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Look Homeward, Angel A Story of the Buried Life |
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Thomas Wolfe |
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This novel tells the story of Eugene, a young man from a small town whose upbringing in a family full of hate, love and confusion echoes the upbringing of everyone. He longs to escape his boarding-house mistress mother, his alcoholic father, his overbearing and motherly sister, and his assortment of brothers, who range from Luke, the stuttering hateful one, to Steve, an alcoholic like his father. After the initial loss of his most sensitive brother, Grover, the formers twin Ben, takes over the caring of Eugene, trying to help him in whatever ways he can. Loss and disappointment abound in Eugene's life, however, and even Ben cannot prepare him for the confusion he must face. As Eugene struggles to grow up in a small town, he learns lessons that will help him to become a man, which he desperately wants. Eventually, Eugene finds he must escape from his life, and leaves for college. The story of Eugene, full of loss and learning, is one that is so close to the confusion that everyone feels at one time or another, that it rings frighteningly close to home.
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