In his fall, Roth heard himself bellow with anger, and was truly amazed that he could produce such a great noise. Through his numbness and disbelief, he had a thought just before crashing into the rocks far below. He desired to live. A little man, tumbling through space.

I perhaps didn't enjoy this book as much because I read it shortly after "The Thin Red Line", which I believe are both thematically very close. Both are set during World War 2, have numerous characters, and depict the same dreary and seemingly pointless existence of the soldiers' lives.

One significant difference between the two books is that while "The Thin Red Line" was written in 1962, "The Naked and the Dead" was published in 1948, which is quite impressive considering it's so close to the end of the war. Usually, in most cases, media during and immediately after a war is not very remarkable and often has a propagandist nature.

Still, although the tone of the book is impressive, the novel itself has its shortcomings at times. It features many characters and devotes time during the novel to each character's background. However, even with these flashbacks, the characters never truly come alive as they should have. This could be because the novel has too many characters. If it had reduced the number of characters and dedicated more time to a smaller list of them, it might have been possible for the book to have more strength. The book does have several excellent scenes that展示 the dullness and the complete effort involved in war, which is never heroic but just tiresome. But with better-developed characters, this novel would have been a great read.

I tweeted at one point that this was "better than any of Hemingway's war books." I might have to backtrack a bit on that.

The Naked and the Dead is the first work of Norman Mailer that I've read. Here, he展现出了精湛的小说家技艺. The story progresses at a beautiful pace, and you'd never put it down if you didn't have to sleep, go to work, and so on. He conveys the human experience in warfare in as compelling a fashion as anyone I've ever read. I like the "time machine" device where Mailer paints portraits of his characters in their former civilian lives. Although some of these men still manage to be somewhat nondescript, even after 700-plus pages.

Mailer is at his best when staging the dom-sub, father-son-type tug of war between General Cummings and Lieutenant Hearn. Here, he delves into some higher geo-politics as well as Nietzschean and Freudian philosophy. It's very interesting. And while it's a testament to Mailer's talent that he can transition from the coarse mundanity of the field to the heady vagaries of wartime politics, I was a little disappointed that, once again, all the interesting psychological exploration has to take place in characters of the country-club class. The regular soldiers are not given any important intellectual lives. It's an unfortunate habit of many writers of Mailer's era. This is something Hemingway was not guilty of. But then Hemingway wasn't big into overt psychology.

Which brings me back around to my initial point. After 700 pages, we're left with the remnants of a rather thorough dissection, but I'm not sure we ever truly pinned down anyone's soul. Though some of Hemingway's war works read like rejected Hollywood action movie scripts, he was always after that which is highest and most elusive. He never let the cataloguing of parts become exhaustive. He favored mystery. If nothing else, what I learned from this book is that Mailer was great, but Hemingway had an elusive magic indeed.

Readers anticipating Norman Mailer's The Naked and the Dead as a typical war novel will likely be let down. It's not about combat operations, heroic deeds, or patriotism. Instead, World War II serves as a backdrop for描绘 the lives of enlisted men. Approaching this extensive novel with the right expectations enhances the reading experience.

Mailer's Marxist influence is evident in his portrayal of the army. There's no lead character; instead, a platoon of recon soldiers on a fictional Filipino island takes center stage. After landing, they build a bivouac, do chores, engage in minor combat, and wait. Mailer makes each man an individual with unique hopes, fears, and personalities, reminding us they're human. Many are uneducated and lower class. The novel focuses on developing these characters, similar to Melville's detailed description of whaling in Moby Dick.

Class conflict is another Marxist theme. The lower-ranking soldiers are crude, while the officers they despise are unappealing. Croft, the sergeant, is a sadist and psychopath. His desire for promotion leads the platoon on a futile mission. The relationship between Lieutenant Hearne and General Cummings is the main plot. Hearne is a liberal with a wishy-washy personality, while Cummings is a complex character hard to sympathize with. He's a reactionary who sympathizes with fascism and has deep insecurities.

When Hearne defies Cummings' orders, he's sent on a pointless mission. The Naked and the Dead is a great book if you understand Mailer's intentions. The characters are realistic, and the portrayal of officers makes a point about powerful men. The novel expresses the confusion and fragility of human life. Its flaw is Mailer's over-description at times. While not a protest novel, it portrays war and the military negatively. It's no surprise Mailer became a leftist and anti-war activist. The roots of his later work are evident here.

https://grimhistory.blogspot.com/

This World War II classic novel had an outstanding performance on the best seller list, spending a remarkable 62 weeks there.

It features half a platoon of vividly drawn characters, which makes the story come alive. This book is truly a tribute to miscommunication, as it presents several viewpoints of each action in the main story. The main story is about the capture of a fictional island in the Pacific Theater of Operation.

I am extremely glad that I had the opportunity to read it, and it was somewhat appropriate that I finished it on a rainy Memorial Day.

Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes is also a remarkable war novel, although it focuses on the Vietnam War instead. It offers a different perspective and a unique look into the horrors and complexities of war. Each of these novels has its own charm and value, and they both contribute to our understanding of the impact of war on individuals and society.

During the time when and after reading this book, I constructed in my mind several variations of my review and ended up writing a totally different piece. This fact alone showcases just how brilliant and powerful this novel truly is. It has the ability to inspire such diverse thoughts and interpretations. My only prayer is to come across more stories of this caliber. Norman Mailer's book is most definitely worth the time and energy one invests in it. It rightfully earns its place as one of the greatest war novels of all time.

It is World War Two. Germany, Italy, and Japan are waging war against the world. In this narrative, we are not looking at the global scale but rather concentrating on the events that unfolded in Anapopei. Crofts' platoon is engaged in a confrontation with the Japanese. A select group of men share their stories, both from the time before the war and during the war. Croft, Wilson, Goldstein, Red, Hearn, Gallagher, Brown, Pollack, Dollesone, and General Cummings have all united to fight for America.

War has a profound impact on people. For some, it presents an opportunity to fulfill their destiny. In this category, we see courageous individuals like General Cummings, Red, Gallagher, and Wilson. However, there are others who have no choice but to join the army. Subsequently, they must draw strength and power from their comrades in order to survive. This is where great generals like Lee and Grant play crucial roles in motivating and leading their men. This book provides a fascinating insight into the true nature of war.

The Naked and the Dead is widely regarded as Norman Mailer’s finest novel and is often lauded as the best American book about war. The story delves deep into the horrors and realities of war, painting a vivid and unflinching picture.

The General had once said to him, ‘I like chaos, it's like the reagents foaming in the beaker before the precipitation of the crystals. It's a kind of savory to me.’

This quote from the general highlights the disturbing mindset of those in power during war. To them, war is not just a conflict but a theatre, and the battlefield is a stage where they can observe the bloodbath from a distance, almost as if it were a spectacle.

The Naked and the Dead is a brutally honest and extremely graphic novel. It holds nothing back in its portrayal of the atrocities and inhumanity of war. After all, war knows no shame and no pity. It strips away all the veneer of civilization and exposes the raw and primal nature of humanity.

In today's world, where the truth in literature has been overshadowed by political correctness, truthful books like The Naked and the Dead are rarely given the attention they deserve.

All the deep dark urges of man, the sacrifices on the hilltop, and the churning lusts of the night and sleep, weren't all of them contained in the shattering screaming burst of a shell, the man-made thunder and light? He did not think these things coherently, but traces of them, their emotional equivalents, pictures and sensations, moved him into a state of acute sensitivity. He felt cleaned in an acid bath, and all of him, even his fingertips, was prepared to grasp the knowledge behind all this.

War bares all human fears and lays bare the true nature of human beings. It strips them naked, both physically and emotionally, and ultimately leads to their death. This novel serves as a powerful reminder of the devastating consequences of war and the importance of understanding and confronting the truth.

This was, by all means, not an easy book to get through.

In fact, I nearly put it down about one-third of the way through.

I can't imagine how shocking "The Naked and the Dead" must have been when it was first published.

By today's standards, it might seem cliche and tame.

However, Mailer's novel is a masterpiece.

It not only pits man against man but also man against nature.

At times, it is overindulgent, with long passages that meander nearly endlessly.

Nonetheless, this book brings you up close and personal to the "war is hell" experience.

The characters, conflict, and detail are rich and sweeping.

Mailer leaves no stone unturned, making you feel the sweat, the pain, the blood, and the fear that envelops each soldier.

As the soldiers press through the heated jungle, Mailer's descriptions make you thirsty and uncomfortable, although only in small comparison to the platoon.

I can envision a college professor teaching this book - and only this book - in one semester and breaking it down for deep analysis.

Yet, there would still never be enough time to touch on all of Mailer's themes and sub-themes.

It is truly a remarkable work that demands careful consideration and study.

This is definitely The Book on War (World War II, a war of all wars); the army as a mirror of American society with its problems of false brotherhood, of the mystification of the need to use arms as the only and necessary solution, of racism, of caste division in a stagnant state, of latent anti-Semitism.

A turmoil of dissatisfaction, a pulsation of terror, a shout of frustration and then death that reaps without looking justice in the face; the infinite expectations, the humid nights, the hissing enemies, the jungle to be conquered, on the front the battle and at home the wives and families, the flashbacks.

A talented and extremely young Mailer offers the reader this collective and realistic vision of war, part of life, of a magnetic beauty.

The Naked and the Dead

Norman Mailer

Translation: Bruno Tasso

Edition: Euroclub

Page: 843

Vote: 5/5

It seemed to him now that he was on the verge of a profound understanding of himself. He experienced a sense of mystery and discovery, as if he had uncovered hidden gulfs and bridges within the familiar and unremarkable landscape of his life. “You know,” he said, “life is truly strange.”

I have always been drawn to this portrayal of anxiety and failure. However, I am firmly convinced that Mailer borrowed heavily from Hemingway, especially from For Whom The Bell Tolls. The jungle setting provides a backdrop for reflecting on sexual disharmony and frustrated ambition. Interestingly, the Japanese are absent for most of the book, presumably preoccupied with their own feelings of angst and ennui. This omission adds an element of mystery and leaves the reader to wonder about their role in the overall narrative. Perhaps their absence is a deliberate choice by the author to focus on the internal struggles of the main characters. In any case, it makes for a thought-provoking and engaging read.

This is an absolutely amazing book, especially when one considers that it was the author's very first published novel. What makes it all the more astonishing is the fact that Mailer was only around 20 years old when he penned it. I came across this book after reading somewhere that Mailer actually enlisted in the military during WWII with the intention of gaining some real-life experience so that he could write a captivating book.

I truly relished Mailer's writing style. It was vivid, as if the words were breathing life into the story. It was alive and gritty, painting a raw and unfiltered picture of the events.

Mailer's description of the jungle is in perfect detail. One can almost feel oneself being smothered by the dense foliage and the overpowering humidity. To this, he adds the atmosphere of fear and anxiety that he creates so deftly, resulting in a great war novel. However, some of the flashbacks can become a little too drawn out, and at times, it can be a bit challenging to keep track of who's who due to the large number of characters.

I love the fact that there is no hero or character who can be simply seen as the good guy. Mailer exposes each character's hang-ups and dysfunctions and simply shows how each one functions under the stress of combat and military life in general. I can clearly understand why this book was so controversial when it was published in the 50's, with its cussing, graphic violence, sexuality, and homo-eroticism. This must have been a real wake-up call for a lot of people who were accustomed to the sanitized John Wayne style stories of heroism and clear cut moral divides. It's truly good stuff.

This is the first book I've abandoned in quite a while.

I feel I should at least share my reasons for dropping it halfway through. It's not that I didn't enjoy it. In fact, it's quite the opposite. I read the first 250 pages avidly, never once getting bored.

But in the end, I didn't like the strategy of the book. This became clear to me when I read an interview with Wim Wenders this morning.

He talked about his own strategies for film-making and why the violence and turbulent politics of his time don't appear in his films.

Although films and novels are different forms, I still think his thoughts are relevant when considering the portrayal of war.

He said that films are about what they include and what they exclude. In his films, there is no sex or violence because he believes these can cause harm.

He only shows what he likes and doesn't want to show something he hates and then make a statement about it.

The act of film-making is an act of identification, and what you put on the screen implies your support.

He believes that every act of violence in a film, even in those that claim to be against violence or war, is actually in favor of it.

When it comes to politics, the most important decision is where you direct people's attention.

Showing people the same things day in and day out is a political act.

Entertainment can be the most political thing, as it can indoctrinate people into believing that there is no possibility of change.

However, by showing that change is possible, you keep the idea alive.

This is an old debate, and it may not be fair to compare the description of violence in a novel to that in a film.

But I have begun to feel that this book is starting to "gum up my brains and eyes," something that didn't happen with other war books I've read.

In the introduction to "Slaughterhouse Five," the wife of the author's war buddy is angry that he is going to write another war novel that might make it seem different from what it really was.

I can't help but think that this book might be one of the ones she had in mind.

A Fantastic Story of War in the Pacific

Mailer's book presents a truly remarkable account of the war in the Pacific. It stands out as being more realistic compared to other books I've read on the subject. The platoon soldiers each have their own individual stories, which Mailer skillfully relates at the end of specific chapters. What makes this book even more engaging is that the story is told from multiple viewpoints. This provides a deep insight into the thoughts and emotions of each character.

It's important to note that not all the men in the book are portrayed as heroes. They have their share of faults and failings, which makes them more human and relatable. The book vividly describes the invasion of Anopopei, a small Pacific island under Japanese control. The harsh climate on the island and the hardships endured by the soldiers are described in great detail. I have to admit that there were things that I wasn't previously aware of. Overall, this is an extremely interesting book. Once I started reading, I was completely hooked and had to read until the end to discover what fate awaited the characters.