"War, Materialism, And The Loss Of Human Values In Norman Mailer’s The Naked And The Dead"
Abstract
This study explores The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer, a landmark novel that examines the cultural and sociopolitical climate of America after World War II. Focusing on the depersonalization and degradation of human values in a materialistic society, Mailer's book tackles the tension between the mechanical forces of systemic oppression and an individual's fight for integrity. In the book, war is portrayed as a microcosm of contemporary American life, where monetary considerations are given precedence over ethical and spiritual requirements due to the advent of industrialization and mass culture. While individuals like Lieutenant Hearn and Private Valsen make an effort, if in vain, to oppose dehumanization, Mailer represents the ubiquitous powers of control and manipulation via authoritarian characters such as General Cummings and Sergeant Croft. The loss of individuality, traditional values, and moral clarity in a society dominated by materialism and power dynamics is criticized in Mailer's realistic story, which is punctuated by symbolic elements and flashbacks. The novel's Time Machine parts highlight the wider effects of past and cultural influences on the present. According to this research, Mailer's portrayal of war highlights moral and spiritual decay in modern American society and speaks to a larger social ill. In the end, Mailer depicts the enduring human desire for a better society despite institutionalized corruption and factors that dehumanize people.
References
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