Essay Questions

What variant of needs is George trailing in “Fame’s First Wooing”. (Relate to Abraham Maslow’s Theory)

In the framework of ‘Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs’ George is in pursuit of self-actualization accomplishments. Thomas Wolfe elucidates, “ From his early childhood, when he was living like an orphan with his Joyner relatives back in Libya Hill, he had dreamed that one day he would go to New York and there find love and fame and fortune. For several years New York had been the place that he called home, and love was his already; and now he felt, with the assurance of deep conviction, that the time for fame and fortune was at hand.” ‘Fame and Fortune” are superlative self-actualization yearnings that surface in George’s life after gratifying other prerequisites such as a recompensing profession, affection, and a comfy domicile. Moreover,“Fame and Fortune” are interwoven in the sense that fortune can reinforce the prospect of being legendary.

Deconstruct the sentence: “he had learned that he could not eat his cake and have it, too”. - “The Drunken Beggar on a Horseback”

This line communicates George’s staple philosophical stance on existence. He had undertaken to brook both delusions and actuality concomitantly, but it became totally unsanctionable. For example, he transfers from Manhattan to sponsor the illusion that he no longer adores Esther, yet he distinguishes he is still smitten with her. Following his vain exploration of the world, he recognizes that his misconceptions and reality cannot be weathered contemporaneously. By the same token, one cannot espouse shrewdness and imprudence synchronously. Selections must be elected: either ingenuity or irrationality; or Realism or Fancies. Endeavors to ‘ have a cake and eat it” result in misperceptions, severe blunders, and self-inflicted torment that could be irredeemable.