FREE ESSAY ON UPDIKE, BEATTI, ROTHKE AND PLATH

UPDIKE, BEATTI, ROTHKE AND PLATH

20th Century Attitude
20th century writers dealt with many issues and themes throughout their writing. The
authors that I have chosen to look at are Updike, Beatti, Rothke and Plath. These authors
and their works will each be evaluated by how they deal with the subjects love, death,
loss and passing of time.
The short story " Separating " by John Updike deals with the subject of love and I also
believe it deals with the themes " quest for identity" and " alienation and nausea ". The
story talks about how two parents are going through the process of telling their children
that they are going to separate. This is important to them because they do love their
children very much; they want to make the timing perfect so it is easier on the children.
The father and mother seemed as though they needed to find out who they really were
without their children. They did all things for the kids. They said that they loved one
another but yet they didn't make each other happy. I think that they just weren't sure
what made them "happy".
"Weekend " a short story by Ann Beattie deals with the subject of " loss of time " and
the same theme that Updikes story dealt with " quest for identity " .I chose the subject
of time because at first they loved one another and had a good relationship and then time
passed and they ended up in such a weird place in their relationship. George had control
over Lenore in the way that she never knows that she can leave him and be okay. She stays
with him because she does care for him but also because she has a place to put her
children and herself to sleep.
"Wish for a Young Wife " a poem by Theodore Rothke is one that goes into the subject of
loss or the idea of loss. This is a man who is telling his wife that he hopes that even
while he grows old he wishes that she were beautiful and young for eternity. H e wishes
her to never endure grief or hate; these are the very things that make one old. He could
be very much in love with his wife and by wishing this for her, so she never looses her
beauty. Or, he could be wishing these things for his benefit so he never looses his
beautiful young wife.
Sylvia Plath's poem " Lady Lazarus " deals mainly with the subject of death. I'm not sure
completely but this could be " humor in the horror ", I know it is not " a nightmare
world " but, " pick the worms off of me like sticky pearls " is some sort of gross humor.
She discusses her 3 suicide attempts, comparing herself to a cat with 9 lives. She also
includes a comparison of herself to a concentration camp victim. She states " dying is an
art … I do it exceptionally well." Doctors are her enemy and she warns them to "
beware".
Overall in most literature you can see a little of death, love, loss and a loss of time.
These subject matters are used so frequently because those things are life. They are the
things people feel strongly about. People relate and understand these topics.