Many outsiders do not understand the beauty of Manhattan, and see New Yorkers as very apathetic people. David Sedaris' essay, "City of Angels," Allen Ginsberg's poem, "Mugging," and Tom Wolf's short story, "Only the Dead Know Brooklyn," all portray New Yorkers as insensitive. They illustrate how the egotistical, arrogant and flagrant stereotype of the typical New Yorkers fits their description perfectly.
�City of Angels� written by David Sedaris, depicts New Yorkers as lacking feeling towards other people and being easily angered. �I was mortified, but Bonnie was in a stage of almost narcotic bliss, overjoyed to have discovered a New York without the New Yorkers. Here were out-of-town visitors from Omaha and Chattanooga, outraged over the price of their hot roasted chestnuts. They apologized when stepping on someone�s foot and never thought to complain when some nitwit with a video camera stupidly blocked their path� (131). �City of Angels� focuses on Bonnie, a lady who comes to visit New York with her friend. She comes to terms with the fact that everyone in New York is arrogant, agitated and out to get her. She finds that New Yorkers are constantly trying to gain more for themselves and cheat her out of money. �Excuse me, but for your information, I do not appreciate being taken for a fool. I may be from Greensboro, North Carolina, but I can count just as well as anyone else can. Now, are you going to give me my five cents or should I talk to your supervisor� (129). Bonnie is so convinced that New Yorkers only look out for themselves and are insensitive that when a man miscounts how much change he was supposed to give her she threatens to call his supervisor. Bonnie sees New Yorkers as being a very unfriendly breed of people just as the character in another literal work.
�Only the Dead Know Brooklyn� depicts New Yorkers as unfriendly and argumentative. Thomas Wolfe first settled in Brooklyn in 1931. After a few months of working there he began to open his eyes to his surroundings. He primarily thought that Brooklyn was a nice big country town, and then had a change of mind. He realized it was �a vast sprawl upon the face of the earth, which no man alive or dead has yet seen in its foul, dismal entirety� (598). The author opened his eyes to the violence, and hostility that New Yorkers have towards one another. The author uses Brooklyn slang to show how New York interaction is insensitive and aggressive.
�Oh, I don�t know,� I says. �Duh boids ain�t usin� my head for Lincoln�s statue yet,� I says. �But I�m wise enough to know a phony when I see one.�
�Yeah?� he says. �A wise guy, huh? Well, you�re so wise dat some one�s goin� t�bust yuh on duh snoot some day,� he says. Dats how wise you are� (599).
The third work, �Mugging,� written by Allen Ginsberg, describes how a man was getting mugged and the people around him would not help explain to the cops what had happened. The man would try to calm himself down by chanting and take control of the situation but he could not bear the violence. He was unable to stop or help the situation. After the mugging ended and his terror began to diminish, he asked for a bystander to tell the police what they witnessed. ��No I can�t see anything here�... �Fill out this form� Neighborhood street crowd behind a car �we didn�t see nothing� Stoop young girls, kids laughing, �Listen man last time I messed with them see this ---� rolled up his skinny arm shirt, a white knife scar on his brown shoulder. �Besides we help you the cops come don�t know anybody we all get arrested go to jail never help no more mind my own business every time�� (II).
He shows how New Yorkers are only concerned about themselves and are not in the least bit worried about others. He portrays them as taciturn and reticent, worrying only about their own business, and not caring about helping out someone in need. He draws of a picture of how the residents of New York turn on one another as a community, and as a people, scaring eachother, each person trying to intimidate the other.
All three authors of the literary compositions agree that New Yorkers
are hostile and contentious and consequentially are insensitive. They do
not help others in need, they argue instead of trying to resolve things,
and are very difficult to approach. The Big Apple, is obviously not all
it is cut out to be. A resident, a visitor, or a tourist will all agree
that they are the most unfriendly, controversial and spiteful people in
all the states.
