Analysis of 'Young Man on Sixth Avenue'

Young Man on Sixth Avenue In “Young Man on Sixth Avenue” the author Mark Halliday discusses the significants of the story’s symbolism, conflicts with an interpretive point of view, and the overall theme. The young man in the story is a man of confidence, good looks, and youth until years pass and his life seems to not shine as bright in his eyes like his younger years were. He was dependent on his dark blue eyes and charm to get his way with women and in life in general. The man doesn’t seem too appreciative of his life as a twenty five year old until “those years” pass on to this “pseudo-present” when he realizes his life has gone by in the blink of an eye. I do believe this story is interpretive, because of his brief thoughts of his surroundings and constantly forced to figure out what each little detail it symbolizes. The symbolism in the story is a man full of youth and whom takes his young life for granted, not realizing the many perks of the happiest time in his life. The young man lives his life as if he only expects the best and nothing else. Women drool over him down the street of Manhattan, New York. He is in the the “most overwhelming city - and he is not overwhelmed.” As he strolls down the street, his head is held high as if nothing at all impresses him, which shows a symbolic meaning of this man’s way of living. He acts as if he doesn’t have a care in the world. He is a very noticeable man, not only are the women fascinated, everyone else on the streets, restaurants, and office buildings are, too. After having a quick lunch with an old friend, he heads up to the office building to his job interview. As soon as he walked in, the boss saw great power and “sincerity”. Approximately five minutes of the boss sizing the young man up, he got the job. The symbolism shown here is still the young man getting anything he desires, because of his outer appearance and attitude of confidence. With all of this young man’s power, however, there are plenty of