Overall, I felt that The Sportswriter, by Richard Ford, was a beautifully written novel mainly because of the strategic characterization of Frank Bascombe. Bascombe, to me, faced many obstacles in his life, and I feel that he is one of the great heroes in American Literature. He strived to work towards the American Dream. This made me think of Willy Loman, the main character in Death of a Salesman, by Arthur Miller. Willy wanted to achieve the American Dream just like Frank Bascombe.
The one flaw, in my opinion, that Bascombe had was that he didn't want to accept reality and he persistently tried to improve his situation in his head. He could have faced his problems and dealt with them; however, instead he just ignored them and didn't try to actually improve his situation.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is looking for reassurance in his or her life. The one thing that can be learned from The Sportswriter is that there is always hope. Richard Ford wants the world to know that there is always something to be happy about.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Expectation vs. Reality
In The Sportswriter, by Richard Ford, the main character, Frank Bascombe, has trouble dealing with reality. He repeatedly holds on to false hope, and doesn't want to recognize reality. Bascombe also believes that the situations he falls into are much better than they really are. He sets expectations for himself that are much higher than they should be, and this causes him to lose sight of reality. The times in Bascombe's life where he is most oblivious to reality occur when his son dies, when he fails as a novelist, and when his wife divorces him.
After Bascombe's first son, Ralph, dies, Bascombe is bewildered because he doesn't know how to deal with his emotions. "In the first six months after Ralh died, while I was in the deepest depths of my worst dreaminess, I began to order as many catalogs into the house as I could. At least forty, I'm sure, came every three months...[My wife] and I came to believe, for a time, that satisfying all our purchasing needs from catalogs was the very way of life that suited us and our circumstances" (Ford 195). The Bascombes tried to fill the hole in their life with useless material objects they would find in catalogs. They were oblivious to the fact that they would never be able to revive Ralph, and they will have to deal with his death until they join him in heaven.
The second instance in the book when Bascombe doesn't process reality is after he fails as a novelist. Frank Bascombe is unable to become a successful writer like he always dreamed of. He has to resort to becoming a sportswriter. Oddly enough, Bascombe is not in any way saddened by this. He is content with being a sportswriter and doesn't care about improving his situation. Bascombe considers himself successful because he has a steady job. Deep down inside, however, he knows that he can do much better. He just doesn't want to work to live up to his potential.
The third time in his life when Frank Bascombe doesn't accept reality is when his wife divorces him. He reacts to this in a similar way as he did when he failed as a novelist. He does not become deeply depressed, like most people would. Instead, he just tries to act like it never happened and tries to block out that part in his life. This, I would argue, is his biggest character flaw. Instead of hiding from his problems, he should face his fears and show his true emotions to the people he loves.
After Bascombe's first son, Ralph, dies, Bascombe is bewildered because he doesn't know how to deal with his emotions. "In the first six months after Ralh died, while I was in the deepest depths of my worst dreaminess, I began to order as many catalogs into the house as I could. At least forty, I'm sure, came every three months...[My wife] and I came to believe, for a time, that satisfying all our purchasing needs from catalogs was the very way of life that suited us and our circumstances" (Ford 195). The Bascombes tried to fill the hole in their life with useless material objects they would find in catalogs. They were oblivious to the fact that they would never be able to revive Ralph, and they will have to deal with his death until they join him in heaven.
The second instance in the book when Bascombe doesn't process reality is after he fails as a novelist. Frank Bascombe is unable to become a successful writer like he always dreamed of. He has to resort to becoming a sportswriter. Oddly enough, Bascombe is not in any way saddened by this. He is content with being a sportswriter and doesn't care about improving his situation. Bascombe considers himself successful because he has a steady job. Deep down inside, however, he knows that he can do much better. He just doesn't want to work to live up to his potential.
The third time in his life when Frank Bascombe doesn't accept reality is when his wife divorces him. He reacts to this in a similar way as he did when he failed as a novelist. He does not become deeply depressed, like most people would. Instead, he just tries to act like it never happened and tries to block out that part in his life. This, I would argue, is his biggest character flaw. Instead of hiding from his problems, he should face his fears and show his true emotions to the people he loves.
Image Study
Here I have posted a variety of images that connect to The Sportswriter, by Richard Ford. These images help reflect different aspects of the novel, and will help you get a better understanding of it in general.
Image #1
This image depicts an elegant coffin in a cemetery before the burial. It connects to The Sportswriter because Frank Bascombe has lost his son to a rare disease call Reye's Disease. This was tragic and almost catastrophic event in Bascombe's life for a variety of reasons. His son that died, Ralph, was his first son, and he cared about him very much. To make matters worse, Frank's wife (only referred to as X in the novel) divorces him shortly after the death of Ralph. This is a rather simple connection between the story and the image, but there is much more significance to it.
One of the first things that comes to your attention is the fact that the casket is purple. Purple is the color of royalty, which represents Bascombe's high regard for his son, Ralph. The array of the different colored flowers on top of the casket symbolize the many thoughts that are running through Bascombe's head. He is confused and doesn't know how to react to his son's death. The large open field represents the emptiness inside of Frank Bascombe. Without his son, Bascombe feels incomplete and fragmented inside. The mountains in the background represent the day that Frank Bascombe will rise up and become the man he was before his son died. The trees blocking the mountains, however, represent the troubles and the obstacles that Bascombe will have to overcome before he reaches the next stage in his life.
Image #2
This image shows a few sportswriters in the press box at a major league baseball game. One of the most noticeable features of the picture is the expression of the man in the white shirt's face. He does not have a depressed look on his face, but he does not seem to be overly enthusiastic about his job. This is similar to Frank Bascombe because he doesn't hate being a sportswriter; he just knows that he could have done better.
The most important part, however, about this image is the contrast between the man in the blue shirt and the white shirt. The man in the white shirt represents where Frank Bascombe is now. The man in the blue shirt represents where Frank Bascombe could be in his life right now. The fact that there is a shadow over the man in the blue shirt represents the uncertainty about the possibilities Frank Bascombe's life.
Image #3
This image is one of my favorites. It has a much more symbolic meaning to it than some of the other images. The interesting part about this image is that it doesn't pertain to just one specific event in Frank Bascombe's life. It pertains to his entire life in general, which makes it very deep and requires a lot of thinking to comprehend.
Frank Bascombe's life has been filled with ups and downs. We can imagine Frank Bascombe starting on the very right side of the image on the top of the cliff. He is a happily married man and everything seems to be going well for him. Suddenly, however, his life takes a turn for the worse. First, his son dies, and then his wife decides to divorce him. At this point Frank Bascombe has moved from the cliffs on the right side of the image to the valley in the middle of the image, where he endures a great amount of turmoil. The mountains on the left, however, represent the day when Bascombe will become greater than he ever was and finally overcome this depression.
The green grass in the forefront of the picture reassures us that there is always hope, now matter how difficult things are. The cloud in the sky appears to be some sort of eye. I believe that the purpose of this eye is to show that there is always someone to guide you, whether it be a parent, a friend, or some sort of higher being.
Image #4
This image has a rather symbolic meaning to it as well. This is a sign with success pointing to one direction and failure pointing to the other. The fact that success and failure are pointing in the opposite direction show the drastic difference between the two. I believe that you are either a success, or a failure. There is no gray area between the two, as shown in the image. The only person that can determine whether you are a success or a failure, however, is you.
Frank Bascombe is content with being a failed novelist turned sportswriter. He doesn't want to accept the fact that he is indeed a failure. He wants to continue thinking that he is where he needs to be in life and doesn't need to progress any further.
I believe that the only character that could have saved Bascombe was his current girlfriend, Vicki Arcenault. Bascombe loved her very deeply, and she should have been able to seen that Bascombe needed help.
Image #1
This image depicts an elegant coffin in a cemetery before the burial. It connects to The Sportswriter because Frank Bascombe has lost his son to a rare disease call Reye's Disease. This was tragic and almost catastrophic event in Bascombe's life for a variety of reasons. His son that died, Ralph, was his first son, and he cared about him very much. To make matters worse, Frank's wife (only referred to as X in the novel) divorces him shortly after the death of Ralph. This is a rather simple connection between the story and the image, but there is much more significance to it. One of the first things that comes to your attention is the fact that the casket is purple. Purple is the color of royalty, which represents Bascombe's high regard for his son, Ralph. The array of the different colored flowers on top of the casket symbolize the many thoughts that are running through Bascombe's head. He is confused and doesn't know how to react to his son's death. The large open field represents the emptiness inside of Frank Bascombe. Without his son, Bascombe feels incomplete and fragmented inside. The mountains in the background represent the day that Frank Bascombe will rise up and become the man he was before his son died. The trees blocking the mountains, however, represent the troubles and the obstacles that Bascombe will have to overcome before he reaches the next stage in his life.
Image #2
This image shows a few sportswriters in the press box at a major league baseball game. One of the most noticeable features of the picture is the expression of the man in the white shirt's face. He does not have a depressed look on his face, but he does not seem to be overly enthusiastic about his job. This is similar to Frank Bascombe because he doesn't hate being a sportswriter; he just knows that he could have done better.The most important part, however, about this image is the contrast between the man in the blue shirt and the white shirt. The man in the white shirt represents where Frank Bascombe is now. The man in the blue shirt represents where Frank Bascombe could be in his life right now. The fact that there is a shadow over the man in the blue shirt represents the uncertainty about the possibilities Frank Bascombe's life.
Image #3
This image is one of my favorites. It has a much more symbolic meaning to it than some of the other images. The interesting part about this image is that it doesn't pertain to just one specific event in Frank Bascombe's life. It pertains to his entire life in general, which makes it very deep and requires a lot of thinking to comprehend.Frank Bascombe's life has been filled with ups and downs. We can imagine Frank Bascombe starting on the very right side of the image on the top of the cliff. He is a happily married man and everything seems to be going well for him. Suddenly, however, his life takes a turn for the worse. First, his son dies, and then his wife decides to divorce him. At this point Frank Bascombe has moved from the cliffs on the right side of the image to the valley in the middle of the image, where he endures a great amount of turmoil. The mountains on the left, however, represent the day when Bascombe will become greater than he ever was and finally overcome this depression.
The green grass in the forefront of the picture reassures us that there is always hope, now matter how difficult things are. The cloud in the sky appears to be some sort of eye. I believe that the purpose of this eye is to show that there is always someone to guide you, whether it be a parent, a friend, or some sort of higher being.
Image #4
This image has a rather symbolic meaning to it as well. This is a sign with success pointing to one direction and failure pointing to the other. The fact that success and failure are pointing in the opposite direction show the drastic difference between the two. I believe that you are either a success, or a failure. There is no gray area between the two, as shown in the image. The only person that can determine whether you are a success or a failure, however, is you.
Frank Bascombe is content with being a failed novelist turned sportswriter. He doesn't want to accept the fact that he is indeed a failure. He wants to continue thinking that he is where he needs to be in life and doesn't need to progress any further.
I believe that the only character that could have saved Bascombe was his current girlfriend, Vicki Arcenault. Bascombe loved her very deeply, and she should have been able to seen that Bascombe needed help.
Themes from American Literature
There are a variety of themes from American Literature present in The Sportswriter, by Richard Ford. A theme is described as the universal idea about life in literature. Some of the themes present in The Sportswriter include: The American Dream, Challenge and Failure, Possibilities, and Dealing with Death. All of the themes present in the novel give the book its American identity and style.
One of the biggest theme that is developed in the novel is known as the American Dream. The American Dream is more of an abstract dream than a realistic goal for most Americans. People strive to be the best in their field and want to live the luxurious lifestyle of some of the wealthiest Americans. Frank Bascombe struggles as an author and dreams of one day becoming extremely successful. The problem, however, is that Bascombe is never able to reach the success he has been longing for. This portrays the American Dream exactly how it should; as just a dream. It is also very similar to the theme portrayed in Death of a Salesman. Willy Loman is similar to Frank Bascombe in that they both struggle to find their true identity. Loman ultimately committed suicide, however, because he wasn't able to handle the frustration like Bascombe did.
The American Dream ties into the next theme from American Literature that is found in the book, Challenge and Failure. As mentioned before, Frank Bascombe is not able to become a successful author. He is constantly rejected by publishers time after time, and he becomes extremely frustrated. Bascombe resorts to pursuing a lesser career; he decides to become a sportswriter. It is evident from the thoughts of Bascombe that he dislikes the thought of being a sportswriter. Frank Bascombe claims that he has "faced down regret"; however, the tone in which he says that is not the most enthusiastic. Bascombe makes it clear that he in fact does regret some of the choices he has made, and he struggles to deal with this realization.The failures of Frank Bascombe evoke sympathy from the reader and persuade him or her to keep reading.
As Frank Bascombe looks back and evaluate his previous decisions he questions himself and wonders whether or not he made the correct decisions. He frustrates himself by asking himself rhetorical questions. What if I didn't accept the sportswriting job? What if I had continued to pursue my novel writing career? Would I be happier if I was a novelist? All of these questions leave Bascombe analyzing the different possibilties of his life. Richard Ford is making a statement while doing this. Ford feels that it is imperative to let go of the past and to keep moving forward. If you keep looking back, he feels, you will never be able to see where you are going.
The final theme from American Literature that is prevalent in the novel is Dealing with Death. This theme is different from the rest in that it has to do with his past, not his future. Frank Bascombe lost his son to a rare disease, and he is not able to cope with it at all. This worsens his already stressful life. Bascombe is extremely depressed for a year after the death of his son, and struggles mightily to even accept the fact that Ralph is gone. Not only did he lose his son; Bascombe also lost his wife. After Ralph died, his wife divorced him as well. In a way, this could be worse for Bascombe. After a death, you can eventually find closure. A divorce, on the other hand, just leaves you wondering.
One of the biggest theme that is developed in the novel is known as the American Dream. The American Dream is more of an abstract dream than a realistic goal for most Americans. People strive to be the best in their field and want to live the luxurious lifestyle of some of the wealthiest Americans. Frank Bascombe struggles as an author and dreams of one day becoming extremely successful. The problem, however, is that Bascombe is never able to reach the success he has been longing for. This portrays the American Dream exactly how it should; as just a dream. It is also very similar to the theme portrayed in Death of a Salesman. Willy Loman is similar to Frank Bascombe in that they both struggle to find their true identity. Loman ultimately committed suicide, however, because he wasn't able to handle the frustration like Bascombe did.
The American Dream ties into the next theme from American Literature that is found in the book, Challenge and Failure. As mentioned before, Frank Bascombe is not able to become a successful author. He is constantly rejected by publishers time after time, and he becomes extremely frustrated. Bascombe resorts to pursuing a lesser career; he decides to become a sportswriter. It is evident from the thoughts of Bascombe that he dislikes the thought of being a sportswriter. Frank Bascombe claims that he has "faced down regret"; however, the tone in which he says that is not the most enthusiastic. Bascombe makes it clear that he in fact does regret some of the choices he has made, and he struggles to deal with this realization.The failures of Frank Bascombe evoke sympathy from the reader and persuade him or her to keep reading.
As Frank Bascombe looks back and evaluate his previous decisions he questions himself and wonders whether or not he made the correct decisions. He frustrates himself by asking himself rhetorical questions. What if I didn't accept the sportswriting job? What if I had continued to pursue my novel writing career? Would I be happier if I was a novelist? All of these questions leave Bascombe analyzing the different possibilties of his life. Richard Ford is making a statement while doing this. Ford feels that it is imperative to let go of the past and to keep moving forward. If you keep looking back, he feels, you will never be able to see where you are going.
The final theme from American Literature that is prevalent in the novel is Dealing with Death. This theme is different from the rest in that it has to do with his past, not his future. Frank Bascombe lost his son to a rare disease, and he is not able to cope with it at all. This worsens his already stressful life. Bascombe is extremely depressed for a year after the death of his son, and struggles mightily to even accept the fact that Ralph is gone. Not only did he lose his son; Bascombe also lost his wife. After Ralph died, his wife divorced him as well. In a way, this could be worse for Bascombe. After a death, you can eventually find closure. A divorce, on the other hand, just leaves you wondering.
Rhetoric Study
This is an excerpt from the novel following a conversation between Frank Bascombe and a man named Herb.
"'I'm a verb, Frank. Verbs don't answer questions.'
'Don't think that way, Herb.' My diaphragm is crackling. Herb and I have not been together an hour, but there is a strong sense around him that he would like to strangle someone, and not be choosy whose neck he got his hands on. When you have spent so much of your life whamming into people and hurting them, it must be hard just to call a halt to it and sit down. It must be hard to do anything else, it seems to me, but keep on whamming. In any case, I'm always most at ease when I know the way out. There is something to be avoided here, and I intend to avoid it. 'I'm going to try to write a good sory, Herb,' I say, inching toward the back of Smallwood's Checker" (Ford 163).
This passage has a variety of rhetorical devices, and the feel of this part of the novel is fairly consistent with that of the entire book. The first most obvious rhetorical device is the metaphor. At the beginning of the passage, Herb says, "I'm a verb." This metaphor is unique because most people would not compare themselves to verbs in this manner. Right after he uses this metaphor, he follows it up with, "Verbs don't answer questions." I began to ponder the meaning of this comparison, and I became enthralled with the complexity of it. I soon realized that Herb was trying to find a clever way to express his animosity towards the questions that Frank was asking him.
Another aspect of Ford's writing that is evident here is his constant use of dialogue. Most of Frank Bascombe' s stories abound with dialogue. This adds to the liveliness of the stories that Frank Bascombe has to share about his life, and makes them much easier to understand as well. Another stylistic remedy that Ford frequently uses is to interrupt parts of Bascombe's conversations with digressions that deal with human nature. In the middle of his conversation with Herb, Frank Bascombe begins to question Herb's ability to control his temper and not swing his fist. Bascombe's ideas are insightful because the majority of people don't analyze human nature this thoroughly on a daily basis.
Ford's syntax is fairly consistent throughout the novel as well. He uses a combination of short and long sentences to describe the situation. His longer sentences are usually a string of ideas separated by commas. In addition to these long sentences, he uses consecutive short sentences, mainly for emphasis on certain points he wants to make. These points usually express his view on society and human nature. Ford's diction is not particularly complicated; however, the content of the book is rather advanced.
"'I'm a verb, Frank. Verbs don't answer questions.'
'Don't think that way, Herb.' My diaphragm is crackling. Herb and I have not been together an hour, but there is a strong sense around him that he would like to strangle someone, and not be choosy whose neck he got his hands on. When you have spent so much of your life whamming into people and hurting them, it must be hard just to call a halt to it and sit down. It must be hard to do anything else, it seems to me, but keep on whamming. In any case, I'm always most at ease when I know the way out. There is something to be avoided here, and I intend to avoid it. 'I'm going to try to write a good sory, Herb,' I say, inching toward the back of Smallwood's Checker" (Ford 163).
This passage has a variety of rhetorical devices, and the feel of this part of the novel is fairly consistent with that of the entire book. The first most obvious rhetorical device is the metaphor. At the beginning of the passage, Herb says, "I'm a verb." This metaphor is unique because most people would not compare themselves to verbs in this manner. Right after he uses this metaphor, he follows it up with, "Verbs don't answer questions." I began to ponder the meaning of this comparison, and I became enthralled with the complexity of it. I soon realized that Herb was trying to find a clever way to express his animosity towards the questions that Frank was asking him.
Another aspect of Ford's writing that is evident here is his constant use of dialogue. Most of Frank Bascombe' s stories abound with dialogue. This adds to the liveliness of the stories that Frank Bascombe has to share about his life, and makes them much easier to understand as well. Another stylistic remedy that Ford frequently uses is to interrupt parts of Bascombe's conversations with digressions that deal with human nature. In the middle of his conversation with Herb, Frank Bascombe begins to question Herb's ability to control his temper and not swing his fist. Bascombe's ideas are insightful because the majority of people don't analyze human nature this thoroughly on a daily basis.
Ford's syntax is fairly consistent throughout the novel as well. He uses a combination of short and long sentences to describe the situation. His longer sentences are usually a string of ideas separated by commas. In addition to these long sentences, he uses consecutive short sentences, mainly for emphasis on certain points he wants to make. These points usually express his view on society and human nature. Ford's diction is not particularly complicated; however, the content of the book is rather advanced.
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