The Enormous Radio Essay, Research Paper

But we ve never been like that, have we darling? Have we? (TER)

One of the interesting aspects of John Cheever s The Enormous Radio is his characterization. Cheever is known for characters who are lonely, and pretend that their lives are happy when they are really not. This story is about an average married couple, Irene and Jim Westcott, who spend a good deal of time listening to music on the radio. One day Jim buys a new radio to replace their broken one that is unpredictable, and beyond repair. With the new radio Irene feels intruded upon. Because of the radio s physical ugliness, it didn t go with her intimate possessions in her living room. This was no ordinary radio. This radio would pick up noises and conversations throughput their apartment building. Irene listens for hours to the conversations of her neighbors upstairs and begins to wonder if they can hear her, and if her relationship with Jim is the same as theirs. Irene and Jim Westcott are typical Cheever characters. In The Enormous Radio , the author describes his characters as being more concerned with appearance then reality: Irene is a self-centered young woman who is overly concerned with how people view her; Jim is a hard-working young man who tries to support a lifestyle that exceeds their income. With the help of The Enormous Radio , Jim confronts Irene with the reality of who she is.

Irene Westcott is a self-centered young woman who is more concerned about how others view her rather than loving her family. Irene is overly concerned with her appearance and how others view her. In the cold weather she wore a coat of fitch skins dyed to resemble mink. Irene wants to be looked up on in society that is why she bought a fake mink coat because she knows that she could never afford a real one. Upon arrival of the radio Irene had her maid , which she employs, unload it into the living room. Irene doesn t do any work around the house, instead she has the maid make the meals, feed the children, and bathe them. Irene goes out to lunch often and Cheever reveals, Irene had a two martini lunch. She obviously tries to impress her friends by buying expensive drinks, clothes, and even furniture. Irene is not ashamed of how much money she has, because she isn t poor. She just tries to make it look like she has a lot more.

Jim Westcott, on the other hand, is a loyal hard working man who tries to support a lifestyle that exceeds their income. Jim s main goal in life at this time is to do what ever he can to make Irene happy. He promised her a new radio. He put off the rest of his yearly spending to buy her a radio. I wanted to give you something that you d enjoy. When Jim came home one evening she seemed sad and vague, and he brought her a drink. All the love and nurturing he gives Irene has caught up with him, Jim is tired Jim was too tired to make even a pretense of sociability. This shows how Jim comforts her to keep a smile on her face. Jim is a hard working husband and is willing to keep working hard for Irene four hundred dollars is a good deal more than I can afford.

However by the end of the story Irene and Jim have changed. With the help of The Enormous Radio , Jim confronts Irene with the reality of who she is. At the beginning Irene is pleasant, and she feels bad for the people upstairs who are fighting. She at first feels secure with herself. As the story progresses she becomes tense. She starts to become uneasy with the radio. What first strikes her is the physical ugliness of the radio among her intimate possessions , which makes her feel uncomfortable. Next comes the noises she hears from the vacuums and elevator. These noises startle her. Irene really gets worried when she hears conversations and people in abusive relationships upstairs. This makes her think a lot so she asks Jim We ve never been like that, have we darling? Have we? At the end Irene realizes that her relationship with her husband is like that of the people whose conversations she over heard. Jim s changes in the story are not as significant as Irene s.

At the beginning Jim is loving towards Irene. He is close to her and enjoys listening to the radio with her. Jim does all he can to make her happy with the money has or his love. At the end Jim s attitude towards Irene starts to change, I wanted to get you something you d enjoy. At this time in the story Jim is starting to realize that all he has done isn t enough for her. As the truth starts to come out with Irene, Jim explodes! Irene is self-centeredness throughout the story. You stole your mothers jewelry before they probated her will. Irene only thinks of herself and will do anything that will benefit her. You never gave your sister a cent of that money that was intended for her, not even when she needed it. This shows how low she actually went so she could in some way better herself. She tries to act Christly to hide behind, where was all your piety and virtue when you went to that abortionist? She had no reason to get one only that she didn t want to get heavy and ugly . He confronts her with all the wrong she has done and lets her realize that she is far from perfect. All of Jim s changes are in result of Irene.

John Cheever has described his characters as being more concerned with appearance than reality. He describes his characters in this story as being typical Cheever characters.