Monday, April 14, 2008
Eustace Conway
The life of Eustace Conway is definitely an example of how I imagine a true American to live it. Its not so much how he acts personally, but it deals more with the way he lives in a teepee, survives of the land, and uses little resources of the modern times. When Gilbert says that Eustace is “the last American man” of course the first thing that comes to your mind is just his way of life and the “outdoorsmanship” he possesses. However, the other thing you can get from this novel is the ability that Eustace has to survive in the life he created. Many other people have come to Eustace in hopes of living this same, but they failed. Their failure is what proves that Eustace only “true” American man left. Turtle Island is his frontier and the “proving grounds” for people to test themselves. Until another person can copy the exact lifestyle of Eustace Conway in the way that lives off Turtle, he will continue to be the last American man.
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1 comment:
Nickkk-
I agree with your basic idea here. Eustace is the "last American man" by the way you have defined the term. I do believe it is up to interpretation though. He does seem to be the last man who can succeed in this old American ideal, but maybe only because he makes it that way. The book really made me wonder if anyone could actually succeed at this lifestyle. If Eustace were more forgiving, maybe they could. There have been plenty of utopian societies throughout the history of our country, but all of them have failed. Eustace appears to be the one man who can and does make it work. So yes, in this sense he is the last American man.
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