Book Review of Revolutionary Road
Richard Yates’s First Novel
“I want to feel things, really feel them,” explains Frank Wheeler in Richard Yates’s 1961 novel Revolutionary Road. This novel is for those who want to “really feel things,” too. Frank and April Wheeler are trapped—in the suburbs, in their marriage, and in an existence that leaves them feeling worse than unhappy. They feel nothing, except the desperate urge to escape the trap.
Revolutionary Road Summary
As a solution to their ailing marriage and the dull society they reluctantly belong to, April proposes that they pack up the kids and move to Paris. That way, Frank can “find himself” while April earns their living, giving them both a second chance at happiness in life. Despite early hesitation that the plan is “a bit unrealistic,” Frank soon agrees.
The Paris plan serves as a nice distraction for a while, until reality steps in and complicates the scheme. As with any true tragedy, the Wheelers inevitably prove themselves unequal to the challenges they face, regardless of their romantic intentions to rise above it all.
Decisions, Regrets, and Telling the Truth
Besides being able to identify with the characters’ flaws (both Frank and April are somehow equally detestable and sympathetic at the same time), readers, if being honest with themselves, will be able to recognize the doubt and regret that can result from making major life decisions.
Frank, who is frustrated with his boring job and angered by April’s insistence that he isn’t a real “man,” finds himself seeking comfort and attention from another woman. This only leads to guilt and a deeper felling of loneliness for Frank.
April, fed up with being a housewife (who never wanted children in the first place), and unsatisfied with her marriage, desperately searches for a way to make a change. Both Frank and April struggle with selfishness, anger, and fluctuating passions, which ultimately complicate their Paris plan and their relationship.
Yates tackles all of the big issues, from financial trouble to mental instability, and he is not afraid to show the thoughts and feelings of his characters, even if it means showing those characters in an unfavorable light. Yates’s characters tell the truth, and so does Yates; the realism of Yates’s writing is jarring and powerful.
A Disturbingly Beautiful Novel
Revolutionary Road is a novel that readers are likely to think about long after they have finished reading. It is a wonder that Yates is not just as central a figure in American literature as F. Scott Fitzgerald or Ernest Hemingway. Yates certainly displays similar concerns, like the frustrations of not living up to one’s own expectations or facing the terrifying nothingness that one can feel about life.
Revolutionary Road is combination of gorgeous prose and gruff realism that can leave readers’ heads spinning. Some may say it is only a book for those who are deep thinkers, but it is more appropriate, truthfully, for those with deep feelings.
Revolutionary Road has been adapted into a film starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, directed by Sam Mendes.
Revolutionary Road Book Cover
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