Let me start off by saying how much I enjoyed the roller coaster that is The White Boy Shuffle. The change of pace and setting was really refreshing and it was interesting how there were still many connections to be made to the previous three novels.
Out of the three, there's no doubt that TWBS is most similar to Invisible Man. So much so in fact, it could almost be a remake set in the 90's. Gunnar and the narrator both start off incredibly unaware of the racial tensions between whites and blacks. They then get their whole worlds turned upside down by moving to opposite environments (Santa Monica to Hillside, the South to New York). There they undergo a series of transformations that culminate in a huge event of chaos that leave them forever altered.
Unlike Invisible Man, however, TWBS ends very somber and dark. Rather than signing off with a positive outlook toward the future like the narrator, Gunnar seems to have completely given up on the world. His dismal disposition is somewhat shocking as he has a growing family and friends to live for. On the other hand, it's understandable how he's fed up with the endless blind worship he faces at every turn. He wants to go out his way and the only way he can is to embrace death. Why give those who detest him the satisfaction of the kill? Beatty then closes spectacularly with the image of painted white targets centered around Gunnar's motel printed vividly in our minds. How appropriate.
Out of the three, there's no doubt that TWBS is most similar to Invisible Man. So much so in fact, it could almost be a remake set in the 90's. Gunnar and the narrator both start off incredibly unaware of the racial tensions between whites and blacks. They then get their whole worlds turned upside down by moving to opposite environments (Santa Monica to Hillside, the South to New York). There they undergo a series of transformations that culminate in a huge event of chaos that leave them forever altered.
Unlike Invisible Man, however, TWBS ends very somber and dark. Rather than signing off with a positive outlook toward the future like the narrator, Gunnar seems to have completely given up on the world. His dismal disposition is somewhat shocking as he has a growing family and friends to live for. On the other hand, it's understandable how he's fed up with the endless blind worship he faces at every turn. He wants to go out his way and the only way he can is to embrace death. Why give those who detest him the satisfaction of the kill? Beatty then closes spectacularly with the image of painted white targets centered around Gunnar's motel printed vividly in our minds. How appropriate.
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