IndexIntroductionSummaryCriticismIntroductionWritten by Tom Wolfe, The Right Stuff is one of the best non-fiction books ever written using the new writing method of the so-called "New Journalism" which was invented by Tom himself Wolfe. Published in 1979, The Right Stuff was a huge success as it became a best seller and won numerous awards. Tom Wolfe was born in Richmond Virginia on March 2, 1930. He attended Washington and Lee University and graduated with a bachelor's degree in English in 1951. Subsequently, Wolfe continued his academic career by attending Yale University and graduating with a Ph.D. Americans in 1957. Wolfe then began his career working for several famous newspapers such as the Washington Post and the New York Herald-Tribune. Not long after working for newspapers, Tom Wolfe moved to New York in the early 1960s and worked for a few magazines such as Esquire and Harper's. Subsequently, Wolfe became interested in writing non-fiction books. Wolfe has published some of the best-selling nonfiction books including The Bonfire of the Vanities, The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, and many others. The "New Journalism" writing technique used by Wolfe in many of his works made him an emerging novelist and journalist. In The Right Stuff, Tom Wolfe tells the story of Project Mercury and the space race in a different way. He uses slang and typical everyday language spoken between people and uses the first-person point of view of the characters in his writings to create the most accurate simulation of the characters' lives and to engage the reader in the characters' position and make them see what who sees the real character and feels what the real character feels. Wolfe expresses the entire story in great detail by showing how Project Mercury and the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union and the growing tension between both to dominate the space project are the result of the Cold War. It also perfectly depicts the lives of test pilots and astronauts by simulating the tensions that occur within families in their homes. And the difficulties that the pilots and astronauts encountered in their training and testing, and their results, and their courage and their efforts to achieve, and the effects of technological advances, and the fame, and the money, and “the right stuff” that these pilots and astronauts needed to reach the sky. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssaySummaryThe Right Stuff begins by describing the unique and distinctive lives of military pilots and the dangerous and unstable life these pilots and their families must face on a daily basis. Wolfe calls the wives of military pilots “angels of death,” as they must endure the same stress and tension every day so that their husbands can return home “burned beyond recognition.” The military pilot's job involved more tests, more accidents, and more funerals. Wolfe thus describes “the right stuff” as the required combination of skill and courage that a military pilot must possess to become a member of the elite military pilots and avoid being “washed out and left behind.” Wolfe also perfectly describes the training and tradition these pilots went through. Wolfe describes the training process as an "endless series of tests" that models the "ancient Babylonian pyramids" and those at the top are considered elite. The elites are those who can perform the most difficult tasks such as landing on the “deck of an aircraft carrier” or flying the suffocating T-33. One of these elites is Chuck Yeager, who Wolfedescribes the possessors of the right stuff as “the fairest of all.” Yeager was a World War II ace and Wolfe describes him as "the ace of all aces" as he became the first pilot and human to fly faster than the speed of sound. Wolfe puts a lot of effort into Yeager in his work as he changed history with his outstanding achievements. For Wolfe, Chuck Yeager "was at the top of the pyramid." However, shortly after Yeager's extraordinary flight, everything starts going downhill for the Americans and their expectations and hopes begin to deteriorate after the Soviet Union launches their first artificial satellite, Sputnik I, on October 4 1957. This lit a spark between the United States and the Soviet Union and started the war and space race between them as the United States established the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in response. The United States is now working on building a spacecraft with fears of a possible Cold War-like future war or the possibility of the Soviets undertaking a nuclear regression. Undoubtedly, power and dominance will be in the hands of those who have the ability to “control the high ground”. The United States is now engaged in a “race for survival.” This marks the birth of the space age. The United States launches Project Mercury with the goal of sending a human into space in an unmanned capsule. Wolfe describes the entire process, from the selection and training of astronauts, to the astronauts' acquisition of fame and celebrity. The selection process consisted of selecting seven military pilots who could pass all medical and psychological exams to be qualified to become an astronaut. The seven qualifiers were called the “Mercury Seven”. Wolfe describes how the entire training and exam process was unique and humbling considering the status these military pilots hold in society. In essence, military pilots were no different from “lab rats.” They were to all intents and purposes "laboratory rats". Wolfe points out that "everyone in Project Mercury was more of a test subject than a pilot." Soon after the entire training and examination process was finished, the seven astronauts were publicized and immediately became national celebrities. Wolfe describes how the entire American society adored the seven astronauts for their patriotism and heroism, and also for sacrificing their lives to achieve the “American Dream.” With all the fame and “the right stuff” that the astronauts had, nothing distracted them or the military pilots from the typical traditional life and the “military tradition of flying and drinking and drinking and driving.” Once again, Americans fall behind in the space race when the Soviets manage to send the first human, Yuri Gagarin, into space on April 12, 1961. Things also go downhill for the American astronauts when their adoration turns in adversity when NASA announces that "a monkey will make the first flight." A “college-trained chimpanzee” is about to make its first flight, “which seemed like a Slayton sortie into sarcasm and hyperbole.” Wolfe shows how the idea of ​​sending a chimpanzee into space increased tension between test pilots and astronauts. From the project's inception, test pilots believed that the astronauts were nothing more than test subjects since they had no control or any means to fly the capsule. Now that a chimpanzee is flying, the test pilots were more than convinced that the whole project was sarcasm and that if a chimpanzee could fly; anyone can do it too. For the test pilots, this mission was below their standards! Shortly after the chimpanzee succeeded in his missionof space flight, Alan Shepard became the first American to enter space. Wolfe describes that "Shepard's launch was an entirely new event in American history." Shortly after Shepard's flight, John Glenn became the first American to orbit the earth in a "piloted flight." Glenn's escape reshaped American history once again; Glenn was now, as Wolfe described, “at the top of the pyramid.” Now an astronaut is a real hero, the Mercury Seven has captured the emotions and hearts of people. For Wolfe, this is the power of "the right thing, the same life force of humanity that had made millions of people vibrate and resonate thirty-five years earlier for Lindbergh", this is the only event comparable to Lindbergh's escape in American history from Second World War. . This is the meaning of Tom Wolfe's work, the meaning of the “American dream”. Criticism Tom Wolfe's new method of writing using “New Journalism” techniques has changed the rules of the game in relation to writing. The "New Journalism", as Wolfe defines it, is a method of writing that is based on four pillars used mainly in fiction writing, the four pillars being: "setting, dialogue, status details and point of view". .” Wolfe's term "New Journalism" came about by recruiting these four pillars into works of nonfiction. What Wolfe did by basing his work on these four pillars was bring the story to life. Wolfe makes the reader learn something about other people; it lets the reader know what's inside a person's beliefs, feelings, and values. Wolfe's method of writing contradicted the old method of historical writing adopted by most newspapers. Its main goal was to provide the "truth" and not just the "facts" as most newspapers did. Tom Wolfe pointed out that "the only way to tell a great story is to go out and tell it." Furthermore, by relying on these four pillars, Tom Wolfe manages to convey his message to the audience in an exciting, captivating and truthful way. Furthermore, Wolfe also uses unlikely words in his works to create effect and to further clarify the situation. In The Right Stuff, it is clear how Wolfe focuses attention on the smallest and smallest details to make the reader experience the entire experience. situation experienced by the characters in the story. Wolfe's work essentially works like a projector projecting people's stories, feelings, experiences, emotions, and more into the minds of readers. In The Right Stuff Wolfe makes sure to portray the entire scenario in detail even if it is not directly related to Project Mercury and the main point of the story. Wolfe begins by opening the book with an introduction to Pete Conrad and his family and describing the situation of how they live and where they live, Wolfe writes, "here in Florida... outside the sun shines through the pines, and the very air takes in the glitter of the ocean. The ocean and a great mica-white beach are less than a mile away. Anyone who passes by will see Jane's little house gleaming like a dream house among the pines. but Jane and Pete have painted the bricks white, so that they shimmer in the sun against a great green screen of pine trees with a thousand little places where the sun shines.” This is a very charming and engaging way of describing a setting used by Wolfe. A reader would simply be transported into his/her imagination; the reader will have the feeling that he/she is the one passing by and looking at Jane's house, and this is the goal Tom Wolfe wants to achieve, he wants the reader to immerse themselves in the story and interact with it. He wants to provide the "truth" in every single detail and not just the "facts" which are vague and.