Analysis Of The Accidental Tourist

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How does an individual adapt to change? How does adapting to this change affect his relationships, his perspective, or his life in general? These are questions that are answered thoroughly in The Accidental Tourist, as they are relevant to the text thematically. In the novel, the focus is placed primarily on protagonist Macon Leary; special attention is given to his adjustment to the loss of his son and an impending divorce from his wife, Sarah. Through this focus on Macon’s changes in life, the themes of loss, the disillusionment of life, and the process of changing over time are explored thoroughly within the text. To better understand these themes and the text as a whole, it is beneficial to look at The Accidental Tourist through multiple …show more content…
This can best be seen through a close analysis of the characters. Like any narrative, the character relationships in The Accidental Tourist are exceedingly important, particularly since Macon’s relationships with both women are exceedingly relevant to the text. Through characterization, Tyler presents this notion of time being an agent that changes an individual. Macon is perhaps the best textual example for this idea. Readers watch Macon undergo several changes throughout the narrative, making him a dynamic character. His changing persona is best expressed in his decision to pursue Muriel at the ending of the novel, an unlikely decision for the meticulous Macon presented at the novel’s start. This theme of change over time can also be seen through the character of Muriel, particularly due to the fact that she serves as a foil character to Macon, as Muriel helps readers to see the changes in Macon’s persona. [DO I NEED A textual …show more content…
Freud considered repression to be a defense mechanism that kept away thoughts, responses, or impulses to painful for the conscious mind to cope with, storing them away in the subconscious; this process is only temporary, as the repressed elements will inevitably return and need to be dealt with (Roberts 60). In the novel, this is exactly how Macon handles the death of Ethan. His subconscious mind prevents his conscious mind of truly assessing the loss of his son; he thinks about Ethan and knows his son is dead, but his subconscious will not allow him to cope with this loss due to repression. About this, the text says, “He had never actually said out loud that Ethan was dead.” (Tyler 197). This textual example happens when Macon is about to explain to Muriel about Ethan; it shows Macon’s unwillingness to fully accept the devastating news of his son’s death, despite certainly knowing of it already. However, the events of the story happening directly after this quote lead ultimately to Macon coping with the loss, as he begins to quit repressing these details. Shortly after the aforementioned quote, he struggles, but eventually tells Muriel that he has lost his son. Simply speaking of this death helps break the cycle of repression that his subconscious has accomplished as seen when the text later says, “[Macon] often found himself talking

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