Sam Patch The Famous Jumper Analysis

In Paul Johnson’s perceptive book, Sam Patch the Famous Jumper, Johnson casts a new light on aspects of American society that may have been undervalued. Sam, a working-class spinner, comes up with his own way to combat the growing wave of industrialization and suburbanization in America; stunt jumping off waterfalls. Sam is motivated by a number of different things, including his desire for the working-class to be given more credit and more respect than they have traditionally received in the past, which illustrates one of the novel’s most important themes, the conflict between the lower and upper socioeconomic classes in the United States. In addition to social conflict, the novel also addresses the idea of the rise of self-made fame, which …show more content…
Johnson did a very good job of conveying his main ideas in the novel, representing Patch as a symbol of broader issues in society. However, at the time of his death, we are either led to believe that Patch is either a hero who died for a noble cause, or a drunken fool who jumps off waterfalls for cheap thrills, due to the style Johnson uses to describe him. Johnson’s book about Sam Patch ties well into the themes we have learned throughout our American history class. America has begun to transform from a farming society to an industrial society, which we can see illustrated in Johnson’s book. Americans, as a society, are beginning to lean more towards factories and workshops and away from farming just for the family. Sam Patch also becomes a symbol of a self-made celebrity, just like as we learned Andrew Jackson did. Sam was like a modern-day Kardashian, not famous for much. However, Sam Patch did become a national celebrity by his own making, just as Andrew Jackson did. Sam Patch’s life is a perfect example of how industrialization and class conflict shaped the lives of many