OVERALL SUMMARY
The era that began with the tragic nuclear culmination of World War II was a despondent and desensitised era. The five texts I have studied for this topic - The Spy Who Came In From the Cold, Ariel, Good Night and Good Luck, The Lottery and Subway - all possess the underlying message describing a society that had suffered much more than physical trauma as a result of the disturbing and savage events of the first half of the century.
It was a time when bleak questions concerning the value of life and the individual were raised, consequently leading to a despairing existential perspective on the merit of the individual’s existence. After the murders, genocides and sacrifices of World War II, the Holocaust and the Japan bombings, people were beginning to question the purpose of their individual existence, and felt a certain disposability attached to their lives. A degradation of emotions occurred, producing a population trapped in a web of moral ambivalence and psychological despair.
There were many overwhelming ideals that pervaded this era. One of these included a return to traditional patriarchal standards concerning gender roles, where women adopted a motherly, domestic role, while their husbands worked and provided. The institution of marriage had become a means of material gain, rather than emotional, and authors like Sylvia Plath embody the constrictive nature that these arrangements forced on women helplessly subject to the expectations of their time.
The Cold War also heavily impacted on the psyche of the population, the great capitalist versus communist contest establishing a paranoia that backfired on innocent individuals. In America, a fear of the 'Reds Under the Bed' developed, and a hysteria concerning the possibility of communist sympathisers plotting to take-over their democratic way of life took hold. This gave rise to a movement known as McCarthyism, where Senator Joe McCarthy manipulated this fear to gain power. The unjust vilification of individuals was a result of this campaign, as was society's newly formulated mistrust of one another. The communist 'witch hunt' caused a frenzy of suspicion and a fear of being identified a communist that could possibly destroy your career. This was another element that contributed to the callous and heartless state the world had fallen into.
Inhumane actions performed by leading officials triggered an era where the line between good and evil was very blurred. This period of moral ambiguity caused the population to question and distrust the motives of the powerful men that were determining their country’s' futures. A deep-rooted cynicism and skepticism towards governments and business-owners developed, and people grew exhausted of the constant deception and corruption that was occurring throughout the powerful sector of society. The rise of materialism and consumerism reflected this, as people attempted to ignore their woes and focused on attaining inconsequential objects as a symbol of their supposed happiness and wealth to the surrounding society, a disguise to mask the inner turmoil that was occurring.
In conclusion, there were numerous factors that contributed to a very cold and dehumanised era. The composers of the five texts studied in this assignment all experienced and captured this very tragic and haunting essence that pervaded society of the 50s and 60s. Let us pray that a tumultuous era like this one does not repeat itself.
It was a time when bleak questions concerning the value of life and the individual were raised, consequently leading to a despairing existential perspective on the merit of the individual’s existence. After the murders, genocides and sacrifices of World War II, the Holocaust and the Japan bombings, people were beginning to question the purpose of their individual existence, and felt a certain disposability attached to their lives. A degradation of emotions occurred, producing a population trapped in a web of moral ambivalence and psychological despair.
There were many overwhelming ideals that pervaded this era. One of these included a return to traditional patriarchal standards concerning gender roles, where women adopted a motherly, domestic role, while their husbands worked and provided. The institution of marriage had become a means of material gain, rather than emotional, and authors like Sylvia Plath embody the constrictive nature that these arrangements forced on women helplessly subject to the expectations of their time.
The Cold War also heavily impacted on the psyche of the population, the great capitalist versus communist contest establishing a paranoia that backfired on innocent individuals. In America, a fear of the 'Reds Under the Bed' developed, and a hysteria concerning the possibility of communist sympathisers plotting to take-over their democratic way of life took hold. This gave rise to a movement known as McCarthyism, where Senator Joe McCarthy manipulated this fear to gain power. The unjust vilification of individuals was a result of this campaign, as was society's newly formulated mistrust of one another. The communist 'witch hunt' caused a frenzy of suspicion and a fear of being identified a communist that could possibly destroy your career. This was another element that contributed to the callous and heartless state the world had fallen into.
Inhumane actions performed by leading officials triggered an era where the line between good and evil was very blurred. This period of moral ambiguity caused the population to question and distrust the motives of the powerful men that were determining their country’s' futures. A deep-rooted cynicism and skepticism towards governments and business-owners developed, and people grew exhausted of the constant deception and corruption that was occurring throughout the powerful sector of society. The rise of materialism and consumerism reflected this, as people attempted to ignore their woes and focused on attaining inconsequential objects as a symbol of their supposed happiness and wealth to the surrounding society, a disguise to mask the inner turmoil that was occurring.
In conclusion, there were numerous factors that contributed to a very cold and dehumanised era. The composers of the five texts studied in this assignment all experienced and captured this very tragic and haunting essence that pervaded society of the 50s and 60s. Let us pray that a tumultuous era like this one does not repeat itself.