had experienced certain happenings in which had left them traumatized, hardened or even weakened with no one to relate to.

Read More
661 Words | 3 Pages

When John F. Kennedy became President of the United States in 1961, his first few months in office were not the greatest. After the “Bay of Pigs” incident, JFK felt that he had to get his credibility back and Vietnam was his way to do so. This war tore the United States into two sides; The “Hawks” and the “Doves”. People argued whether the United States should stay involved in Vietnam throughout the entirety John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson’s presidency. There was no official start to the war, however, the United States had been invested in Vietnamese affairs for many years beforehand.

Read More

More about Does Moira's Struggle In On The Beach By Nevil Shute

Related Topics

Open Document