Conclusion of Ham on Rye

Ham on Rye is a harsh, extremely blunt commentary on a lot of issues in 1930s America. I don’t think 20^th century literature has seen such an angry, confused, bitter character as Henry, who is the alter ego of the author.

And indeed, who would not be these things if your father beat you regularly for missing a few blades of grass when mowing the lawn, or having such extreme acne that you were quarantined for months and no one wanted so much as to lay eyes on you.

I kept expecting a breakthrough of some sort throughout the story, that the character would find in some sense, a purpose or at least if he was going to be eternally against everything, he would at least be content in the role he chose, but the story feels so unresolved.

I suppose this style of writing is very much in keeping with the Russian authors that Henry immersed himself in such as Maxim Gorky, Ivan Goncharov, and others, and having read some of this literature, I can understand how Henry connected their message to his life. The lack of hope for the common man and lack of opportunity because of limited income certainly is a theme in our class readings and in this book.

Even though this book was difficult to read and while Henry certainly does not embody the traits that a protagonist usually demonstrates (honor, decency, etc.) I find that I still like aspects of his character, such as his honesty and absolute fearlessness about what others think about him. I’ve never encountered a character so utterly indifferent to punishment once he sets his mind on something.

And while this book did not end with a resolving conclusion or give closure to the events of the story, at least the person who was at the center of the story all along (the author) did go on to become a famous writer and hopefully find some justice after all.