Something Happened (Masterplots II: American Fiction Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Joseph Heller
- First Published: 1974
- Type of Plot: Psychological melodrama
- Time of Work: The late 1960’s or early 1970’s
- Setting: New York City and a Connecticut suburb
- Principal Characters: Robert (Bob) Slocum, His wife, His daughter, His son, Derek
- Genres: Long fiction, Psychological fiction, Melodrama
- Subjects: 1960’s, 1970’s, Family or family life, New York, North America or North Americans, Northeast, U.S., Self-discovery, United States or Americans, Parents and children, New York City, New England, Alcoholism or alcoholics, Substance abuse, Fathers, Accidents, Connecticut, Middle age
- Locales: New York, NY, Connecticut
The Novel
Bob Slocum is a character who uses dreams and memories, which make up a substantial portion of the novel, as part of his ongoing struggle to determine the key event, the “something” that “happened” to him, to cause him to be the man he is. Very early in the book, he thinks, “Something did happen to me somewhere that robbed me of confidence and left me with a fear of discovery and change and a positive dread of everything unknown that may occur. I dislike anything unexpected.” Because life is unpredictable and the unexpected happens daily, Slocum has come...
[The entire page is 2932 words long]
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