Character analysis of falconer
Character analysis of falconerIn the novel Falconer, by John Cheever, the main character, Farragut, is motivated by the wish to escape from an unpleasant world. In the "Overview" of John Cheever, it says, "Cheever's world commonly portrays individuals in conflict with their communities and often with themselves." In this novel, Farragut is sent to Falconer prison for murdering his brother, and has to deal with the confinement and withdrawal of his drug addictions. In addition, Cheever expresses emotional tension arising from the gap between the peaceful environment, individual passion, and discontent ("Overview" N. Pag.). Farragut, also, has to deal with his loneliness from the outside world. He tries to solve this problem by engaging in a homosexual relationship. Even though Cheever does not judge his characters, he treats them with understanding and compassion. Cheever's characters are uncertain in their desires, so the stories themselves are unclear, presenting no clear resolution ("Overview" N. Pag.). Finally, at the end, Farragut miraculously escapes from prison, and the unpleasant world he was living in.
Farragut's actions tend to add emotional tension to the novel. The novel reminds us that man has always had to face new and inhospitable environments, and that change, with its accompanying reactions of surprise and shock, can be stimulating as well as disturbing (Bracher N. Pag.). Farragut did not mean to kill his brother. His brother's death was an accident, and he is now being sentenced for it. As a result, Farragut was taken from the world he knew, where he had a wife, a child, and a house to live in. Now, he is living his life in cellblock F in Falconer prison, isolated from the world he once knew. He tries to keep himself busy, so he will not have to think about where he is. Man pays a price and often a terrible one, Cheever feels, if he tries to deny his backgrounds and become something different, or if he is cut off from these sources of his identity (Burhans, Jr., N. Pag.). Farragut denies his brothers death, thus, sentenced to prison with no hope of living again in a pleasant world.
Farragut's coping with confinement brings new stress to his life. Farragut tries to move through experience, instead of resting in it (Bracher N. Pag.). For example, Farragut overcame his drug addiction without even noticing he had quit. No matter how absorbing the present, it is flowing toward an unpredictable future, and carrying the individual to a new stage of growth, to new possibilities of experience (Bracher N. Pag.). For instance, Farragut found himself engaged in a homosexual relationship without even dreaming of something so disgusting. Frederick Bracher remarks, "Love and pain, passion and sorrow, are intense but transitory"(N. Pag.). At first, Farragut seemed to love his partner, even though he felt pain inside himself for his actions. Later, after...
To view the complete essay, you be registered.