Kavalier and Clay Literary Analysis
The Figurative Sandwich
A book is just like a sandwich because, just like a book, a sandwich can possess many layers. A book takes a lot of planning, writing and editing while a sandwich has these layers: the bread, then the roast beef, then the cheese. A sandwich with just the cheese does not create much excitement on the part of the diner. In the same way, many intricate, well-thought out layers makes a good book great. Michael Chabon explores the many complex layers of his narrative and has written a one-of-a-kind novel, or the equivalent of a one foot high sandwich, in The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. Chabon uses numerous literary devices in his writing; at unique device is that he writes in third person perspective. This allows Chabon to explore the complex lives of his characters and show the reader the differences in the way each character handles escape in his life. Characters change their current situations because they want to change something about their lives. In The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, Michael Chabon uses figurative language, irony, and symbols of escape to explore the ways in which people try to escape from their ordinary lives.
Michael Chabon deliberately uses figurative language to show how homosexual men have to hide their sexuality from society. Sammy has long been wrestling with being gay, but he has yet to do anything about it. One day the two boys share a moment at the top of the Empire State building. They kiss, and Sammy is “taken by surprise by the time his brain with its considerable store of Judeo-Christian prohibitions and attitudes could begin sending its harsh and condemnatory messages... it was too late” (Chabon 352). Kissing another man may not be immoral, but many people consider it a sin. Sammy feels the same way; that is why it is hard for him to accept his sexuality. If Sammy were to come out of the closet, he would be condemned. His fame and fortune from the comic books would be
A book is just like a sandwich because, just like a book, a sandwich can possess many layers. A book takes a lot of planning, writing and editing while a sandwich has these layers: the bread, then the roast beef, then the cheese. A sandwich with just the cheese does not create much excitement on the part of the diner. In the same way, many intricate, well-thought out layers makes a good book great. Michael Chabon explores the many complex layers of his narrative and has written a one-of-a-kind novel, or the equivalent of a one foot high sandwich, in The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. Chabon uses numerous literary devices in his writing; at unique device is that he writes in third person perspective. This allows Chabon to explore the complex lives of his characters and show the reader the differences in the way each character handles escape in his life. Characters change their current situations because they want to change something about their lives. In The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, Michael Chabon uses figurative language, irony, and symbols of escape to explore the ways in which people try to escape from their ordinary lives.
Michael Chabon deliberately uses figurative language to show how homosexual men have to hide their sexuality from society. Sammy has long been wrestling with being gay, but he has yet to do anything about it. One day the two boys share a moment at the top of the Empire State building. They kiss, and Sammy is “taken by surprise by the time his brain with its considerable store of Judeo-Christian prohibitions and attitudes could begin sending its harsh and condemnatory messages... it was too late” (Chabon 352). Kissing another man may not be immoral, but many people consider it a sin. Sammy feels the same way; that is why it is hard for him to accept his sexuality. If Sammy were to come out of the closet, he would be condemned. His fame and fortune from the comic books would be