The Realistic Dilemma of Suburban Life: Upon John Cheever’s Work Bullet Park as an Example for American Middle-Class Families

Abstract

Bullet Park is a novel written by American novelist John Cheever in the mid-late 20th century that echos the suburban life of American middle-class families after World War II. As a fictional suburban town, the distinctive existence of Bullet Park is like a utopia attempting to hinder the invasion of real society. The men and women in the town live a glamorous life whilst conceding numerous unknown secrets. Cheever constructs the story into three chapters through the strategy of fragmented writing: Nails, Hammer, and the intersection of Nails and Hammer. The novel fully embodies the hypocritical persona of American middle-class families in social communication, the long-standing disorder & dilemma within the families and the generalized spiritual crisis that exists among the stratum who are lingering in agony. The author combines the personal growth experience of Cheever amid some relevant stories occurs to the protagonists inside to analyze the perplexity and floundering of American middle-class society, families, and individuals during that sensitive period, i.e., the period of “Counter-culture Movement”.