AmeLit Prompt: The following
short story "The Most Beautiful Woman in Town" is an example of not
only a Beat Generation writer but of
the Confessional Period in American
Literature. In a well-organized essay, reflect on what the author is confessing, and how the author's style affects the impact of his confession. Use the reverse of the page if
necessary.
The word “confession” contains more meaning
than simply saying the truth. Usually, it is more about the silenced truth,
about uncomfortable subjects that people choose not to tell. So when it is
stated that Charles Bukowski’s “The Most Beautiful Woman in Town” is a confessional
literature, there must be identification on what the uncomfortably confessed
truth is, and how it is portrayed.
The general characteristics of the
protagonist of “The Most Beautiful Woman in
Town” indicate every traits of rural lowlife. He is
unemployed, uneducated and most of all impassionate. There is no attempt made
to elevate his social status, and he is not ashamed of it. An average man would
castigate the protagonist for being a scum, but in a closer view, the “broken”
lifestyle of the protagonist is much reasonable compared to that of the average
men. What meaning is there in diligence, social respect and admired jobs, when
everyone dies anyway? At the end of the day, what is left is “Old ladies in
their 70's and 80's sat on the benches and discussed selling real estate left
behind by husbands long ago killed by the pace and stupidity.”
But then is the protagonist happy? If the
protagonist is contented after defying all of social norms, it would not be
praised as much. The true despair of absurd is that after realizing the
voidness of the happiness from norms, one is hardly able to find its
substitute, or true happiness. The confession of Bukowski is that even after
our personal enlightenment, much bigger meaninglessness elapses. Bukowski’s
despair echoes in the line “Nothing. I can’t get on to anything. No interest.”
when the protagonist is asked “What are you doing?”
Bukowski confesses his powerlessness toward
the violence of the void, broken world through the protagonist’s actions. It is
evident that the protagonist loved Cass, nonetheless, he does not show an immediate
reaction to her death. When the bartender tells him that Cass had “cut her
throat”, the protagonist simply responds, “I see. Give me another drink.” A
more appropriate reaction blurts out after some time when he screams at a
honking car, which has nothing to do with the death of his lover. The
protagonist’s actions depict everyday lives being torn apart by the depression
that the broken society provides. Despite the despair that resides, there is
nothing that an individual could do against it. Bukowski illustrates this
impotency by ending his story “The night kept coming and there was nothing I
could do.”
Absurd and powerlessness against it are both
depressing ideas. Eloquent, Shakespeare-like language would not fit
illustrating or confessing of such topics. Because the character and the writer
are both broken individuals living in broken worlds, their language must be
broken as well. Bukowski frequently uses obscene language. These languages’ inappropriateness
accurately depicts the daily lives, mismatched and distorted. Illustrating an
ugly world with beautiful words and pretending as if it is a beautiful is
hypocrisy.
