The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon is a literary novel that weaves historical events into the novel. For example, Joe Kavalier and Sammy Klayman (who becomes Sam Clay) create their comic book hero the Escapist because of their experiences that reflect real historical events. Joe has escaped the Nazi takeover of Prague by hiding in a coffin that is supposed to transport the Golem (an inanimate being in Jewish folklore) out of the city. Sam, on the other hand, "had been haunted by dreams of Harry Houdini" (page 3). Harry Houdini was a real magician who was known for escaping from traps that seemed impossible to escape from. An essay about this book could focus on how the motivations of the main characters, Joe and Sam, are influenced by real-life events, such as Harry Houdini's magic acts (Houdini died in the 1920s) or the Nazi takeover of Europe.
The Escapist is a character who expresses all the hopes and dreams of Americans, particularly American Jews, in the late 1930s and early 1940s. The Escapist is a kind of Captain America and Superman figure who is decidedly anti-fascist. As Joe tries and fails to get his family out of Nazi-occupied Prague, where they are in danger, his comic book character becomes more and more anti-fascist. Ultimately, the Escapist and Hitler square off on the cover of the comic book, and the Escapist's "big right fist [was] arcing across the page to deliver an immortal haymaker" (page 150). An essay about this book could focus on how the Escapist is a character that is formed by historical events, such as the anti-fascist hopes of America in World War II.
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