Whitman And Palahniuk: Literary Analysis

It is known that the world and everything within it changes with time, whether it's technology, relationships, or even the economy. These changes sometimes are for the better and sometimes it's like taking three steps back. It continues to be obvious that with each generation comes a new set of alterations and attitudes about life in general. However, when concentrating on the evolution of identity in American Literature it is clearer to track the patterns. Specifically, Walt Whitman's "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry", Langston Hughes' "Theme for English B", and Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk respectively illustrate the growth of identity from one time period to another. Although Whitman, Hughes, and Palahniuk are all writers within different historical and economical periods, the exploration of identity found in the authors' literature still give readers a feel of how much things truly have changed. For instance, in "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry" Whitman sheds light mostly on social identity. Whitman's intention with the poem was to prove to society that all citizens are united under similar lifestyles and …show more content…
Palahniuck brings readers into a world of chaos as the protagonist suffers from a split personality disorder and insomnia. These two dilemmas were the result of the narrator's identity confusion. Actually, not so much confusion but rather boredom with his life and views his existence as pointless. For example, the author presents the current psychological identity crisis that several young adults face by mentioning what many are afraid to admit, which is that "God's attention for being bad was better than getting no attention at all. Maybe because God's hate is better than His indifference" (Palahniuk 141). This attitude about life and how to go about living it shows to what extent the spectrum of identity has been