The Last Picture Show
Novel Paper on The Last Picture Show Accurately depicting life through the eyes of a teenager is now easy feat to accomplish. However, Larry McMurtry's epic novel, The Last Picture Show, successfully accomplishes this task . The Last Picture Show is a tantalizing tale of teenagers struggling towards adulthood and grasping for maturity. When looking at how specific and accurate some of the instances in the book are, it becomes evident that some of McMurtry's teen experiences are found between the pages as well. Through the character of Sonny, setting, and a third person omniscient point of view, McMurtry is able to authentically recreate small-town American in the little town of Thalia Through the character of Sonny Crawford, McMurtry is able to create a walking reflection of small town morals and values. Throughout the novel, there is no question that Sonny is the central figure whom everything in Thalia revolves around. The main figures in Sonny's life are Ruth Popper, the 40 year-old woman he begins to date, his best friend Duane and his socially climbing girlfriend Jacy, Sam the Lion, the father figure of the town, and Billy. Like one would expect in a small town, all these characters stories become interconne
When Sam dies, Duane suddenly moves to Odessa, stranding Sonny without a best friend. Throughout the novel, Sonny is also constantly crippled by internal struggles. After Jacy and Sonny finally break up, Sonny ends up lonelier than he has ever been before, leaving him now without a best friend and a wife. He also becomes a father figure to Billy and takes care of him once Sam is dead. Because of the broom, Billy emerges as the only character in the novel who ever seems truly happy with his companion. He also goes out for the basketball team because he feels doing so is his moral obligation, simply because he is a senior and knows the team needs every man it can to field a team. Like many others in a typical small town, Sonny has learned to be independent from a young age. The inner monologue provided by the narrator is not only limited to major characters. In the very first line of the book, the narrator states about Sonny, "sometimes Sonny felt like the only human creature in town" (1). The story occurs around mid-1900 in the small town of Thalia, Texas. More minor characters are explored too. Sonny also has to cope with his father's crippling drug addiction His father offers him financial support, but Sonny turns it down and instead finds a job of his own, though he has little time for it, and learns to take care of himself. Sonny is now without his best friend, pseudo father, and the woman he loved.
Common topics in this essay:
Thalia McMurtry,
Jacy Sonny,
Sonny Jacy,
Ruth Popper's,
Sonny Sonny,
Sonny Duane,
Larry McMurtry's,
Thalia Texas,
Sam Lion,
America McMurtry's,
ruth popper,
town thalia,
character sonny,
mcmurtry able,
omniscient view,
third person omniscient,
life thalia,
inner monologue,
otherwise gone,
character novel,
sonny friend,
reader able feel,
view chosen mcmurtry,
person omniscient view,
|