"A Visit From the Goon Squad" Character Map

A Visit From the Goon Squad is a web. It is a fictitious, yet startlingly realistic quilt of life. This quilt consists not only of characters, but of themes, such as the passing of time, nostalgia, music, and a never-ending cycle of connections. The way in which Jennifer Egan has woven these things together is both beautiful and perplexing, and the character map I present to you is but a brief glimpse into the key components of her masterpiece. It has been a true pleasure to indulge in the bitter-sweet tales in A Visit From the Goon Squad, by Jennifer Egan. 

Ah, the power of the pause. The earth-shaking energy compacted into the seemingly simple lull of a tune. But is there more to a pause then this? Of course there is. As demonstrated in chapter 12, "Great Rock and Roll Pauses" in A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan, pauses contain a tremendous, and practically unparalleled power. The character of Sasha Blake sums it up perfectly: "The pause makes you think the song will end. And then the song isn't really over, so you're relieved. But then the song does actually end, because every song ends...". What she's telling us is that the pause is preparing us for the inevitable. The pauses allows us to brace ourselves for the end, while providing temporary relief because it hasn't happened yet. The pause is where we wait with baited breath to see if things continue, where our nails dig into our palms hoping that more will follow. Yes, this may all seem a bit melodramatic, so in simpler terms, the pause is where everything happens. It's where all the suspense is; it's the most important moment. After doing some of my own investigating of song pauses in modern music, I've compiled a list of them and the significances of their pauses:

1. "Shake it Off" by Taylor Swift- (Pause: 2:43-2:45) This is a power song about not letting what others say or do to you bring you down, and so when she's saying "shake, shake shake" followed by a pause, the pause is signifying the breather you need to give yourself before pulling yourself back up with full force and just continuing to live your own life
2. "Skinny Love" by Birdy- (Pause: 2:39-2:41) This song is about being in love and longing for it, and then being devastated from heartbreak. There are many pauses in this song, but the one indicated is one of the most powerful. Each pause represents those moments where you feel like you just can't carry on any longer and need to stop. The pauses represent grief. 
3. "Story of My Life" by One Direction- (Pause: 2:24-2:27) This song is about the importance of memories, so the pause in this song is meant as a brief moment to simply stop and cherish the memories you have. 

You are sitting on a rock, looking at the destruction around you. You didn't mean for this to happen, you really didn't. You just wanted to be like other kids. You just wanted to have fun. But you should have known, you were never like other kids.

***

You were born into a poor family. No brothers or sisters, just you. But you're okay with that. You love your mom and your dad, so much. You love your town, and your home, and your life, but somehow you've always been different. You don't mean to sound conceited when you say that you're a lot stronger and faster than the other boys your age, but you are. You used to be proud of it, but now you try to hide it. You don't want to admit it to yourself, but when you look into your parents' eyes, you don't see yourself. You see love and kindness, but foreign features. You don't belong. But then you decide. You decide that you must leave. You must go on a journey to find yourself. You will go any distance, because know that every mile will be worth the while to find where you belong. But little do you know that you will find much more than just where you came from. You will find love, triumph, happiness, and the hero within that you have yet to know exists. 

A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan firmly follows a nonlinear narrative structure. It has come to be expected  (after reading "Side A") that each chapter will contain a multitude of new characters, and with those characters, a new story that somehow connects with the ones before and after it. So when I began reading "Side B" I thought I knew what to expect; but I was very wrong. "Side B" brought an entirely new level of nonlinear structuring. It experimented with extremely innovative forms, such as chapters written as newspaper articles, or even in (gasp) second person. If "Side A" were to be categorized as creative, "Side B" would be otherworldly. The stories are stranger, the characters are wittier, the problems are deeper, and the consequences are even more dire. From the genocide-initiating General, to the bipolar and lustful Jules Jones, and the suicidal and deeply complicated Rob, there is no greater investment of time and self than in these page-turner chapters. "Side B" brings with it an unprecedented narrative form, accompanied by adventures and lonely days, triumphs and defeats.

The character of Lou from A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan, is one of the most complex of its vast abundance of characters. On a first impression, he is cocky, immature, and completely irresponsible. He can even come across as creepy based on the fact that he was a middle aged man picking up a seventeen-year-old girl from the side of the road. However, the full character of Lou encompasses a surplus of other qualities, the most prominent of which is utter confusion. He doesn't know what it means to be a good boss, friend, husband, or even father. He doesn't relate to people on any level deeper than appearances and money. He is confused as to why his son is different from him. He is confused about how to raise his daughter, or even hold a conversation with her. But most importantly, he is confused on who he is as a person. He knows he likes girls, money, and music, but that's about it. He likes partying too, but as his age increases and his days left on earth decrease, he doesn't know what to do. He knows he is getting old, but he doesn't know how to deal with it. He doesn't understand that he needs to change, mature, and become the adult and parent that his children desperately need. Lou is confused. He does not understand the meaning of life and getting older, and this confusion leads to dire consequences, and to him eventually having to pay the ultimate price.

Narrative Complexity and Innovation at It's Best

I have recently begun watching the show Lost, and it has been quite the experience. It’s narrative complexity and overall storyline has hooked me, so much so that after a week, episode 20 is paused on my TV, whispering to me to press play. Now, what, you ask, makes this show so addicting? If only there was one answer. From its nonlinear structure, to the ensemble styled cast, to the focus in each episode on a select few characters, every episode tells a new story and keeps me yearning for more. The frequent flashbacks come only in bits and pieces, making me a detective unable to pull herself away from the mystery before her. Every time you think you no something about a character, another flashback comes along and gives you a new piece of the puzzle. The effect of the innovation and intricacy found in Lost, is that it is a confusing, emotional, but tremendously wonderful experience to watch it, simply due to the not-very-simple-at-all plot structure, also known as its extremely popular narrative complexity.