Jennifer Egan’s novel A Visit From the Goon Squad is a literary work in which narrative voices and time sequences are closely intertwined. Various chapters of this novel can be regarded as a set of interconnected short stories that have common characters and themes. Despite structural and stylistic complexity of this novel, one cannot say that it is just a literary experiment. This novel is a story of people who try to retain their integrity, creativity, and sense of purpose.
This paper will examine six chapters that describe the life of two characters, namely Sasha and Bennie Salazar. In particular, it is necessary to show how the author uses various literary techniques in order to describe the experiences of these people. Jennifer Egan relies on different narrative modes and non-linear plot in order to explain how the main characters evolve.
On the whole, one can argue that A Visit From the Goon Squad is a sophisticated but enjoyable work of art that urges readers to reevaluate their notions of literature and its genres. This novel can be seen as a satire of contemporary life, but it is also full of compassion. This combination of irony and empathy is probably the most important quality of this novel.
One of the first points that should be made is that the time of this novel is non-linear. The thirteen chapters describe characters at different points of the life; moreover, the author continuously alternates the past, presence and the future. This is why this novel is very difficult to summarize. For instance, the first chapter called Found Objects introduces Sasha.
The readers do not know much about the background of this person. Yet, one can see that she suffers from kleptomania, and it is difficult for her to overcome this psychological disorder. Moreover, she strives to justify her kleptomania; in particular she says, ‘We live in a city where people will steal the hair off your head if you give them half a chance , but you leave your stuff lying in plain sight and expect it to be waiting for you’ (Egan, 2011, p. 3).
Overall, one can argue that she is a self-destructive person who attempts to deny the immorality of her behavior. This is how Jennifer Egan introduces one of the main characters and the readers want to know more about Sasha’s childhood or adolescence.
The author does not tell the story of this character in a consecutive and orderly manner. Later, the readers can find Sasha in Naples where she meets her uncle Ted Hollander. However, the events described by the author take place when she was much younger. She is described by her uncle as an “aimless strung-out youth” (Egan, 2011, p. 208).
It should be noted that Ted was asked to find Sasha, but he just wanted to have a good time in this city, rather than search for his run-away niece (Egan, 2011, p. 208). Thus, one can argue that this person was essentially alienated from other people. Overall, by using non-linear plot, Jennifer Egan constructs a really versatile picture of this person that explains how her character was formed. The approach that the author takes makes the novel very interesting.
Finally, the chapter called Out of Body depicts as a student at the university. Again the author eloquently demonstrates that Sasha is essentially dissatisfied with the quality of her life. She believes that she does not meet the expectations that are normally set for the girls of her age. This is why is she asks Rob to act as her boyfriend.
In her opinion, she has to have a boyfriend; otherwise her peers may not accept her into their group. There is one detail that the readers of the novel can notice. In some chapters, Jennifer Egan uses first-person narrative to describe Sasha’s perception of her life. However, the author can also use third-person narrative in order to show how others can view Sasha.
In this way, the writer strives to demonstrate people’s perception of the world may differ significantly. Furthermore, this technique gives deep insights into the personality of this character. Overall, Sasha’s story focuses on a person’s search for identity and the readers cannot predict how this quest will end.
The author adopts similar techniques when narrating the story of Bennie Salazar. The chapters that depict this character can also be viewed as interrelated novellas that have common themes. Once he aspired to be a musician and even formed a band, but later he chose to work in the recording industry and founded a private company. Although he achieved wealth, he is also not content with his life due to several reasons.
In the chapter called A to B Jennifer Egan shows his wealth does not earn Bennie recognition of others. He sells his recording company and settles in Crandale, but other people do not respect his musical or commercial achievements. This is probably the main reason why he feels unhappy. Overall, Bennie understands that he has spent a great part of his life on something he did not enjoy very much. One can refer to one of the most important quotes of this novel.
In particular, Bosco, who is one Bennies friends says that “time’s a goon” (Egan, 2011, p. 127). This quote can be interpreted in different ways, but it seems to imply that in the course of time many characters lost their integrity, talent, and innocence. Unfortunately, Bennie also realizes that he also lost many of these things. This is the main tragedy of this person.
Jennifer Egan explains Bennie’s character was shaped and transformed. For instance, one can refer to the chapter The Gold Cure where Salazar is already a president of a recording company. One can see that he does not attach importance to the talents of musicians; more likely he is concerned with the revenues that these musicians may generate his company (Egan, 2011, p. 19).
On the whole, Bennie is no longer a person who wishes to bring something new or innovative into the world of music. This is one of the things that later Bennie begins to regret. So, in a very subtle way Jennifer Egan explains how the values of this person were formed.
The chapter which is called Xs and Os is written from Scotty Housman’s point of view. However, it is closely related to Bennie Salazar. Housman was once Bennie’s friend, but they have not seen each other for a long time. Scotty reads about his friend in the newspaper, and he is very surprised to find out that Bennie became a record producer.
In part, one can explain this surprise by the fact that in his youth Bennie aspired to become a musician and performer, rather than a producer. Later Bennie Salazar chooses to help Housman who is also a musician. Overall, in these chapters Jennifer Egan attempts to show how the character was shaped. Certainly, Bennie becomes more practical and probably even cynical, but he still retains his humanity. This complexity of the main characters makes the novel even more engaging.
One should take into account that the narratives of Sasha and Bennie are often intertwined. The author shows that Bennie feels some intimacy for his assistant, but he eventually fires Sasha when he learns that she is a kleptomaniac.
Overall, this novel is fully of irony and compassion at the same time. Although, Jennifer Egan gives a slightly satirical portrayal of the music industry; however, she feels compassionate for those people whom she describes.
For instance, the readers can see that Sasha transforms from an abandoned teenager into a woman who tries to achieve happiness in her life. The author may be slightly ironic about her behavior, but she also empathizes with this character. Similarly, Bennie Salazar is not always an attractive person, but he still deserves compassion.
On the whole, A Visit From the Goon Squad gives readers deep insights into modern culture and its discontents. The author shows that the drive to achieve success may eventually deprive a person of his/her best qualities. Moreover, this novel demonstrates how a person can search for his identity.
The use of non-linear narrative helps the author describe the evolution of the main characters. Overall, the complexity of the literary techniques used by Jennifer Egan and vitality of the main characters make this novel worth attention.
Reference List
Egan, J. (2011). A Visit from the Goon Squad. New York: Anchor.