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| Plot Summary of Ham on Rye |
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"Charles Bukowski tells us of the coming of age of Henry Chinaski in this thinly veiled autobiography. Seen through the eyes of this angry teen, we hear about his difficult relationship with his parents. His abusive father would beat him with his razor if the lawn wasn't maintained to perfection. Henry also had the worst case of acne that his doctors had ever seen. Experimentally, the doctors would puncture each pimple or have him sit under ultra- violet lights for long periods of time. Add the typical dilemmas that a high school boy encounters and it is no surprise that Henry acts out in the way that he does.
Rebelling, Henry turns to alcohol and violence. Anyone that attempts to come close to him is violently shoved away.
Although Henry is an abrasive character, Bukowski gives the reader glimpses into the psychology behind his behavior. You alternate between hating him for being such an arrogant jerk and pitying him when we see moments of who he might of been. (Like when he rescued the cat from a group of kids)"
Sonnet Davis, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Ham on Rye |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book?
- humorous
Time/era of story
- 1930's-1950's
Kids growing up/acting up?
Yes
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Age group of kid(s) in story:
- high school
Parents/lack of parents problem?
- parental abuse
Wild kid(s)?
- druggie culture (& crime)
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- student
Age:
- a teen
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Main Adversary
Identity:
- society
Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings?
- 2 ()
United States
Yes
Style
Person
- mostly 1st
Sex in book?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- vague references
- descript of kissing
- touching of anatomy
- impregnation/reproduction
- actual description of hetero sex
- descript. of nude males (the big P)
Lot of foul language?
Yes
Amount of dialog
- significantly more descript than dialog
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Click here for more information about this book
Charles Bukowski Resident Scholar Profiles
TOP SCHOLAR:
 Jenifer Parke
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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