Jeffty is Five by Harlan Ellison (Book Review Sample)

Jeffty is five by Harlan Ellison
Author
Institution
Jeffty is Five by Harlan Ellison
Introduction
The story begins by explaining the cold and untrustworthy world of America in the seventies. The author begins expressing how morally ill the present world has become recommending that there is need to look at the past and transform. The story explains that the author has a vision of passionately reshaping the modern morals believing that his vision is true. The Writer uses a straightforward and honest symbolism to express his emotions and thoughts about the past in comparison to the present. The author continues the story remembering how radio programs were when he was young. He compares the modern radio programs and that of the past showing major difference. The author says modern radio programs are full of awful loud music and weird talk shows presenters discussing their perverted sex lives on air.
Jeffty is Five by Harlan Ellison
In the story, Jeffty is Five; the author tries to portray a message that tells people not to root out the past claiming progress. The author is seen to hold on to the past creating a child who believes will not age. The story explains that the author makes a list of all the good things from the past then compares them with present things. One of the things that he compares was candy in the past. The author explains that candy in the past tasted better and was wrapped in a better paper. He also explains that it was big in size and was prices fairly. The candy also has been shrunk and expensive in the modern days. The author believes that this vision is true and meant for everyone saying that "we are all the same, all in this fragile skin, suffering the ugliness of simply being human, all to prey to the same mortal dreads." The author even uses a simple example of his box of 16 crayons. He explains that it was much better dealing with his box of crayons than the complex color schemes that the modern children have to deal with. This brings some form of contradiction showing that the author just enjoy things of the past not considering superiority. The author paints the picture that just because anything is no longer in existence makes it better. In some symbols, the author even admits that his life as an adult feels like jeffty. By this, the author encourages adults to reminisce the 5 year olds in them despite their adult responsibilities. The story encourages people to maintain a certain scene of innocence that children often exhibit and treasure the past. The main reason for the wishful narration that the author exhibits is that he feels his childhood was stolen. The author explains that he recalls being chased away from home twice. At a young age of five years and another time when he was ten years old. The details to him being sent away from home are not clear only that he could not stay out of trouble. The story brings about issues of trust ad nostalgia and how inseparable they are.
The author expresses the fact that being Jefftys friend, he was able to gain his trust therefore accessing his golden childhood. However, the author betrays this trust by losing it in the climax of the story. The various themes of nostalgia in the author and Jefftys childhood experiences are vividly explained holding the thought and awareness of history very close. This emotional reaction depicts how the main characters long for their idealized past and the complete denial of the present. This emotional state also is likely to cause denial of future progress. In small bits, this can seem harmless but when is controls all ...