Life Isn't Always Fair

Authors Note: I recently read the book Okay For Now by Gary D. Schmidt. I really liked it and noticed many places where it mentions what life was like in the sixties. So for my text analysis essay, I decided to write it on how Ok For Now demonstrates how life was in the historical time period.

Life isn't always fair, especially for Doug Swieteck. It’s the sixties and Doug has to move away from his friends to some random neighborhood so his alcoholic dad can get a new lousy job and Doug can enjoy the rest of his terrible summer. In the 1960s, people dressed different, lived different, and different major events happened. Ok For Now by Gary D. Schmidt shows many examples of how the book stays true to the time period of the story.

First, Ok For Now mentions how people dressed different. On page 78 it says “My mother took off her hat and held it in her hands. She took off her gloves too.”. Nowadays people don't wear gloves and hats to occasions such as a school assembly which is what Doug and his mom attended. Many women wore hats and gloves in the 1960s for many occasions. This was one of many popular fashions in the 1960s.

Second, a very popular event happening in the 1960s was the Vietnam war. The Vietnam war was fought mainly between North and South Vietnam, and the USA. Doug’s oldest brother is out fighting in Vietnam, and who knows how much that’s changed him. On page 6 It says “Lucas is my oldest brother who stopped beating me up a year and a half ago when the United States Army drafted him to beat up Vietcong instead. He’s in Delta somewhere but we don't know any more than that because he isn't allowed to tell us and he doesn't write home much anyway.”. Many men were drafted into the army at the time for the Vietnam war and many moved to Canada to avoid the war.

In conclusion, Ok For Now by Gary D. Schmidt shows extravagant examples of how the book stays very true to the time period. Major events in the 1960s affected this story and the character as well as real people in the 1960s. Life isn't always fair, so when you’re feeling down it could be worse. Stay positive and look at the bright side.