Deadeye Dick
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| Deadeye Dick | |
.jpg/200px-DeadeyeDick(Vonnegut).jpg) Cover of first edition (hardcover) |
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| Author | Kurt Vonnegut |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Novel |
| Publisher | Delacorte Press |
| Publication date | 1982 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover & Paperback) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-440-01780-7 |
Deadeye Dick is a novel by Kurt Vonnegut originally published in 1982.
[edit] Plot summary
The novel's main character, Rudy Waltz, nicknamed Deadeye Dick, commits accidental manslaughter as a child and lives his whole life seeking forgiveness for it. He was so traumatized by the events directly after the murder that he lives life as a "neuter," neither homosexual nor heterosexual. He tells the story of his life as a middle-aged man transplanted in Haiti, which symbolizes New York City, until the end, when the stream of time of the story catches up with him. At this point, he confronts an event that has been suggested and referred to throughout the novel. The generic Midwestern town of Midland City, Ohio (also the setting of Breakfast of Champions) in which Rudy was raised is virtually destroyed by a neutron bomb. At the ending of the book, it appears that Rudy, while he may not have fully come to terms with his actions, has at least come to live with them. In addition, the ending is where Vonnegut provides his most direct commentary on society, although there are hints here and there throughout the novel.
Another key theme throughout the book is the relationship between Waltz and his parents. Vonnegut focuses on connecting the actions and attitudes of parents to the ensuing actions and attitudes of the offspring, in this case, Rudy Waltz. Rudy writes a play, based on events in the life of his father's former best friend. In the latter half of the book some scenes are described as theater scripts.
[edit] Home as an Allegory
The Waltzes make their home within an old abandoned barn converted to a large open space for Mr. Waltz to work on his art. The upstairs was transformed into a second tier house with several rooms, including an armory to which twelve-year-old Rudy and his fourteen-year-old brother Felix are allowed access. Rudy acquires a rifle from the armory, which he takes up to the top of the roof and shoots into the empty space of the suburban sprawl of Midland City, Ohio. He accidentally kills a pregnant woman as she is vacuuming.
[edit] Vonnegut Universe Ties
Deadeye Dick is set mostly within fictional Midland City, Ohio, which is also the setting for two of Vonnegut's other seminal works, Breakfast of Champions and God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater. Several locations and characters are referenced such as Dwayne and Celia Hoover, the Holiday Inn, and Eliot Rosewater. The author also appears as a character in a very short scene.
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