In modern literature, much attention is paid to how authors develop a thread, meaning a critical plot line for different characters. Some writers prefer to make their stories as simple as possible to focus on personal development and self-growth. At the same time, other individuals rely on the complexity of details that reveal the strengths of their characters. In Jesus’ Son, Denis Johnson introduces eleven stories with a common narrator who shares his addictive experience and the effect of a broken life on society. There are many reasons for loving and hating this short story collection. On the one hand, all characters are so realistic, and the reader can feel the disgust of the chosen lifestyle and hopelessness to its full extent. On the other hand, it is not always easy to accept the level of damage and dependence on harmful habits, and not all readers are ready to understand the depth of the author’s message. However, a common plot line of something terrible inside people is perfectly presented to prove that even the most talented and positive individuals may be exposed to negative impacts and transformations.
Among a variety of strong ideas and discussions, Jesus’ Son succeeds at showing human weaknesses and explaining why the current state of affairs is hard to change. In one of the first stories, Georgie admits, “There’s so much goop inside of us, man, … and it all just wants to get out” (Johnson 57). This phrase is one the examples of a threat for me in the chosen reading. I like the idea of “goop” as something unknown and unpredictable in human nature. In each story, some kind of inside fears, desires, and needs emerge in the form of a “goop” to demonstrate how people make their decisions and behave under the substance impact. This common plot line is present throughout the whole collection, and each character is free to choose and live a life, either long or short.
Work Cited
Johnson, Denis. Jesus’ Son. Picador, 1992.