Modern Society Past Life Essay - 1,246 words

Anne Tyler's, The Accidental Tourist and Morgan's Passing, illuminate man's alienation in modern society. In both, the quest for self-knowledge is the primary goal faced by the main character. The Accidental Tourist and Morgan's Passing both deal with characters attempting to overcome their alienation from society after being forced in isolation by a horrible occurrence in their lives. The focus of both novels lies on Macon's and Morgan's attempts to reconnect with society. Both male protagonists attempt to overcome their asphyxiating inhibitions and re-discover a sense of identity lost in isolation. Throughout the course of Morgan's Passing, Morgan the protagonist's alienation from society appears as the prominent theme.


The protagonist of this work lives under an alias, a false identity created to make him feel less isolated. Each morning Morgan chooses "who to be today", from his vast closet of costumes (Bennet 162). These identities affect his life a great deal, as it is while posing as a doctor, that he meets Emily, who ultimately changes his life (Yardley 182). Through this false identity, Morgan is capable of holding control of his life. In Morgan's Passing symbolism is used to show Morgan's growth and movement away from alienation. Morgan's "assumed personas" represent his life with Emily, whereas his relationship with his wife is represented through his true personality (Morgans Passing 162).


Through conflicts faced by Morgan, the reader becomes aware of Morgan's mistakes in denying "his family and lovers" (Wolcott 34). In Morgan's Passing, Morgan's awareness of the goodness of change represents his life of isolation. Though his marriage to Bonny awarded him with things as a home and a career, his heart and mind are left empty. Because of his interaction with Emily, Morgan cultivates an appreciation of "permanence in change" (Peck 9).


In The Accidental Tourist, the death of Ethan, his son, pushes Macon towards isolation. The starting point occurs when Macon's wife for over two decades decides to leave him. Macon is abandoned with one only Ellen, the cat and Edward" as companions (Yardley 120). She fears that her husband has transformed her into a hermit or recluse, by not allowing her to experience the world (Yardley 120). Macon's isolation expands further as he restores his own daily routine which establishes for him, a sense of order by following the same pattern each day.


After attempting to harm himself, Macon relocates to "his grandmother's house", which is the place where he grew up, symbolizing his opposition to change and his reversion back to his past life (Peck 12). Each day, Macon does his laundry by walking upon it as he showers, a childish act, which makes him seem like a child once again (Peck 12). Finally, Ethan's dog, Edward, symbolizes his son, because since his wife left he is the only reminder of Ethan, and he clings viciously to this symbol. Although Edward remains a symbol of both Ethan and Macon's "past life", Edward is the force that pulls Macon out of isolation (Humphrey 150).


Edward's outward influence pulls Macon out of isolation and into the real world and adds hope to his life (Smith 110). Both novels, Morgan's Passing and The Accidental Tourist, occur in the city of Baltimore, Maryland. In both novels, Baltimore signifies an ideology, a state of mind. In Morgan's Passing isolation is described by Morgan's perception of Baltimore as somewhere "unplayable, whose details" were apparent to him (Hoffman 95).


In reference to Singleton Street, a street in The Accidental Tourist, Yardley suggests that although the street is "fiction, it's real" (119). Although both protagonists lived in the same city, the ways in which people affected their daily lives differs. Morgan finds Baltimore an easy place to hide. However, in Macon's case th ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

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Essay Tags: passing, past life, modern society, morgan, macon

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