Sometimes a Great Notion is a novel set in the American Northwest, concerning a family of ruggedly individualistic lumberjacks who come into conflict with the entire town over a union dispute. Hank was forced to call his brother back from the East. Both his brother and the Union work at their hardest to break Hank's will. The story is composed largely of tales of success, where Hank manages to shrug off various attempts at sabotage, be it the destruction of his mill, the theft of his lumber, or even the lies and rumors spread to turn the entire Stamper family against them. He takes each and every challenge in stride, often claiming that the problems really are good luck, despite his knowledge that he is being sabotaged.
Despite his excellent response to all these problems, he eventually breaks down. As his half-brother Leeland steals his wife, the main character Hank. These absolute pigpile of various forces doing their best to break down Hank Stamper is clearly representative of America's desire to thwart rebels wherever possible. The scene where Hank discovers his wife has been stolen is particularly intense, as he walks back towards his house after his best friend has been killed and his father hospitalized, he seems defeated, with all of his workforce gone, although he knows he, with his half-brother and cousin, can finish the job. He swims the river back to his house because his boat has broken, only to find his half-brother sleeping with his wife. At that point, he acts sick and seems to give up. The sheer conspiracy of forces against this one individual clearly shows how Ken Kesey sees the American Experience, as a thing which crushes the souls of individuals. While Hank Stamper picks himself up by the bootstraps, and we are left confused as to whether or not he is ultimately successful, it is still against the odds of the American System. The people around him are fighting him, the contract with the mill is unyielding concerning whether or not he is successful.
While this tale is fictional, the author, Ken Kesey, clearly knew quite a bit about how the the American system operated. He often struggled with the idea of individuality, as demonstrated by his trek across the country, which was originally an attempt to publish Sometimes a Great Notion, as that journey resulted in hundreds of illegal activities, the institutionalization of one Ken Kesey's close travelling companions, and later resulted in Ken Kesey's flight to Mexico to avoid possession of illegal drug charges. Ken Kesey clearly has a good idea of how the American Experience thwarts individualistic rebels.
For FURTHER reading, one could read about..
Despite his excellent response to all these problems, he eventually breaks down. As his half-brother Leeland steals his wife, the main character Hank. These absolute pigpile of various forces doing their best to break down Hank Stamper is clearly representative of America's desire to thwart rebels wherever possible. The scene where Hank discovers his wife has been stolen is particularly intense, as he walks back towards his house after his best friend has been killed and his father hospitalized, he seems defeated, with all of his workforce gone, although he knows he, with his half-brother and cousin, can finish the job. He swims the river back to his house because his boat has broken, only to find his half-brother sleeping with his wife. At that point, he acts sick and seems to give up. The sheer conspiracy of forces against this one individual clearly shows how Ken Kesey sees the American Experience, as a thing which crushes the souls of individuals. While Hank Stamper picks himself up by the bootstraps, and we are left confused as to whether or not he is ultimately successful, it is still against the odds of the American System. The people around him are fighting him, the contract with the mill is unyielding concerning whether or not he is successful.
While this tale is fictional, the author, Ken Kesey, clearly knew quite a bit about how the the American system operated. He often struggled with the idea of individuality, as demonstrated by his trek across the country, which was originally an attempt to publish Sometimes a Great Notion, as that journey resulted in hundreds of illegal activities, the institutionalization of one Ken Kesey's close travelling companions, and later resulted in Ken Kesey's flight to Mexico to avoid possession of illegal drug charges. Ken Kesey clearly has a good idea of how the American Experience thwarts individualistic rebels.
For FURTHER reading, one could read about..