The Last ofthe Savages: la búsqueda de la consecución del sueño americano frente al idealismo y la rebeldía

Abstract

The 1980s were a decade of profound change within the American literary scope producing a reaction against the postmodernist movement. The writers associated with the so-called minimalism depicted contemporary life and dealt with inarticulate characters who are bewildered by their problems. In the course of time, social context is not being employed as a metaphysical absolute against which all ideas and cultural products must be measured; instead the aim is to offer a more general interaction among literary genres, including critical theory. Thus, the relationship with historical conditions produces an interpretation that shows how those conditions are seen in recent American narrative. Jay McInerney’s novel The Last of the Savages reflects two different worlds in which Patrick Keane aspires to ascent into the upper class, while Will dedicates himself to “freeing the slaves”. Although Patric and Will remain friends over the next thirty years, they pursue radically divergent destinies.