Richard Russo Term Paper

10 Pages 2605 Words

In all of his novels evaluated Richard Russo wrote things that fit into the theme of social roles in small towns. In “Straight Man,” “Mohawk,” and “Empire Falls,” there are central male characters, William Henry Devereaux, Dallas Younger, and Miles Roby respectively whose lives and the one’s of those connected to them are the focus. Each is middle aged and going through a period of reflection and question during which they are trying to figure out how they got to the current point in their lives and how to improve the relationships with those they care about. Although they all share the similarities of middle aged men, each with their own job, home and set of people they care about, they each provide a very different perspective on small town life.
William Henry Devereaux, a.k.a. Hank, is a professor and the department head of English at the college in the small town he resides within. This sets him apart from Dallas and Miles who both have jobs that are more of the physical labor type. His job although equally dead ended and unfulfilling to him as those of Dallas and Miles, is one of more prestige and intellect. He also doesn’t have the same problem with debt as they do, as he wrote a book when he was younger that made him enough money to supplement his teaching income so he lives much more comfortably. However his societal role is still similar to that of those in Russo’s other novels, as he is a man whose reasoning and way of going about things often gets him into trouble and most people see him only as he is outwardly. Hank is often accused of not taking things as seriously as he should, and he usually just listens to their criticism and goes on. He is much more at peace with himself and doesn’t have the anger that engulfs some people because of this. However others that don’t have that sort of restraint or ability often just get angrier at him because of this. In Russo’s other books his main characters oft...