Welcome to Hard Times

This is probably my favorite novel of all time, and one of the few which I read regularly. While some might describe this as a no-nonsense Western, I disagree. It completely transcends the genre in the same way and with the same purpose as _High Noon_. In fact, I would call it the inverse of that story, for it is really about the cost of cowardice instead of the rewards of courage. Sadly, the central character is no Gary Cooper. This book contains larger truths about our frailness in the face of danger and, more importantly, the repercussions which follow the fear and pain into other generations and places. What happens can easily be extrapolated into other circumstances which happen to everyone everywhere. I recommend that this book be read for it's enthralling narrative and be appreciated for its universal theme.

As hopeless as a town that will always burn. Doctrow's novel is sleek and powerful, not just an American story, but the story of all society, building up and breaking down, of the dirty nature of the human soul, and the little spots of light that try to burn bright; a story in which the democratic mass is dangerous and the philosopher king is not as powerful as he aught to be, and the Bad Man from Bodie, like the Lord of the Flies, is not only always waiting to ride down from the mountain, but resides in most every human heart. Still, it is an essentially American novel and pays particular interest to deconstructing the Myth of the American West, a kind of anit-Shane.

This is Doctorow's first novel, and after reading it, you see from the very beginning he was a great writer. It's an ambitious treatment of evil, cowardice, love and family, wrapped up in an great western tale (of the spaghetti type). The Bad Man destroys the town and everyone in it in the first few pages. After that the human spirit thrives (sort of) as a few attempt to rebuild the town and their lives. And look for redemption.

For the better part of the novel he has no name, he is simply referred to as the Bad Man from Bodie. And in Welcome To Hard Times harrowing first few pages he single handedly rapes, vandalises and burns an entire town. He never says a word. He is, as one character descibes him "a force of nature, like the weather", an inexplicable destructive force that strikes at random. Those who survive the Bad Man's wrath choose to leave, to seek better fortune elsewhere. Only the town's unofficial mayor Blue, a local Indian healer, a half burnt prostitute and a murdered carpenter's son stay behind. Blue is the narrator, and it is not some angry venomous determination to fight back that makes him stay to found a new town, but a defeatest acceptance of their fortune. If life has to go on, then this burned down town is as good a place as any. Doctrow's debut novel is a grim and dirty slice of bleak frontier life. A novel that sets out to destroy the myths of heroism in the old west. In Welcome To Hard Times heroism results in death and cowardice merely delays it. The only kind of accomplishment to be proud of is survival. As Blue narrates how the new town of Hard Times comes into being, how the Russian's bordello has brought prosperity and how the money is ever flowing, his tone is unmistakably regretful. The tragic outcome is never in any doubt, we are left to ponder who will be left behind next time a force of nature strikes. Like Robert Altman's film McCabe & Mrs.Miller, this is a novel with no illusions about the period. Relishing the grim pictorals of Buzzards feeding on the dead, fire burning over ice, it marches to its inevitable end. The downfall is never in question, only one thing can make these character's life worse. Hope.

This is Doctorow's sleeper novel. It hasn't received much critical attention in comparison to his other works, but this one is a real gem. It provides us with a picture of what kind of hardscrabble existence the western settlers actually endured, as opposed to the sanitized images Hollywood has provided us. The only other author I've seen perform this so effectively is Harte Crane. The characters are stereotypes (the bullying villain - the noble prostitute - the unwilling hero, etc) but Doctorow invests the plot with enough quirky twists and injects enough black humor to keep the reader from noticing how one-dimensional the characters are. And they do undergo transformations, which keeps them from remaining so one-dimensional. If you are a Doctorow fan or are just looking for a diverting, yet intelligent read, give this one a try.