Literary Analysis “Life After High School” Essay

The short story, Life After High School by Joyce Carol Oates, is set in the small t own of South Lebanon, untested York in 1959. The first three quarters of the story is the tragic rumor of one-sided love where Zachary Graff, the intelligent however socially awkward teenager falls in love with brave Burhman, the attractive and popular female childfriend that everyone adores. She rejects his proposal and he cant take it and decides to take his own life. Later, we find out his real love was Tobias, his one friend. His love for blithe was his last way to fit in with the norms of society. Oates shows us the intertwined lives of three full(prenominal) develop students and the paths taken to innocent themselves of the entrapment of their uncomfortable 1950s conventional life styles.Barbara Sunny Burhman is known as the popular too good to be dependable Christian girl in the story. She was everything the perfect, all American 1950s girl was supposed to be. In the beginning of t he story she is referred to as Sunny because her sixth grade teacher suggested calling her this because of her sunny personality. Tell you what, boys and girls lets call Barbara Sunny from now on thats what she is (Oates 512). Sunnys freedom came by Zachary taking his own life. The irony had not flee Barbara Burhman that, in casting away his young life so recklessly, Zachary Graff had freed her for hers (Oates 518). She drops the comprise Sunny and just goes by Barbara Burhman. When she goes off to school she excels in college and solo works on academics. She drops all the Sunny aspects of her life that trapped her and she became a prestigious teacher and author.There was no place for an agnostic comic male like Tobias Shanks in a 1950s small town broad(prenominal) school and he is forced to lead his life in secrecy. After Zacharys closing Tobias Shanks secret is true(p) from his fellow exalted school students. Tobias, like Barbara, changes his name after high school and goes by T.R. Shanks. Unlike Barbara, the author doesnt let us know Tobias exact point of his freedom from the restrictions of the 50s lifestyle, but it does come. It possibly comes after the changing times of the 60s and 70s. T.R. is able to come out and find his place in the orbit as a gay man. He goes on to become a successful playwright and director winning m each awardsOates leads us to bank that in the beginning of the story Zachary is a typical awkward cerebral that falls in love with the perfect girl in his high school. In reality, his true love is his one friend Tobias, but the constraints of the 1950s lifestyle led Zachary to believe that Sunny was his perfect choice. Up until death Zachary was conflicted. When both Sunny and Tobias reject him, death seems his only way to freedom. Oates gives some additional insight about Zacharys thoughts by telling the indorser the contents of his car after his suicide. The author, by her quirky ending, left it up to the reader t o decide that Zachary whitethorn have contemplated other scenarios that possibly wouldnt have been appropriate with the 50s perfect life style. In Zacharys suicide note he takes responsibility and releases all parties of any guilt. This suggests that he did feel constrained by the 50s lifestyle to the very end.Oates writes a story about three high school students of the 1950s that students of today can empathize with. Although there still may be other issues of acceptance, the time period in which the story is set(p) was an especially conservative time. Suicide, homosexuality, and women playing important roles in society alfresco the home were not part of the social norm of the 50s. instantly these issues are much more accepted. Oates shows us the intertwined lives of three students and the paths taken to free themselves of the entrapment of their uncomfortable 1950s conventional lifestyles.