Wednesday, December 7, 2016
On page 259 Sammy is talking about how he thinks he has reached a point where he has power and is beginning to seem somewhat satisfied with his career and position of power. On 259 Sammy says that because of his possessions he feels "patriotic." Sammy relates his power, control and ownership of material things to patriotism because he is proud of the country that has allowed him to take advantage of people and be successful at the expense of others. The actual dictionary definition of patriotism is "devoted love, support, and defense of one's country; national loyalty" which is different than the way Sammy thinks and feels about patriotism. What is patriotic about the way Sammy thinks about patriotism and how does this relate to the way he uses and treats other characters (mostly women) in the book? We see Sammy constantly using other people as stepping stones and landmarks towards his ultimate success. Is this in any way related to stereotypical American dream? Relating back to last weeks discussion, do we perceive Sammy in a different moral light than before?
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I believe that Schulberg depicts Sammy's relationship with his country as ironic. Sammy is someone who was born in New York's Lower East Side, an impoverished, "dog-eat-dog world" to be raised in. Generally, one would expect someone in a down-and-out neighborhood such as Glick's to curse their life and the country that has given nothing to them. Yet, Sammy's ambitious and empowered mindset moved him out of Rivington Street and placed him on a track to success. It was surely his motivation to get ahead, not his opportunities, that got him to this state of ownership, control, power, etc. How could he possibly feel patriotic about his country?
ReplyDeleteThe answer is: he doesn't. When Sammy feels "patriotic", I see it as a devotion/loyalty to a business structure that fosters the ability to step on others in order to climb up the rungs of success. He is only proud because he has made it to the top. Sammy only pledges allegiance to the competitive, materialistic aspect of the American Dream. "I saw Sammy Glick on a battlefield where every soldier was his own cause, his own army and his own flag, and I realized that I had singled him out not because he had been born into the world anymore selfish, ruthless and cruel than anybody else, even though he had become all three, but because in the midst of a war that was selfish, ruthless and cruel Sammy was proving himself the fittest and the fiercest and the fastest."
I do not see Sammy in a more moral light. If anything he is immoral, for his assertion of his new wealth-based patriotism now discredits the impoverished populations's feeling of patriotism for their country.