The Bonfire of the Vanities

Endless minutiae which goes nowhere. In Steinbeck, every bit of minutiae, every tiny detail builds a subtext, supports the inner life of the character. In the book, the details actually distract from whatever is supposed to be going on. Wolf wastes pages about his difficulties taking his dachshund for a walk. There is no imagination in the language. And sex everywhere. Believe me when I write that I am no prude, but sex, like everything else in literature, should be presented through the author’s unique vision; so boilerplate references to tight women’s jeans are presented as if we hadn’t all heard that talk countless times. Then there is the completely unbelievable bit about him being trapped in his bedroom one morning by such a fierce erection that would be impossible to hide from the help. Nonsense. All men have faced this problem at one time or another, but there’s always some way to walk sideways, or carry something, etc. If my review seems needlessly and gratuitously sexual it is because the book is so. Finally, I consider use of the “F” word the author’s admission that he lacked the imagination to come up with something better. David Mamet, in his play Glengary Glenross is the only successful use of the “F” word I have ever seen. He uses it so much in that play (It’s in nearly every sentence at least once) that he reveals the word’s true vacuousness, it’s real utter emptiness of meaning.

Bonfire of the Vanities has made me a Tom Wolfe fan. It paints a truthful picture of late 20th Century morality. There are no heroes in this book. The egos and dark flaws of its characters are on display for the world to read. Who knows? You might find a bit of yourself in this classic. I don’t consider myself a student of literature, but I’d be surprised if this book wasn’t required reading for literature majors, or perhaps social studies and first year law students . It’s a great read.

Wolfe is a genius of unmasking our oh-so-carefully constructed fictious lives. Bonfire of the Vanities, so aptly named, scorches the network of lies, deceit, and hubris that we dare to call “society.” The under belly Wolfe exposes runs the gambit from the justice-free judicial system to corrupt civil rights activists, and the hipocracy of upper middle class elitism. A devastating, yet entertaining novel that will wake you from your smug confidence that “all is right with the world.”

I read Bonfire over 30 years ago when it was published. I wanted to reread it in light of what is happening in todays society. I was not disappointed. The book accurately predicts the negative influences of the press, black leadership and legal establishment on our society. Mr. Wolfe skewers the elite establishment as well. What makes the novel so enjoyable is the interspersing of satire and humor throughout. Sherman McCoy, the villain becomes a hapless figure by the end. This is a great book and was just as enjoyable to read the second time. Tom Wolfe is one of our leading novelists.

I’m normally a fan of Thomas Wolfe, but oddly, I had not read Bonfire of the Vanities. I decided to remedy that oversight, but found it disappointing. While the politics of the novel resonate strongly with contemporary events, and the depiction of 1980s Wall Street (with which I have some personal familiarity) was amusing, I found the ending anticlimactic and unsatisfying. It was as though Wolfe ran out of ideas at the end, and just wrapped things up as expeditiously as possible.

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