This paper is an examination of the rise of American literature during the 20th century, using Kenny Rogers' song, "The Gambler," as inspiration. The song tells the story of the last words of advice from a lone gambler, drifting across the country. He is a uniquely American figure, and he is symbolic of the kind of character who came to symbolize the literature of the nation. Although America had been a political entity for more than 125 years, it did not begin find its distinctive voice until the beginning of the 20th century. "The Gambler" personifies the coming of age of writing that clarified the meaning of being "an American."
I'll give you some advice" (Rogers).
America at the beginning of the 20th century was like that jaded, road-weary gambler. The country had fought hard for its independence in its youth. More recently, it had been through the bitter internal battle of the Civil War. It had focused its initial attention on surviving, and it had become an experienced veteran, seasoned enough to give newer nations advice on how to keep going.
Like the gambler, the turn-of-the-century United States was a loner. It did not have the long history of other post-revolutionary nations, such as France. It had had to create its own history. It was a nation of immigrants, people who brought their histories from many other places. It was a melting pot of conflicting loyalties and perspectives. It would spend the rest of the century trying to resolve these conflicts. As Carl Bode writes, describing the character of American culture, "Side by side with vigor will be morbidity; action will be matched with frustration; death will deny life" (247).
The United States of America had been in existence for more than 100 years. Like the gambler, it had spent its youth discovering who it was. While occasional 19th century writers, most notably Henry David Thoreau and Mark Twain, had begun to clarify the American identit...