Postmodernism is a unique collage of literature. ... E. L. ...
“The Leather Man,” by E. L. ... Although originally found in Westchester, Connecticut and the Berkshires, the leather man can still be found in
[…] the country of western New England or the farmlands on the north Midwest […] asleep in the plains, a patch of wheat flattened in his contours, say, and although they’re common in the big cities, living in doorways, wiping your windshield with a dirty rag for a quarter, men, or, carrying their bags, smoking butts from the gutters, women, or the communities of them, living each in a private alcove underground between subway stations, in the nests of the walls alongside tracks, or down under the tracks in the hollows and nooks of the electric cable conduits, what is new is the connection they’re making with each other, some kind of spontaneous communication has flashed them into awareness of each other, and hell, they may has well have applied to the nation endowment as a living art form, there is someone running them but I don’t know who. (Doctorow 332)
Essentially the leather men are homeless, possibly suffering from mental illness. Leather men are described as quiet and shy, with little desire to interact with societal participants, although if cornered he would converse with no mention to current events. ...
The narrator then jumps into a completely different topic, hermitage, which relates directly to the definition of the leather man with the incidence of isolation. “Anyone who withdraws, anyone who is terribly private, anyone who seems not to exemplify the values of the society or the supposed values of the society, or seems not to live them contentedly […]” is in fact the symbol of the leather man (Morris 174). ... The question arises of whether the leather men cannot handle society and therefore condemned to live a life of solitude. ... These characters fall under the heading of leather men. ...
To further the investigation into leather men, the group used a patrol car to observe an example. ... His wife and children were still living in Short Hills with a man, who worked for the same company that had been transferred from Flint to Short Hills. ... The husband can be considered a leather man in that he distances himself from her and her causes. ...
“What is the essential act of the Leather Man? ... The woman’s husband fits this definition of the leather man without being homeless, or wandering around aimlessly. The definition of the leather man gets more complex as the narrative unfolds. ... His theory is, “You are the Leather Man, totally estranged from your society, the prettiest women are rocks in the stream, flowers along the road, you have subverted your own life and live alone in the wild, your only companion your thoughts” (Doctorow 336). ... Montgomery came back from space a different man. ...
In Conversations with E. L. ... According to Doctorow, “The Leather Man” is a confusing story. ... Those that are laying on the sidewalks of the city streets are no different from the man walking on the moon in terms of isolation.
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