Twilight's Last Gleamings

Since we began this class, we have read many stories written by Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and William Burroughs, the primary figures of the Beats Generation. Out of the three authors, I would have to say that William Burroughs is my favorite. I never thought I would enjoy reading any of their short stories but I have thoroughly enjoyed all five of the short stories that we have read by him. His stories are an easy read that I am able to understand easily. He gets straight to the point with his descriptions and does not try to confuse people with his language the way that Kerouac does. His stories are an easy read that captures his audience’s attention.

 

My favorite of the five short stories we have read by Burroughs would have to be “Twilights Last Gleamings.” From the very first line in the story, I was hooked. Burroughs’ story is a great representation of the falling of America. The story centers on the SS America, a ship that experiences an explosion and is slowly sinking to the bottom of the ocean.  The connection between America the country and the SS America the ship can clearly be seen. Burroughs shows how America is collapsing into a giant disaster by having the ship explode and sink into a giant mess.

The many characters described in the story represent the citizens of America. The high, middle, and low classes of the American society can be seen in Burroughs’ story. The black men of the orchestra could be considered the low class citizens. They rebel by refusing to play the Star Spangled Banner when Mr. Morton demands it of them. Barbara Cannon is the second-class (middle class citizen) passenger who is seen trying to live the first class life. Mrs. Norris is the first class passenger (high class citizen) who is used to getting exactly what she wants. This can be seen when she demands that the maid bring her her wig and kimono so that she can go see the captain about the explosion. The captain in this story is representative of the President of the United States. The President is considered to be the captain of this country, the person who is responsible for the safety and well being of not only his citizens (passengers) but also for the country itself. The captain in this story is a selfish man who abandons his ship by stealing Mrs. Norris’s kimono and wig and killing anyone who gets in his way to a lifeboat. This could be representative of Burroughs’ personal view of America’s own president.

I thought it was interesting the way that our National Anthem’s lyrics were incorporated into the story. I feel that he uses it in a humorous almost mocking way. The song is supposed to be a representation of how strong America is and how it will never fall, but it is incorporated into a story that showcases the collapse of our country. Although I do not like this, it really adds interest to the story.