Quality of Life in 3 Novels

Through these three novels, this paper will investigate the manner by which innocence is lost, by which society itself acts as an antisocializing agent, and in which "the culture of narcissism" removes what it purportedly promises. In the same manner, some broader questions about the quality of life

1 See Leftan Stavrianos, The Promise of the Coming Dark Ages, (San Francisco: W.H. Freeman, 1976). Stavrianos argues that society as a whole lacks cohesion and the belief systems that give its members at least a marginal feeling of security. In this way, as adolescents grow to adulthood, they are often swept away by the very society they aspire to join.

2 Jay McInerney, Bright Lights, Big City, (New York: Vintage Books, 1984).

3 Bret Easton Ellis, Less Than Zero, (New York: Penguin Books, 1985).

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ld ____________________ 13 Ellis, 1011. 14 Ibid., 44. house became a symbol to him of all that was lost, of a time when life was simpler, a time when the family meant more, or a time when he could revel in being Clay instead of covering up who he was with artificial stimulation.15 As Clay's vacation progresses, he travels from party to party, friend to friend, all with a sense of impending doom that no one has really changed. In fact, Julian has progressed from a user of drugs to a dealer himself, ostensibly he even sells cocaine to juniorhigh school children, something considered low even by California standards.16 Even Clay's family has spiraled downward  almost to the point of unconcern. Although the pretense of caring has worn thin, the reality has become that Clay's parents feel the same sense of loss that he does, and mask it with alcohol, buying sprees, and material goods.17 As Julian turns into a male prostitute and finally dies of a drug overdose, Clay is forced to remove himself from the whole situation. He thinks that if he leaves California, he will have the chance to have a life, and seems to instinctively know that he is not strong enough to resist the pressures of the area and all that entails. In
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Approximate Word count = 2919
Approximate Pages = 12 (250 words per page)

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