Analysis and Review of ONans Short Novel, Last Night At...

Last Night At the lobster isnt your typical novel. It is a short, brilliantly written novel by Stewart ONan. I would consider this novel to be realistic fiction because of the story line it holds and the characters are average Americans that can be related to. Although this piece of literature isnt intended to be a poetical piece, the author uses elements such as symbolism and sound to make passages flow like a poem would. Set on the last day of business of a Connecticut Red Lobster, this novel tells the story of Manny DeLeon, a committed restaurant manager that is notified by corporate that his managed location is not meeting expectations and will close December 20. He is also informed that he will be assigned to a nearby†¦show more content†¦As the blizzard hits the area around him, customers become sparse, and employees dont show up. Small but not slight, this novel is a concise, poignant portrait of a man on the verge of losing himself in his hope, job, and dream. Right in the opening of the book you instantly get good descriptive language and use of words to help paint a picture of the setting. For example, on page. 5 Scattered flakes drift down like ash, but for now the roads are dry. This is an example of figure of speech. Ash would propel from the sky slowly, for instance after a volcano eruption the thin ash flakes make their way down from the sky with no hurry to hit the ground. I love how within the first few words of the book, I wanted to read more because of the imagery in my head. As many consumers and employees witness, managers tend to gain more respect when working with their team as oppose to using their position to work against their team. Manny worked side by side with the people he supervised to maintain an enjoyable eating experience for his costumers. Stewart O’Nan is able to make Manny DeLeon’s job intriguing and his character distinctive and ultimately tragic. Manny’s personal life adds an aspect of drama, but certainly the main reason why the book held charm was because of Manny’s nature. Conscientious and committed, Manny thinks of the restaurant as his own. He is also quite good at his job of managing his crew. Manny’s pride of having