Most people know Revolutionary Road as a wonderfully sad 2008 movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. But RR was a Richard Yates 1962 book before that, one that was wildly popular with critics and other literary authors, but not with the wider public. It’s a beautifully written book with the theme of “hopeless emptiness,” precisely how the main characters, Frank (Leo) and April (Kate) Wheeler, refer to their lives in 1955 Connecticut suburbia.
Another engaging piece, sir. And well said. I try to be very much on guard against exaggerated exceptionalism, in assessing myself, my friends, my family, and certainly my country (anytime I find myself thinking about America as uniquely great, I think of Dr. Johnson's verdict on p[atriotism -- the last refuge of a scoundrel). Anyway, what's so grand about being exceptional? As the Yiddish proverb goes: if everyone was a baron, who would feed the pigs?
Cheever is one of the very best -- Yates, I think, tilled the same soil, but with a ruder plow, and came up with much less of a crop. (That sad, RR and Easter Parade are fine, bleak novels).
"Cheever is one of the very best -- Yates, I think, tilled the same soil, but with a ruder plow, and came up with much less of a crop."
I can't think of a single character in RR who isn't presented as either miserable or an object of scorn. In every Cheever story, there are light touches somewhere and it's rare to find a uniformly unlikeable. character. Although the miserly, mean grandfather in "Boy in Rome?" comes to mind.
On our way to camp this morning, my youngest asked me whether "independence" was a bad thing. After extolling the benefits of independence and independence thinking, I said something along the lines of "Our family tends to have a lot of independent thinkers." "No, they don't!" my youngest promptly replied. When I read your piece today I couldn't help remembering that exchange and laughing at my own "exceptionalism" that has now been firmly crushed twice in one day!
More importantly though, I do think there's an interesting connection between your point about exceptionalism not really existing on either end of the spectrum and independent thinking. I'm not sure what yet, as neither are concepts I've thought much about until today, but appreciate having a new idea to tease out and add to the conversation with my kids!
"Everyone must have two pockets. In the right pocket are to be the words: “For my sake was the world created.” (Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:5) And in the left: “I am but dust and ashes.” (Genesis 18:27)
— attributed to Rabbi Simcha Bunim of Przysucha, in Martin Buber’s Tales of the Hasidim"
I would suppose that it's good advice for countries as well as people. It's an idea that scales up exceptionally well.
My wife and I often marvel that our married friends can make decisions at all, the quality of their mutual thinking seems so amiss. Are we kidding ourselves? Probably, but like you say, it’s a necessary and probably harmless fiction. Thanks for this piece; I enjoyed it, and will seek out the movie.
Aug 25, 2023·edited Aug 25, 2023Liked by david roberts
I read Revolutionary Road around the same time as Blood Meridian and I really can't tell you which of the two presents the bleaker case. The book is relentless. At least, as you say, in the movie they had pretty characters to sugar the pill, but relentlessly bleak nonetheless.
Elsewise, I found myself on a partially similar journey of this life as yourself having worked in finance/commercial for many years. Thankfully I knew my instincts too well to trust them that the grass beneath the ivory towers is any greener
Revolutionary Road is one of my favorite books. I love how it indicts the reader too, because obviously we ourselves feel superior to April and Frank =] I felt like I and them were the same. But is it really possible to avoid some kind of exceptionalism? As a writer, it just seems like a person needs to be driven by the idea that their voice is superior to other peoples'
It does take a certain amount of ego and confidence to be a writer. You have to believe you have things worth saying that other people will value. Perhaps that's exceptionalism only in the narrow, but important, sense of written communication. In any case, it's an interesting perspective that made me think.
Great piece with a clever way to open up your subject of (American?) Exceptionalism.
Having studied the lies (plural) I worry that trying to navigate a balance between binaries--all evil or all good--your literary writing may crumble under the same arguments, as well grounded and argued as they are.
Unfortunately these times seem to cry out for taking sides, as uncomfortable as that is. I'm banking on America keeping its record of sustaining constitutional democracy.
It's a thought-provoking essay. As you say, we have a few examples of exceptionalism that have turned quite bad.
At the same time, one must often think we are exceptional to create new works of art or build something new. There are ways in which this exceptionalism leads to positive dynamics.
My concern is with exclusive exceptionalism: My way or the highway. This is when exceptionalism may lead us astray. But if we are open to reassessing our worldviews and whether we are exceptional based on data, could it be encouraged?
I agree that artists and all creators can be exceptional. I think the issue is when there's a belief in exceptionalism without any basis or an exaggerated sense of exceptionalism.
Really beautifully written. When I was 32 and still single, I had finished my medical training, but I was convinced that I had some deep contribution to biochemistry that I was simply destined to make. I sacrificed 4 years of practical, lucrative work as a physician to pursue lab work.
Your experience is so familiar to me; the people in the lab were not a higher caliber of humans. They were simply trying to maximize the output of whatever academic choices they had made years before.
Leaving the lab and going onto practice was the best decision of my life, with the possible exception of completing subspecialty training.
Another engaging piece, sir. And well said. I try to be very much on guard against exaggerated exceptionalism, in assessing myself, my friends, my family, and certainly my country (anytime I find myself thinking about America as uniquely great, I think of Dr. Johnson's verdict on p[atriotism -- the last refuge of a scoundrel). Anyway, what's so grand about being exceptional? As the Yiddish proverb goes: if everyone was a baron, who would feed the pigs?
Cheever is one of the very best -- Yates, I think, tilled the same soil, but with a ruder plow, and came up with much less of a crop. (That sad, RR and Easter Parade are fine, bleak novels).
I like the way you put that:
"Cheever is one of the very best -- Yates, I think, tilled the same soil, but with a ruder plow, and came up with much less of a crop."
I can't think of a single character in RR who isn't presented as either miserable or an object of scorn. In every Cheever story, there are light touches somewhere and it's rare to find a uniformly unlikeable. character. Although the miserly, mean grandfather in "Boy in Rome?" comes to mind.
On our way to camp this morning, my youngest asked me whether "independence" was a bad thing. After extolling the benefits of independence and independence thinking, I said something along the lines of "Our family tends to have a lot of independent thinkers." "No, they don't!" my youngest promptly replied. When I read your piece today I couldn't help remembering that exchange and laughing at my own "exceptionalism" that has now been firmly crushed twice in one day!
More importantly though, I do think there's an interesting connection between your point about exceptionalism not really existing on either end of the spectrum and independent thinking. I'm not sure what yet, as neither are concepts I've thought much about until today, but appreciate having a new idea to tease out and add to the conversation with my kids!
"Everyone must have two pockets. In the right pocket are to be the words: “For my sake was the world created.” (Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:5) And in the left: “I am but dust and ashes.” (Genesis 18:27)
— attributed to Rabbi Simcha Bunim of Przysucha, in Martin Buber’s Tales of the Hasidim"
I would suppose that it's good advice for countries as well as people. It's an idea that scales up exceptionally well.
I appreciated that your youngest demonstrated independent thinking by denying it!
My wife and I often marvel that our married friends can make decisions at all, the quality of their mutual thinking seems so amiss. Are we kidding ourselves? Probably, but like you say, it’s a necessary and probably harmless fiction. Thanks for this piece; I enjoyed it, and will seek out the movie.
david..lets face it you are exceptional..smart, handsome, witty, successful, generous, kind..very kind and you have a great family
Thank you, Vivian, but now a future post will have to be a careful rebuttal of your "exceptionally" generous comment!
I read Revolutionary Road around the same time as Blood Meridian and I really can't tell you which of the two presents the bleaker case. The book is relentless. At least, as you say, in the movie they had pretty characters to sugar the pill, but relentlessly bleak nonetheless.
Elsewise, I found myself on a partially similar journey of this life as yourself having worked in finance/commercial for many years. Thankfully I knew my instincts too well to trust them that the grass beneath the ivory towers is any greener
Revolutionary Road is one of my favorite books. I love how it indicts the reader too, because obviously we ourselves feel superior to April and Frank =] I felt like I and them were the same. But is it really possible to avoid some kind of exceptionalism? As a writer, it just seems like a person needs to be driven by the idea that their voice is superior to other peoples'
It does take a certain amount of ego and confidence to be a writer. You have to believe you have things worth saying that other people will value. Perhaps that's exceptionalism only in the narrow, but important, sense of written communication. In any case, it's an interesting perspective that made me think.
Great piece with a clever way to open up your subject of (American?) Exceptionalism.
Having studied the lies (plural) I worry that trying to navigate a balance between binaries--all evil or all good--your literary writing may crumble under the same arguments, as well grounded and argued as they are.
Unfortunately these times seem to cry out for taking sides, as uncomfortable as that is. I'm banking on America keeping its record of sustaining constitutional democracy.
Yes, I am 100% in your camp. I have no problem with taking sides in 2024 against Donald Trump.
It's a thought-provoking essay. As you say, we have a few examples of exceptionalism that have turned quite bad.
At the same time, one must often think we are exceptional to create new works of art or build something new. There are ways in which this exceptionalism leads to positive dynamics.
My concern is with exclusive exceptionalism: My way or the highway. This is when exceptionalism may lead us astray. But if we are open to reassessing our worldviews and whether we are exceptional based on data, could it be encouraged?
I agree that artists and all creators can be exceptional. I think the issue is when there's a belief in exceptionalism without any basis or an exaggerated sense of exceptionalism.
So yes a balanced exceptionalism!
Really beautifully written. When I was 32 and still single, I had finished my medical training, but I was convinced that I had some deep contribution to biochemistry that I was simply destined to make. I sacrificed 4 years of practical, lucrative work as a physician to pursue lab work.
Your experience is so familiar to me; the people in the lab were not a higher caliber of humans. They were simply trying to maximize the output of whatever academic choices they had made years before.
Leaving the lab and going onto practice was the best decision of my life, with the possible exception of completing subspecialty training.
Thanks for the comment Sridhar.