Compare Hale's Outsider with Burrow's Junky - Essay Example

? Compare Hale’s Outsider with Burrow’s Junky (23.09.11) William Burroughs was amongst the most influential literary figures in the 20th century. He was a writer who deviated from traditional ways of writing and made literature exciting and mysterious. He had the tendency of creating a literature of risk whereby the writer portrayed himself as an outsider in a society surrounded with acceptable writers. Junky was his first book that was written and published after he shot his wife accidentally. From that moment onwards he started feeling that he was possessed by an outside force or ugly spirit. He found an escape from such feelings by writing his way out. Junky was a semi autobiographical narrative of the daily life of a heroin addict. Although the book is quite straightforward in telling the story of a drug addict it is considered to be more political than literary. The book attracted controversy because of its contentious drug themes, which is evident from subtitles in the book such as Confessions of an Unredeemed Drug Addict. Nevertheless, it is clear from the story that the author has depicted himself as an outsider amongst outsiders because he himself was not a drug addict but had ventured into the sleazy world of drugs in attempts to escape from his mental agony after he accidentally shot his wife. This paper makes a comparison of Burroughs work with Hale’s A Nation of Outsiders. The paper holds that Hale has focused and highlighted perceptions of how middle class whites in America began believing themselves to be outsiders in their own country during the period after the Second World War. In contrast, the Junky does not aim at creating any kind of sympathy for drug addicts. The book titled A Nation of Outsiders: How the White Middle Class Fell in Love with Rebellion in Postwar America by Grace Elizabeth Hale also deals with the issue of outsider in terms of the characteristics of life in America after the end of the Second World War. Hale argues that life for many Americans was dominated by the idea of the outsider. In having explored the reasons for the same, she found they had become fascinated with the outsider because of being dissatisfied with centrism, which was the materialism, dullness and the absence of truly perceived commitments amongst middle class suburbs in the country. At this time Americans had started identifying themselves with outsiders or rebels whom they mostly associated with African Americans. Hale argues that in having identified themselves with the outsider, Americans had started pursuing inconsistent objectives. They had started working towards their self perceived independence and individual freedom. In being fascinated with outsiders, Americans had started desiring to remain connected and to have value in terms of having a deep sense of sharing with other people. Such paradoxical reversals engrossed many white middle class Americans after the Second World War. It became a fashion for middle class whites in America to have perceptions of being outsiders. Hale has depicted how a large number of people began defining themselves as outsiders although these groups always appeared to compete with one another. But all these people created their respective group’s identity as outsiders. For instance, during the time when the abortion debate was at its zenith, anti abortion activists thought of themselves as outsiders because the Supreme Court had legalized abortion in 1973. Because these people were entirely against legalizing abortion they started considering themselves as outsiders, while the insiders were considered to be those that were favored by the law of the land (Hale, 2011). The similarity of these circumstances can be felt in Burrough’s Junky because nothing much has changed in the several years since the book was published. Drug addiction continues to be a strong moral issue for many people and in being fair as a society Americans have not made much progress by way of understanding the ways in which drugs should be treated. It cannot be denied that there is a long way to go. Junky depicts the story of William Lee who is from the middle class and is relatively privileged in being well educated (Burroughs, 1977). He narrates his story of how he was introduced to junk, how he got addicted and how he was continuing to struggle on this hellish journey in being a complete outsider to the usual group that comprises the world of drug addicts in a corporate environment. He was entirely different from the hip and romantic drug users. He did not live an artistic life nor did he live a bohemian life style resembling that of musicians, painters and poets who created exceptional works of art and enjoyed life. In effect, Junky is a straightforward narrative relating to the vicious circle of obsession and addiction. Burroughs has demonstrated how repeated attempts by those distressed to get away from the habit proved to be futile. Once someone gets into this world there appears to be no way to get out. In similar vein, there appeared to be no way out for middle class Americans in Hale’s novel from the feelings of being outsiders in their own country. The attempts made by Burroughs to present Junky as a work of art can be actually seen as a deep rooted glimpse into an aspect of American life that was almost ignored till the time this book was published. The book has considered several aspects of a world that has gradually become worse by the day. Junky has provided a comprehensive report of how an individual became a drug addict after entering the sleazy underworld, how he is compelled to search for his daily fix, the dubious people he has to depend upon and the problems he faces in undergoing all these chores. The objective of the author is to fully involve readers in the world of a person who is overwhelmed by addiction. From the concept of outsider as outlined by Hale there does not appear to be much similarity with what Burroughs has depicted in his novel. In this context, the only resemblance that surfaces is the fact that William Lee, the addict in Junky, is a complete misfit and outsider to the world of drugs and thus faces extreme difficulties in being unable to adjust to the daily chores that he has to comply with. It is also evident that there appears to be no way out for Lee, despite the fact that he wants to kick the habit, but he has to eventually surrender to his fate. Junky does not aim at creating any kind of sympathy for drug addicts and does not advise potential drug users to stay away from the habit. However, Hale clearly creates an environment whereby she focuses on the perceived outsider status of middle class whites after the Second World War in seeking a sense of sympathy for them. Works Cited Burroughs, William. Junky, Penguin, 1977. Hale, Grace Elizabeth. A Nation of Outsiders: How the White Middle Class Fell in Love with Rebellion in Postwar America, Oxford University Press, 2011. Read More