Sociology

[Name of the Institute]

"DRY" by Augusten Burroughs

Introduction

“Dry” is a highly complex and controversial book, written by author Augeusten Burroughs. The author has attempted to lay his life and struggles in written form, through this book, where he manages to discuss several social issues (Burroughs, 2004). The author has stated on several occasions that the book is more than a mere fictious story, it is in fact a memoir of his troubled life as a poverty stricken homosexual child, growing up in the American society. The book managed to achieve critical acclaim by critics all over the world, as it was perceived as a fresh look in to the struggles of the gay minority who are often faced several dilemmas (Tyler, 1997). Due to the contents and the subject that the book vividly discussed, it was also subject to open criticism from the conservative and the religious factions of the society. Dry managed to get to number 24 on the New York Times Best Seller List and for the homosexual community it became an expression of freedom. The author was aware of the controversial nature of the book, so he managed to discuss in the opening pages of the book that the events mentioned in the book are not based on reality. Although it was later revealed by Augusten that the book was in fact very close to his real life experiences and the events and characters discussed, although may not be exactly based on reality; but were a fair reflection of the society that he grew up in.

The book consists of several interesting characters, who were leading interesting lifestyles. I will however choose the main character of Augeusten Burroughs himself, to critically analyze in this paper. The most intriguing element of this book is that it is not merely a description of a social dilemma; neither is it a reflection of a single person's life. The story of Dry is a intelligently structured tale of a troubled young boy, who has to deal with ample adversities in his life. To me this book is a perfect example of analyzing a crucial sociological subject, in a beautifully drafted story.

Discussion

Augusten is presented as a very troubled young man, who has been subjected to several adversities throughout his life. As a child he is forced to live in a very aggressive and violent home. His mother never manages to reach out to him, and understand his personal life. His father on the other hand was even worse than his mother. However the father figure in the story had a huge influence over some of the crucial elements of Augusten's behavior and attitude (Karr, 2008). The father was a severe alcoholic who managed to cover his life failures and personal troubles with the consumption of large amounts of alcohol. Augusten learned from his father to hide from his pain and suffering by being intolerably intoxicated, and later on in his life this behavior will become a major part of his ...