The Human Comedy by William Saroyan follows the journey of a fourteen year old boy into manhood. The book is set during the WWII era in Ithaca, California. Homer Macauley, the narrator, has to take upon adult responsibilities and provide for his whole family after his older brother leaves for war and his father passes away. While working as a telegraph boy, Homer delivers news mainly of death and through this he learns about pain being a part of growing up. In the book, The Human Comedy, Saroyan’s effective writing on war, love, death and family shapes the entire book which depicts an image so touching that it sticks throughout the novel. When the news about the older brother arrive at the end, it conveys how emotions play a powerful role in the becoming of a man. Homer is tested on his evolution from a naive child into an experienced young man.
Pain is a part of growing up. It’s unavoidable and definitely not the best feeling. However, there's a lesson. Either it ́s patience or empathy, pain has its positive effects. In The Human Comedy, the major pain Homer dealt with was death. As a telegraph messenger boy, his job brought him into the lives of a variety of characters, exposing him to a sensitive topic at a young age. He delivered the news of the deceased to loved ones, therefore death was always on his mind. “Death is not an easy thing for anyone to understand, least of all a child, but every life shall one day end” (Saroyan ). Homer was able to learn from a young age that death causes great grief, but it’s important to accept what occurs naturally. Death will make people with the right attitude stronger. At the end of the story when the news of the death of his brother Marcus arrived, the world was testing him on what he learned. Instead of crying, Homer and his mother invite the guest who told them the tragic news into their home with enthusiasm. “Sometimes we have to help open the door, instead of focusing on things that can’t be changed” (Saroyan ). The ending taught a lesson that there’s no running from pain but simply viewing the positive lesson.
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Loneliness was one of the central themes in The Human Comedy. It pointed out that loneliness is an inevitable component of the human life. Every individual is alone at some point and the effort for companionship is simply pointless. Homer spent numerous amount of time giving news of death which can make people feel lonely. At the end the news of his brother's death emphasized the central theme because he stems loneliness into independence.
Homer’s father had passed away a couple of years before and was mentioned in the book a few times. Although he’s dead, there were occasions when he visited his wife, Ms. Macauley, as a “ghost”. During one of the visits he had told her that their son was going to join him. The ending was literally foreshadowed. Furthermore, Homer had always known that bad news would be coming to his family. He had let out clues that indicated this. When the news did arrive, although it was tragic, there was little surprise.
Homer as a young individual was “the man of the house” due to his father's death and brother's departure. However, he was extremely responsible with his role, and was exposed to sensible topic at a young age. The ending of The Human Comedy emphasizes his coming of age from a naive child into an experienced man. The text keeps consistency of all the central ideas throughout the end of the book, depicting pain, loneliness, and struggle during the era of WWII.
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