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.