Frank Norris’ work “Vandover and the Brute” Essay

The development of familiarity in Frank Norris cipher Vand over and the Brute is an interesting reflection of the Puritanical views that Americans have towards sexuality, promiscuity and the consequences thereof. The grandeur of this hold in is that it openly examined this value system in 1914, a condemnation when Vandovers behavior, even without the lycanthropy, was considered brutish and improper. Yet the American environment was in the midst of the basic sexual revolution as many modern women of the 1920s would don clothing that revealed their flesh and boyish haircuts for the Roaring mid-twenties.Again in the 1960s, the next major era of womens rights movements, sexuality would be tied to freedom and women would equate burning their bras and free hump with freedom and independence. This book then is a look at how a upstart man might acquire the values of the community approximately him without ever being taught directly that sex is dirty and that women are in some ma nner degraded when they participate in it. The interesting thing close to Norris work, which was print after his death, is that Vandover managed to acquire these misguided nonions of sexuality on his own.In the first base chapter, the author points out that during his adolescent years Vandovers only pistillate contact was with the housekeeper with whom he was constantly at odds. In addition, because his father would not discuss sexuality with him, he was forced to turn to an Encyclopedia Britannica to answers his questions rough women and sex. He was subjected to the crude jokes and unconscious sexual immaturity of boys going with puberty, but without a mother, governess or other strong feminine baffle to teach him right from wrong.Indeed, if one assumes that the author was in circumstance arduous to make a statement close to society rather than full tell a story about a maladjusted young man in the late 19th century, it becomes clear from the very first chapters that one of Norris indictments is against Vandovers father and his un bequeathingness to talk to his son about the facts of biography. In dead, one of the underlying themes through the entire work is the caprice that community only hint at their feelings and do not openly discuss the sexual nature of humanity even though it is a significant portion of their lives.One of the most interesting facets of this book is the word of honor of Vandovers first sexual encounter and his embarrassment and fault over it. If the situation had perhaps been handled with some amount of discussion, it might have prevented the events that would posterior occur, including Vandovers seduction of a good girl, her subsequent suicide, and his contingency degradation to gambling and alcoholism.The authors message that society unavoidably to quit hiding its own nature and covering for the high rank when they engage in reckless behavior is evident mid-book when Haight explains to Vandover that several of the y oung, stylish women at a cotillion were drunk. Haight tells his friends that society should call a jigaboo a spade and that when women of class drink similarly much they should be considered drunk as much as any man. This dual admonition of the means by which people receive a sexual tuition and the double-standards applied to men and women is perhaps the most interesting passage in the book.Another interesting idea that Norris sets forth through the theme of the book and the story itself is that Vandovers sexuality and promisecuity are to blame for the turn of events for him, including the leaving of his family fortune and his new role as a werewolf. Interestingly, rather than go up the concept that Vandovers situation might be a moderate of his addictive behavior including his sexually predatory nature, his alcoholism and his gambling addiction, the commentator is left with the idea that the bad things which happen to him are consequences of his sexuality alone.though Norr is portrays Vandover throughout the novel as a weak-willed individual who is too faineant to work hard and get what he wants out of life, everything in his life is blamed on his sexuality and his desire for women of a certain type. The fact that Vandover does not settle down with a fine, upstanding woman, regardless of his feelings for her is seen as an affront to society as a whole. The most important messages about sexuality that are relayed via Vandover and The Brute are the concepts that sexuality exists as it does because people dont talk about it and that there are consequences for sexual behavior.The first concept is perhaps the most intriguing because it still applies now, approximately 100 years later. Though we do not have the corresponding level of closed-mouth attitudes toward sex as Vandover encountered, it is not uncommon even in the modern day to find parents of high school students who do not want their children exposed to sex education for fear that the education will lead to promiscuity.Instead of teaching real information regarding the dangers, both somatogenetic and emotional, of beginning a sexual relationship at the wrong time, too many parents concentrate on the Puritanical approach to sex education, associating it with guilt and sin. Young people are not properly educated regarding the precaution issues of sex and sexually transmitted diseases continue at epidemic levels when they could be prevented with adequate discussion of the topic. Ironically, as we approach the 100-year mark for the publication, Norris primary critique of the teaching of sexuality still stands today.