Ham on Rye Essay

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Ham on Rye essay Ham on Rye is a story about Henry Chinaski and his experiences in life. Chapter 10 is the first of the excerpts we read. We read about the girl next door named Lila Jane, and how she and Henry is getting into a daily thing of her showing her panties. We also read about Henry’s vivid imagination of him being a football star, and a baseball star. In the end of the chapter there’s a boy from Marmount middle school, who’s trying to fight to Henry. Chapter 13 is the second of the excerpts we read. We read about Henry playing football with some guys from the street. In the middle of the game his father comes and tells Henry he’s old enough to mow the lawn, and instructs him in how to do it and tells him that he wants no hairs sticking up after he’s done. Henry mows the law, and his dad finds a few hairs when he’s done and punishes him by giving him a whooping. Chapter 43 is the last of the three excerpts we read. We read about Henry’s experience with alcohol, him and his friend Jimmy Hatcher went up to Jimmy’s apartment to steal a few beers from his mom’s refrigerator. Jimmy gets sick and passes out in his bed, a little later his mom comes home and Henry is certain that he will have sex with her. After she drops down her skirt he sees a wart on her inner thigh and rivers of flesh. He walks out of the apartment and the chapter ends. Because of the events in the story emphasize on Henry’s role as a kid who has suffered from abusive behavior by his father and mother, Henry has learned a twisted way of socializing. I believe the story takes place around post WWI and pre WWII. The first reason for that is that the story is written by Charles Bukowski, an author whose father served in World War 1. Henry Chinaski is widely known to be Charles Bukowski’s alter ego and Charles Bukowski has said in an interview that his father, very much

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