As Halberstam discusses the major historical figures of the 1950s in his recent book, one wonders if anyone came from a reasonably functional family. Not being a psychologist I am not sure how far one should go in rating dysfunctionality, but the following people were reared in families that faced some serious pressures: Whittaker Chambers, Robert Oppenheimer, Douglas MacArthur, Eugene Verkauf, Lucy and Desi Arnaz, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Tennesse Williams, Marlon Brando, Jimmy Dean, Elia Kazan, Jack Kerouac, Richard Nixon, Pat Nixon, Herbert Hoover, Emmett Till, Elvis Presley, Ozzie Nelson family, "Daddy" King, Marilyn Monroe, . . .[I am not yet finished].
I wonder how the list would have grown if Halbertam had made this the goal of his book. Some people were made stronger by difficulties while others, and they appear to be in the majority, seem like lost souls looking for meaning and purpose.
No comments:
Post a Comment