Classic Essay
Imagine— you are sitting upon an old dock at the edge of a pond as the evening sun begins to set. You become mesmerized by the captivating ornamentation of light that dances off the ripples of the water. There is the sudden faint cry of a loon in the distance that startles you and brings you from that tranquil state back to the harrowing vapidity of reality. Instead of turning to annoyance, you realize the loon is time and you are Norman Thayer, the character from “On Golden Pond” who lost their charismatic outlook on life to the turning of time. A vast array of critics call “On Golden Pond” a classic because it captures the life of a quintessential American couple as they struggle to accept the facets that accompany growing old. …show more content…
The introduction to Norman and Ethel reveals that the play depicts the lifestyle of characters that follow the standard pattern of social behavior expected by American society. For example, they are middle class couple wealthy enough to afford both a winter and summer home in Maine. They are able to afford these homes because Norman went to college, earned a degree, and became a professor as a means to provide an income for his family. Norman displays he is an educated individual after he continuously references details from distinguished novels, such as The Count of Monte Cristo. The play was written in a time when it was standard for the husband to go to work while the wife stayed home with the children. While Norman was off at work, Ethel ran the house and took care of their daughter. Giving the characters a conventional lifestyle ensures the play will not receive backlash. Audiences would prefer to watch a play that establishes comfortability, rather than one that depicts the life of characters that may not exhibit standard patterns of social behavior because comfortability creates a pleasant feeling. Works of literature of literature deemed as an “American classic”commonly evoke a lighthearted emotion within their
Imagine— you are sitting upon an old dock at the edge of a pond as the evening sun begins to set. You become mesmerized by the captivating ornamentation of light that dances off the ripples of the water. There is the sudden faint cry of a loon in the distance that startles you and brings you from that tranquil state back to the harrowing vapidity of reality. Instead of turning to annoyance, you realize the loon is time and you are Norman Thayer, the character from “On Golden Pond” who lost their charismatic outlook on life to the turning of time. A vast array of critics call “On Golden Pond” a classic because it captures the life of a quintessential American couple as they struggle to accept the facets that accompany growing old. …show more content…
The introduction to Norman and Ethel reveals that the play depicts the lifestyle of characters that follow the standard pattern of social behavior expected by American society. For example, they are middle class couple wealthy enough to afford both a winter and summer home in Maine. They are able to afford these homes because Norman went to college, earned a degree, and became a professor as a means to provide an income for his family. Norman displays he is an educated individual after he continuously references details from distinguished novels, such as The Count of Monte Cristo. The play was written in a time when it was standard for the husband to go to work while the wife stayed home with the children. While Norman was off at work, Ethel ran the house and took care of their daughter. Giving the characters a conventional lifestyle ensures the play will not receive backlash. Audiences would prefer to watch a play that establishes comfortability, rather than one that depicts the life of characters that may not exhibit standard patterns of social behavior because comfortability creates a pleasant feeling. Works of literature of literature deemed as an “American classic”commonly evoke a lighthearted emotion within their