Literary Movie Review: A walk through Revolutionary Road

I sadly say that I did not read the book, chiefly because I never knew there was such a book. But now that I know about it, I’d like to get my hands on it. It seems interesting and the fact that it has a historic ambiance – that being the 1950s era – draws me closer to it. I like learning about the history of the United States, including the cultural context of it.

First off – the title. The title, in addition to meaning the actual road that the author, Richard Yates is connected with, symbolizes the marriage of Frank and April Wheeler. The word revolutionary derives from the term revolution as well as revolt. Therefore, in this sense, the Wheeler’s marriage may be seen as a form of revolt against the comformities of life in the 1950s, despite their outward camouflage with other suburban people in their neighborhood. The Wheeler’s feel special and somewhat above and therefore singled out from other suburban folks – and the other neighbors feel this as well and confront it with friendly acceptance such as that given by the Cambells. It is depicted palpably in the film: Mrs. Helen-Givings makes sure the audience knows how special the Wheelers are by always complementing them and saying explicitly how they stand out from the rest of the neighbors, as one of the best couples. However, under this seemingly bright cloud lies a thunderstorm. The Wheeler’s outward appearance belies their hidden and exacerbating problems – that of trying to live out the life they always wanted instead of the life given in to conformity. However, this disguise does not last long, as the deterioration of their marriage becomes too strong for either of them to handle.

A major theme in this novel - or for me, this film, - is the feeling of being trapped and conflicted. Frank wants to continue with his mundane job because it provides for the family, but he still wants to figure out what he wants to do with his life and turn that into a worthwhile reality. All the while, he is loosing all sense of identity. April obviously feels like there is more to life than just providing for the family and living and therefore, submitting to society’s expectations and comformities. She feels as though life is there to be lived and loved and yet, doing that is surprisingly difficult for the both of them. According to her, courage is needed to live the life you have always wanted. Frank, I would say is the weaker of the two. He is less chance-taking but still, being internally conflicted provides him with a second half that shouts for him to jump on board with April.

All these conflicts scratch every wall and every corner of their marriage until it bleeds to death. No pun intended if one sees this as April’s attempted and failed unfortunate abortion.